His Excellency, The Most Reverend

Eugene
SeeOklahoma City
In officeFebruary 1, 1948—December 27, 1957
PredecessorFrancis C. Kelley
SuccessorVictor J. Reed
Orders
OrdinationMay 22, 1915
by Edmond Francis Prendergast
ConsecrationDecember 21, 1937
by Dennis Joseph Dougherty
Personal details
Born(1889-09-06)September 6, 1889
Hellertown, Pennsylvania, U.S.
DiedDecember 27, 1957(1957-12-27) (aged 68)
Previous post(s)Bishop of Raleigh (1938-44)
Coadjutor Bishop of Oklahoma City-Tulsa (1944-1945)
Styles of
Eugene McGuinness
Reference styleThe Most Reverend
Spoken styleYour Excellency
Religious styleMonsignor
Posthumous stylenone

Biography

Early life

Eugene McGuinness was born on September 6, 1889, in Hellertown, Pennsylvania, to Daniel and Mary (née Flood) McGuinness.[1] He received his early education at the parochial school of Holy Infancy Parish in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.[1] He attended St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, then earned Doctor of Both Laws and Doctor of Sacred Theology degrees from the University of Santo Tomas in Manila, Philippines.[1]

Priesthood

McGuinness was ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia by Archbishop Edmond Prendergast on May 22, 1915.[2] He then served as a curate at St. Paul's Parish, St. Agatha's Parish, St. John's Parish, and at the Cathedral of SS. Peter and Paul, all in Philadelphia.[1] McGuinness was assistant director of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith (1917–1919), and field secretary (1919–1920) as well as vice-president (1920–1924) of the Catholic Church Extension Society.[1] McGuinness served as executive secretary of the American Board of Catholic Missions (1923–1937), and was named a domestic prelate by the Vatican in 1929.[1]

Bishop of Raleigh

On October 13, 1937, McGuinness was appointed bishop of the Diocese of Raleigh by Pope Pius XI.[2] He received his episcopal consecration on December 21, 1937, from Cardinal Dennis Dougherty, with Bishops William O'Brien and Hugh L. Lamb serving as co-consecrators.[2]

Coadjutor Bishop and Bishop of Oklahoma City

McGuinness was appointed coadjutor bishop of the Diocese of Oklahoma City-Tulsa and titular bishop of Ilium on November 11, 1944, by Pope Pius XII.[2] After the death of Bishop Francis Kelley on February 1, 1948, McGuinness automatically succeeded him as the third Bishop of Oklahoma City-Tulsa.[2] During his nine-year administration, McGuinness saw the Catholic population in the state grow by almost 40 percent and received 1,242 adult converts in 1957 alone.[3] Priestly and religious vocations flourished, and he made trips to Ireland and Poland to recruit clergy.[3]

Eugene McGuinness died on December 27, 1957, at age 68.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Curtis, Georgina Pell (1961). The American Catholic Who's Who. Vol. XIV. Grosse Pointe, Michigan: Walter Romig.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Bishop Eugene Joseph McGuinness". Catholic-Hierarchy.org.[self-published source]
  3. ^ a b "Oklahomanization: 1945-1957". Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Oklahoma City. Archived from the original on 2008-12-23. Retrieved 2009-12-29.

External links

Catholic Church titles Preceded byFrancis Clement Kelley Bishop of Oklahoma City-Tulsa 1945–1957 Succeeded byVictor Joseph Reed Preceded byWilliam Joseph Hafey Bishop of Raleigh 1938–1944 Succeeded byVincent Stanislaus Waters
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Oklahoma City
Roman Catholic Diocese of Raleigh
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia
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