Carroll Thomas Dozier
Carroll Thomas Dozier | |
|---|---|
| Bishop of Memphis | |
| Appointed | November 12, 1970 |
| Installed | 1971 |
| Term ended | 1982 |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | March 19, 1937 |
| Consecration | January 6, 1971 by Cardinal John Joseph Wright |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 18, 1911 Richmond, Virginia |
| Died | December 7, 1985 (aged 74) |
| Parents | Curtis Merry and Rosa Ann (née Conaty) Dozier |
| Education | Benedictine High School, Richmond |
| Alma mater | College of the Holy Cross, Worcester, Massachusetts |
Carroll Thomas Dozier (August 18, 1911—December 7, 1985) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He was the first Bishop of Memphis (1971-1982).
Biography[]
One of five children, Carroll Dozier was born in Richmond, Virginia, to Curtis Merry and Rosa Ann (née Conaty) Dozier.[1] After graduating from Benedictine High School in Richmond in 1928, he attended the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, from where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1932.[1] He then furthered his studies in Rome at the Pontifical North American College and the Pontifical Gregorian University, there earning a Bachelor of Sacred Theology.[2] He was ordained to the priesthood in Rome on March 19, 1937.[3]
Following his return to Virginia in 1937, Dozier served as a curate at St. Vincent's Church in Newport News until 1941, when he was transferred to St. Joseph's Church in Petersburg.[1] He was diocesan director of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith (1945-1953),then transferred to Sacred Heart Church in Danville until 1954 and afterwards pastor of Christ the King Church in Norfolk (1954-1971).[1] He was named a Papal Chamberlain in 1954 and a Domestic Prelate in 1961.[2] He spent a brief time at St. Victoria Parish in Hurt Virginia, dates unknown.
On November 12, 1970, Dozier was appointed the first Bishop of the newly erected Diocese of Memphis, Tennessee, by Pope Paul VI.[3] He received his episcopal consecration on January 6, 1971 from Cardinal John Joseph Wright, with Archbishops Luigi Raimondi and Thomas Joseph McDonough serving as co-consecrators.[3] During his tenure, Dozier implemented the reforms of the Second Vatican Council, including insisting on liturgical changes and giving more important roles to the laity in diocesan affairs.[2] He also established the Diocesan Housing Corporation, Catholic Charities, Ministry to the Sick, and a weekly newspaper called Common Sense.[2] A self-described "progressive,"[2] Dozier was an early opponent of the Vietnam War and offered support to draft dodgers.[4] He also called for busing to achieve desegregation in public schools, opposed capital punishment, and supported ecumenism and women's rights.[2][4] In 1970 he celebrated two Masses of Reconciliation at Memphis and Jackson for lapsed Catholics; he gave general absolution to those in attendance, to the dismay of Pope Paul VI and Cardinal James Knox.[4]
After eleven years as bishop, Dozier resigned due to poor health on July 27, 1982.[3] He later died after suffering a stroke at age 74.[4]
On February 14, 2019, the Diocese of Richmond released a list of priests, including Dozier, who had been credibly accused of sexual abuse. [5]
On September 9, 2019, the city of Memphis removed his image from the "Upstanders Mural", which is located across from the National Civil Rights Museum and is dedicated for those who stood up for others, because of his sexual abuse accusations.[6] [7]
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d Curtis, Georgina Pell (1961). The American Catholic Who's Who. XIV. Grosse Pointe, Michigan: Walter Romig.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f Zurhellen, Joan (2006-01-12). "First bishop of diocese remembered". Roman Catholic Diocese of Memphis. Archived from the original on 2006-05-17.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d "Bishop Carroll Thomas Dozier". Catholic-Hierarchy.org.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d "Bishop Carroll T. Dozier, 74; Ex-Head of Memphis Diocese". The New York Times. 1985-12-08.
- ^ [1]
- ^ "Memphis' first Catholic bishop replaced on downtown mural after child sexual abuse accusations". 8 September 2019.
- ^ "Former Memphis bishop removed from mural after child sexual abuse allegation".
Authority control  |
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- 1911 births
- 1985 deaths
- College of the Holy Cross alumni
- Religious leaders from Richmond, Virginia
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Memphis
- 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States
- Roman Catholic bishops in Tennessee
- Roman Catholic bishops in Virginia