His Excellency, The Most Reverend

Paul Gregory Bootkoski
Bishop Emeritus of Metuchen
Bootkoski in December 2014
DioceseMetuchen
AppointedJanuary 4, 2002
InstalledMarch 19, 2002
RetiredMarch 8, 2016
PredecessorVincent DePaul Breen
SuccessorJames Checchio
Orders
OrdinationMay 28, 1966
ConsecrationSeptember 5, 1997
by Theodore Edgar McCarrick, John Smith, and Michael Angelo Saltarelli
Personal details
Born (1940-07-04) July 4, 1940
Newark, New Jersey, US
Previous post(s)
MottoGod’s grace suffices
Styles of
Paul Gregory Bootkoski
Reference style
Spoken styleYour Excellency
Religious styleBishop

Paul Gregory Bootkoski (born July 4, 1940) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. Bootkoski served as bishop of the Diocese of Metuchen in New Jersey from 2002 until March 8, 2016; he was replaced by Monsignor James Checchio. Bootkoski previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Newark in New Jersey from 1997 to 2002.

Biography

Early years

Paul Bootkoski was born in Newark, New Jersey on July 4, 1940, to Peter and Antoinette Bootkoski. He attended Our Lady Queen of Peace School in North Arlington, New Jersey, before continuing at St. Benedict's Preparatory School in Newark, New Jersey. After graduating from Seton Hall University in South Orange, New Jersey, with a degree in classical languages, Bootkoski entered Immaculate Conception Seminary at the university.[1] He also received a Master of Education degree from Manhattan College in New York City.[1]

Priesthood

On May 28, 1966, Bootkoski was ordained as a priest for the Archdiocese of Newark by Archbishop Thomas Boland.[2] In 1980, Bootkoski was appointed assistant vice president for student affairs at Seton Hall. In 1983, He became pastor of St. Mary of the Assumption Parish in Elizabeth, New Jersey and was named by the Vatican as an honorary prelate with the title of monsignor in 1991.

Auxiliary Bishop of Newark

On July 8, 1997, Pope Paul II appointed Bootkoski as an auxiliary bishop of Newark. He was consecrated by then Archbishop Theodore E. McCarrick on September 5, 1997, at the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark.[3][1][2]

Bootkoski became vicar general of the diocese and on January 5, 2001, diocesan administrator when McCarrick was appointed archbishop of the Archdiocese of Washington.[1]

Bishop of Metuchen

On January 4, 2002, Paul II appointed Bootkoski as the fourth bishop of Metuchen. He was installed on March 19, 2002.[1][2]

On January 31, 2003, Bootkoski approved an $800,000 settlement to ten people who had alleged sexual abuse when they were minors by five diocesan priests.[4] In 2005 and 2007, the Diocese of Metuchen and the Archdiocese of Newark paid financial settlements to two priests who had accused McCarrick of abuse.[5] According to Cardinal Donald Wuerl, nobody from the Diocese of Metuchen informed him of these settlements, even after the retired McCarrick began living on the grounds of a seminary in the Archdiocese of Washington.[5]

Retirement

Having passed the normal retirement age of 75, Bootkoski's resignation as bishop of the Diocese of Metuchen was accepted by Pope Francis on March 8, 2016.[1][2]

In 2018, Archbishop Carlo Viganò accused Bootkoski of assisting in a coverup of sexual abuse acts by McCarrick. In reply, Bootkoski said that Viganò's memory was faulty and that Bootkoski had reported the allegations of abuse from three priests against McCarrick to the Vatican in 2005.[5] On November 10, 2020, the Vatican published the McCarrick Report, an investigation into the McCarrick case. The report verified that Bootkoski reported McCarrick in 2005.[6]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Bishop Bootkoski - Biography". Archived from the original on 2007-03-10. Retrieved 2006-07-16.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Bishop Paul Gregory Bootkoski [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 2021-12-13.
  3. ↑ "Bishop » Diocese of Metuchen". diometuchen.org. Archived from the original on 2012-01-26.
  4. ↑ Jones, Richard Lezin (2003-01-31). "Diocese Pays $800,000 to 10 In Abuse Cases Against Priests". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-11-19.
  5. 1 2 3 Flynn, JD (July 31, 2018). "What might happen for McCarrick, and for the Church in the US". Catholic News Agency. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
  6. ↑ "The McCarrick Report: A timeline". Catholic News Agency. Retrieved 2021-12-13.

Episcopal succession

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