John Dougherty (bishop)

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His Excellency, The Most Reverend

John Martin Dougherty
Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus of Scranton
Titular Bishop of Sufetula
ArchdiocesePhiladelphia
DioceseScranton
AppointedFebruary 7, 1995
InstalledMarch 7, 1995
Term endedAugust 31, 2009
Other post(s)Titular Bishop of Sufetula
Orders
OrdinationJune 15, 1957
ConsecrationMarch 7, 1995
by James Timlin, J. Carroll McCormick, and Francis X. DiLorenzo
Personal details
Born (1932-04-29) April 29, 1932 (age 89)
Scranton, Pennsylvania
Styles of
John Martin Dougherty
Mitre (plain).svg
Reference style
Spoken styleYour Excellency
Religious styleBishop

John Martin Dougherty (born 29 April 1932) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church.

Dougherty served as the auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Scranton in Pennsylvania, from 1995 to 2009.

Early life[]

John Dougherty was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, to Edward and Irene (née Kern) Dougherty.[1] After graduating from St. Paul High School in 1949, he entered St. Charles College in Catonsville, Maryland.

In 1951, Dougherty became a seminarian a St. Mary's Seminary in Baltimore, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1953. In 1956, he was awarded a Master of Arts degree in Philosophy from the University of Notre Dame, then in 1957 a Licentiate of Sacred Theology from St. Mary's.[1]

Priesthood[]

On 15 June 1957, Dougherty was ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Scranton by Bishop Jerome D. Hannan at St. Peter's Cathedral in Scranton.[2]

After his ordination, Dougherty served as assistant pastor at the Church of St. Ann Parish in Tobyhanna, Pennsylvania. In 1962, Dougherty left St. Ann to become professor of ascetical theology at St. Pius X Seminary in Dalton, Pennsylvania. He also became in 1965a director of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith in the regions.[1]

In 1968 Dougherty was raised to the rank of Chaplain of His Holiness by Pope Paul VI and named Vicar for Religious by Bishop J. Carroll McCormick.[1]

Dougherty was appointed assistant chancellor of the Diocese in 1972, also assuming the duties of Pro-Life Director in 1976.[1] He became chancellor of the Diocese in 1977 and an Honorary Prelate of His Holiness in 1978. In 1984 Daugherty was named vicar general and moderator of the curia.[1]

Dougherty He received his first pastorate in 1984 at St. Patrick's Parish in West Scranton, Pennsylvania.[1]

Auxiliary Bishop of Scranton[]

On February 7, 1995, Pope John Paul II appointed Dougherty as Auxiliary Bishop of Scranton and Titular Bishop of Sufetula.[2] He was installed and consecrated on March 7, 1995 by Bishop James C. Timlin, with Bishops McCormick and Francis X. DiLorenzo serving as co-consecrators, at St. Peter's Cathedral.[2]

As an auxiliary bishop, Dougherty served as rector of the Villa Saint Joseph home for retired priests in Dunmore, Pennsylvania (1995-2004) and as Vicar for Administration (2004-2009).[1]

In April 2009, Daugherty joined some other American bishops in criticizing the University of Notre Dame's invitation to U.S. President Barack Obama to deliver its commencement speech and receive an honorary degree, given what the bishops termed his "numerous, repeated and extensive anti-life positions".[3]

Retirement[]

Upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 75, Dougherty submitted his letter of resignation to Pope Benedict XVI in April 2007. The pope accepted his resignation two years later on August 31, 2009.[4][5]

Dougherty continued to serve as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Catholic Distance University.[6] He presently lives at Christ the King Parish in Archbald, Pennsylvania. He celebrates the Holy Mass and hears confessions regularly.

On July 31, 2019, the Diocese paid a settlement in a sexual abuse allegation dating to 1941. The victim alleged that she had been molested at age nine by Martin J Fleming, then a priest at Holy Name Parish in Swoyersville, Pennsylvania. The victim first made her allegation to an official of the Diocese on Venice in Florida. That official sent the information in April 2006 to the Diocese of Scranton. On June 30, 2006, she traveled to Pennsylvania and met with Dougherty to report the allegations against Fleming, now deceased. After listening to her story, Dougherty suggested she talk to a counselor or a good friend. Fleming was listed in the 2018 Pennsylvania grand jury report of abusive priests.[7][8]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "Learn About the Bishop". Roman Catholic Diocese of Scranton. Archived from the original on 2010-08-06. Retrieved 2009-07-14.
  2. ^ a b c "Bishop John Martin Dougherty". Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved 21 January 2015.[self-published source]
  3. ^ "Scranton Bishops Join Protest of Notre Dame Decision To Honor President Obama". Roman Catholic Diocese of Scranton. 2009-04-01.
  4. ^ Legere, Laura and Stacy Brown (2009-08-28). "Bishops Martino and Dougherty due to step down". The Scranton Times-Tribune. Archived from the original on 2009-08-30.
  5. ^ Palmo, Rocco (2009-08-28). "In Scranton, the Curtain Falls". Whispers in the Loggia.
  6. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-09-20. Retrieved 2011-07-02.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  7. ^ Hallikaar, Viktoria (2019-07-31). "Woman gets settlement from Scranton diocese almost 80 years after alleged abuse". WOLF. Retrieved 2021-12-13.
  8. ^ Teller, Sara E. (2019-08-14). "Woman Receives Settlement After Keeping Abuse a Secret for Decades -". Legal Reader. Retrieved 2021-12-13.

External links[]

Episcopal succession[]

Catholic Church titles
Preceded by
–
 Auxiliary Bishop of Scranton
1995–2009 		Succeeded by
–
Retrieved from ""