Arthur Leo Kennedy (born January 9, 1942) is an American prelate of the
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
who served as an
auxiliary bishop of the
Archdiocese of Boston in Massachusetts from 2010 to 2017.After retirement, Kennedy took up residence at
St. Mary's Parish in Dedham, Massachusetts.
Biography
Early life and education
Arthur Leo Kennedy was born on January 9, 1942, in Boston to Arthur and Helen (O’Rourke) Kennedy. He has four brothers (Kevin, Terrence, Christopher, and Brian) and one sister (Maurabeth). Kennedy has four nieces and four nephews.
Kennedy attended Longfellow Elementary School in the
Roslindale
Roslindale is a primarily residential neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, bordered by Jamaica Plain, Hyde Park, West Roxbury and Mattapan.
It is served by an MBTA Commuter Rail line, several MBTA bus lines and the MBTA Orange Line in nearby J ...
section of Boston and St. Aidan Grammar School in
Brookline, Massachusetts. He then entered
Boston Latin School for his secondary education, graduating in 1959.
Kennedy received his
Bachelor of Philosophy
Bachelor of Philosophy (BPhil, BPh, or PhB; la, Baccalaureus Philosophiae or ) is the title of an academic degree that usually involves considerable research, either through a thesis or supervised research projects. Unlike many other bachelor's d ...
degree from
Saint John's Seminary College in Boston in 1963.
Ordination, education and ministry
On December 17, 1966, Kennedy was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Boston in
St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome by Bishop Francis Reh.
After his ordination, Kennedy was assigned to St. Monica Parish in
Methuen, Massachusetts
Methuen () is a 23 square mile (60 km2) city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 53,059 at the 2020 census. Methuen lies along the northwestern edge of Essex County, just east of Middlesex County and just south of ...
. He obtained a
Licentiate of Sacred Theology from the
Pontifical Gregorian University
The Pontifical Gregorian University ( it, Pontificia Università Gregoriana; also known as the Gregorian or Gregoriana,) is a higher education ecclesiastical school ( pontifical university) located in Rome, Italy.
The Gregorian originated as ...
in 1967. In 1969, Kennedy was posted to St. Joseph Parish in
East Boston
East Boston, nicknamed Eastie, is a neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts annexed by the city of Boston in 1637. Neighboring communities include Winthrop, Revere, and Chelsea. It is separated from the Boston neighborhood of Charlestown and d ...
, serving there until 1974.
In 1974, Kennedy joined the faculty of the
Theology
Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...
and Catholic Studies departments at the
University of St. Thomas St. Thomas University or University of St. Thomas may refer to:
*Saint Thomas Aquinas University, Colombia
*Saint Thomas Aquinas University of the North, Tucumán province, Argentina
*St. Thomas University (Canada), Fredericton, New Brunswick
*St. ...
(UST) in St. Paul, Minnesota.
He earned his doctorate in
systematic theology
Systematic theology, or systematics, is a discipline of Christian theology that formulates an orderly, rational, and coherent account of the doctrines of the Christian faith. It addresses issues such as what the Bible teaches about certain topic ...
/philosophy of religion in 1978 from
Boston College. In 1983, Kennedy was named as associate professor at UST and in 2001 a full professor.
While at UST, Kennedy performed pastoral duties at Holy Trinity Parish in
South Saint Paul, Minnesota
South St. Paul is a city in Dakota County, Minnesota, United States, located immediately south and southeast of St. Paul. It is also east of West St. Paul. The population was 20,759 at the 2020 census. Historically, the town was notable as a ...
, from 1974 to 1982 and at the
Church of the Assumption in St. Paul from 1982 to 2000.
In addition to teaching at UST and his pastoral duties, Kennedy also served on the faculty of the
Saint Paul Seminary School of Divinity
The Saint Paul Seminary (SPS) is a Roman Catholic major seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. A part of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, SPS prepares men to enter the priesthood and permanent diaconate, and educates lay men and women on ...
in St. Paul (1990, 1995–2000, 2006) and was director of the masters in theology program.
In 2002, Kennedy was appointed as executive director of the Secretariat for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs for the
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is the episcopal conference of the Catholic Church in the United States. Founded in 1966 as the joint National Conference of Catholic Bishops (NCCB) and United States Catholic Conference (US ...
in
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
In 2007, Kennedy was named as rector of Saint John's Seminary, holding that position until July 2012.
Auxiliary Bishop of Boston
On June 30, 2010,
Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the soverei ...
appointed Kennedy as
auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Boston and titular bishop of
Timidana. He was consecrated by Cardinal
Seán O'Malley on September 14, 2010, at the
Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston.
Kennedy's episcopal
motto
A motto (derived from the Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of an individual, family, social group, or organisation. Mot ...
was: '' Ut cognoscant te'', meaning, "so that they may know you" from Saint John's Gospel (
John 17
John 17 is the seventeenth chapter of the Gospel of John in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It portrays a prayer of Jesus Christ addressed to his Father, placed in context immediately before his betrayal and crucifixion, the events whic ...
:3).
On Jan. 18, 2012, Cardinal O'Malley named Kennedy as
episcopal vicar
Episcopal may refer to:
*Of or relating to a bishop, an overseer in the Christian church
*Episcopate, the see of a bishop – a diocese
*Episcopal Church (disambiguation), any church with "Episcopal" in its name
** Episcopal Church (United State ...
for the New Evangelization of the archdiocese.
Retirement
Pope Francis
Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...
accepted Kennedy's letter of resignation as auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Boston on June 30, 2017.
See also
*
Catholic Church hierarchy
The hierarchy of the Catholic Church consists of its bishop (Catholic Church), bishops, Priesthood (Catholic Church), priests, and deacons. In the Catholic ecclesiology, ecclesiological sense of the term, "hierarchy" strictly means the "holy or ...
*
Catholic Church in the United States
With 23 percent of the United States' population , the Catholic Church is the country's second largest religious grouping, after Protestantism, and the country's largest single church or Christian denomination where Protestantism is divided i ...
*
Historical list of the Catholic bishops of the United States
This is a historical list of all bishops of the Catholic Church whose sees were within the present-day boundaries of the United States, with links to the bishops who consecrated them. It includes only members of the United States Conference of Cat ...
*
List of Catholic bishops of the United States
The following is a list of bishops of the Catholic Church in the United States, including its five inhabited territories.
The U.S. Catholic Church comprises:
* 176 Latin Church dioceses led by bishops
* 18 Eastern Catholic eparchies led by ...
*
Lists of patriarchs, archbishops, and bishops
This is a directory of patriarchs, archbishops, and bishops across various Christian denominations. To find an individual who was a bishop, see the most relevant article linked below or :Bishops.
Lists
Catholic
* Bishop in the Catholic Chur ...
References
External links
Biography from The PilotCurriculum VitaeRemarks for News ConferenceRoman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kennedy, Arthur
Living people
21st-century American Roman Catholic titular bishops
American Roman Catholic clergy of Irish descent
1942 births
Boston University School of Theology alumni
University of St. Thomas (Minnesota) alumni
Pontifical Gregorian University alumni
Pontifical North American College alumni
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston
Religious leaders from Massachusetts