Eugene Joseph McGuinness (September 6, 1889 – December 27, 1957) was an American clergyman 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 ...

. He served as Bishop of Raleigh (1937–44) and Bishop of Oklahoma City-Tulsa (1948–57).

Biography

Early life and education

Eugene McGuinness was born in Hellertown,

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, to Daniel and Mary (née Flood) McGuinness. He received his early education at the parochial school o
Holy Infancy Church
in

Bethlehem Bethlehem (; ar, بيت لحم ; he, בֵּית לֶחֶם '' '') is a city in the central West Bank, Palestine, about south of Jerusalem. Its population is approximately 25,000,Amara, 1999p. 18.Brynen, 2000p. 202. and it is the capital o ...

. He attended St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Overbrook, and earned a

Doctor of both laws A doctor of both laws, from the Latin ''doctor utriusque juris'', or ''juris utriusque doctor'', or ''doctor juris utriusque'' ("doctor of both laws") (abbreviations include: JUD, IUD, DUJ, JUDr., DUI, DJU, Dr.iur.utr., Dr.jur.utr., DIU, UJD a ...

and

Doctor of Sacred Theology The Doctor of Sacred Theology ( la, Sacrae Theologiae Doctor, abbreviated STD), also sometimes known as Professor of Sacred Theology (, abbreviated STP), is the final theological degree in the pontifical university system of the Roman Catholic C ...

degrees from the

University of Santo Tomas The University of Santo Tomas (also known as UST and officially as the Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, Manila) is a private, Catholic research university in Manila, Philippines. Founded on April 28, 1611, by Spanish friar Migue ...

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

. He was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform ...

to the priesthood by Archbishop

Edmond Francis Prendergast Edmond Francis Prendergast (May 3, 1843 – February 26, 1918) was an Irish-born prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as the third Archbishop of Philadelphia from 1911 until his death in 1918. Biography Edmond Prendergast was born in Clonm ...

on May 22, 1915.

Ordination and ministry

He served as a curate a
St. Paul's ChurchSt. Agatha's ChurchSt. John's Church
and the Cathedral of SS. Peter and Paul, all in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

. He was assistant director of the

Society for the Propagation of the Faith The Society for the Propagation of the Faith (Latin: ''Propagandum Fidei'') is an international association coordinating assistance for Catholic missionary priests, brothers, and nuns in mission areas. The society was founded in Lyon, France, in ...

(1917–19), and field secretary (1919–20) as well as vice-president (1920–24) of the

Catholic Church Extension Society Catholic Extension (also known as the Catholic Church Extension Society) is a national fundraising 501(c)(3) organization which supports and strengthens poor mission dioceses across the United States. They provide funding and resources to diocese ...

. He was executive secretary of the American Board of Catholic Missions (1923–37), and named a Domestic Prelate in 1929.

Bishop of Raleigh

On October 13, 1937, McGuinness was appointed Bishop of Raleigh,

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...

, by Pope Pius XI. He received his episcopal consecration on the following December 21 from Cardinal

Dennis Joseph Dougherty Dennis Joseph Dougherty (August 16, 1865 – May 31, 1951) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Philadelphia from 1918 until his death in 1951, and was made a cardinal in 1921. He was Philadelphia's longes ...

, with Bishops

William David O'Brien William David O'Brien (August 3, 1878 – February 19, 1962) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as an auxiliary bishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago, Archdiocese of Chicago from 1934 until his death ...

and Hugh L. Lamb serving as co-consecrators.

Coadjutor Bishop of Oklahoma City

Bishop McGuinness was appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Oklahoma City-Tulsa and

Titular Bishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox ...

of Ilium on November 11, 1944. Upon the death of Bishop

Francis Kelley Francis Clement Kelley (October 23, 1870 – February 1, 1948) was a Canadian-born Catholic bishop. He was the second Bishop of Oklahoma City, as well as an author and diplomat. He was a Catholic priest for 54 years, and bishop for 23 years ...

on February 1, 1948, McGuinness succeeded him as the third Bishop of Oklahoma City-Tulsa. During his 9-year-long administration, he saw the Catholic population in the state grow by almost 40 percent and received 1,242 adult converts in 1957 alone. Priestly and religious vocations flourished, and he made trips to

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

and

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

to recruit clergy. McGuinness died at age 68.

References

External links

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Oklahoma CityRoman Catholic Diocese of Raleigh, North Carolina
{{DEFAULTSORT:McGuinness, Eugene J. 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States St. Charles Borromeo Seminary alumni Roman Catholic bishops of Oklahoma City Roman Catholic Diocese of Raleigh 1889 births 1957 deaths Roman Catholic bishops in North Carolina