Matthew H. Clark
Matthew Harvey Clark | |
|---|---|
| Bishop Emeritus of Rochester | |
| Archdiocese | New York |
| Diocese | Rochester |
| Appointed | April 23, 1979 |
| Installed | June 26, 1979 |
| Term ended | September 21, 2012 |
| Predecessor | Joseph Lloyd Hogan |
| Successor | Salvatore Ronald Matano |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | December 19, 1962 |
| Consecration | May 27, 1979 by John Paul II, Duraisamy Simon Lourdusamy, Eduardo Martínez Somalo |
| Personal details | |
| Born | July 15, 1937 Waterford, New York |
| Nationality |  American |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic Church |
| Occupation | Roman Catholic Bishop |
| Alma mater | Holy Cross College, Pontifical Gregorian University |
| Motto | God's Love Endures Forever |
| Styles of Matthew Harvey Clark | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Reference style | |
| Spoken style | Your Excellency |
| Religious style | Bishop |
Matthew Harvey Clark (born July 15, 1937) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the eighth Bishop of Rochester in Rochester, New York, from 1979 until 2012.
Clark's 33-year tenure as Bishop was the second-longest in the Diocese of Rochester's history, after the 40-year tenure of Bishop Bernard John McQuaid.[citation needed]
Early life and education[]
Matthew Clark was born in Waterford, New York, to Matthew and Grace (née Bills) Clark.[1] He attended Catholic Central High School in Troy, New York, and Holy Cross College in Worcester, Massachusetts, before entering Mater Christi Seminary in Albany, New York.[1]
Clark also attended St. Bernard's Seminary in Rochester, New York. He then studied in Rome at the Pontifical North American College and the Pontifical Gregorian University.[1]
Priesthood[]
While in Rome, Clark was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Martin O'Connor on December 19, 1962.[2] He obtained a Licentiate of Sacred Theology from the Gregorian in 1963. On his return to the United States, Clark taught at the Vincentian Institute in Albany while serving at Our Lady of Mercy Parish.[1]
Clark returned to the Gregorian in 1964, earning a Licentiate of Canon Law in 1966.[1] From 1966 to 1967, he served as vice-chancellor for the Diocese of Albany. He then served as assistant pastor at St. Ambrose Parish in Latham, New York from 1967 to 1972. Clark was also the chairman of the Diocesan Priests' Personnel Board from 1969 to 1972.[1]
In 1972, Clark returned to Rome again to serve as assistant spiritual director of the North American College. He became its full spiritual director in 1974.[1]
Episcopal career[]
On April 23, 1979, Clark was appointed the eighth Bishop of Rochester by Pope John Paul II.[2] He received his episcopal consecration on May 27 from John Paul II himself, with Archbishop Duraisamy Simon Lourdusamy and Eduardo Martínez Somalo serving as co-consecrators, at St. Peter's Basilica.[2] Clark selected as his episcopal motto: "God's Love Endures Forever".[1]
In Rochester, Clark succeeded Bishop Joseph Lloyd Hogan, beingformally installed at the Rochester War Memorial on June 26, 1979.[2]
In 1986, Clark was ordered by Cardinal Josef Ratzinger to withdraw his imprimatur, or church approval, from a sex education manual written by a priest in his parish as being "defective" about church teachings.[3] On March 12, 1986, Clark defended one of his priests, the theologian Charles Curran, from criticism by church conservatives for his stands on birth control, abortion and gay rights.[4]
In 2003, Clark was criticized over his $11 million renovation and liturgical re-alignment of Sacred Heart Cathedral.[5] Clark has received some credit for clamping down on abusive priests.[6] In 2004, the diocese was deemed to be in "full compliance" with the US Conference of Catholic Bishops charter for the protection of children and young people.[7] Clark presided over the unpopular closing of many of Rochester's schools and parishes, pledging to complete the "re-sizing" of the diocese prior to his retirement in 2012.[8][9]
On September 21, 2012,.Pope Benedict XVI accepted the resignation of Clark as bishop. At the time of Clark's resignation, no successor was named. The pope named Bishop Robert Joseph Cunningham as Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Rochester until the installation of Salvatore Matano.[citation needed]
In September, 1919, Clark revealed that he had been diagnosed with early onset alzheimers disease[10]
In February 2020, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Paul R. Warren ruled that Clark must testify as part of bankruptcy proceedings for the Diocese of Rochester. Clark's lawyer had argued that his client was incapable of doing it due to his alzheimers. [11]On July 6th 2020, Clark was questioned for three hours in a deposition hearing He admitted sending Eugene Emo, a priest later convicted of sexual abuse of a minor, to a treatment facility, then later sending him to another parish.[12]
See also[]
- Catholic Church hierarchy
- Catholic Church in the United States
- Historical list of the Catholic bishops of the United States
- List of Catholic bishops of the United States
- Lists of patriarchs, archbishops, and bishops
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h "About Bishop Clark". Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d "Bishop Matthew Harvey Clark". Catholic-Hierarchy.org.
- ^ "Vatican Orders Bishop to Withdraw Approval of Sex Education Manual". Los Angeles Times. December 20, 1986.
- ^ "Bishop backs Vatican-embattled theologian". UPI. Retrieved 2021-09-04.
- ^ National Catholic register: "Cathedral Renovation Foes Turn to City for Help" January 5, 2003.
- ^ Syracuse Post Standard: "Rochester Diocese gets Tougher on Sex Abuse" Archived 2012-03-24 at the Wayback Machine May 12, 2002.
- ^ Diocese of Rochester news January 6, 2004.
- ^ Rochester City Newspaper: "RELIGION INTERVIEW: Bishop Matthew Clark and a changing church" March 2, 2011.
- ^ Rochester Channel 8 News: "Bishop Matthew Clark: 'I am not retiring early.'" Archived 2011-10-03 at the Wayback Machine February 4, 2011.
- ^ Borrelli, Justin Murphy and Katie Sullivan. "Bishop Matthew Clark diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease". Democrat and Chronicle. Retrieved 2021-09-04.
- ^ Lahman, Steve Orr and Sean. "Former Bishop Matthew Clark ordered to testify on priest abuse". Democrat and Chronicle. Retrieved 2021-09-04.
- ^ Ryan, Ginny (2020-07-06). "Priests accused of sex abuse remained in ministry, former bishop admits". WHAM. Retrieved 2021-09-04.
External links[]
Episcopal succession[]
- 1937 births
- Living people
- People from Waterford, New York
- 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany
- College of the Holy Cross alumni
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester
- Pontifical North American College alumni
- Pontifical Gregorian University alumni
- Religious leaders from New York (state)
- Catholics from New York (state)
- 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States