Edward Anthony McCarthy (April 10, 1918 – June 7, 2005) 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 ...

. He served as the second archbishop of the

Archdiocese of Miami The Archdiocese of Miami ( la, Archidioecesis Miamiensis, es, Arquidiócesis de Miami, ht, Achidyosèz Miami) is a particular church of the Catholic Church in the United States of America. Its ecclesiastical territory consists of Broward, Miami ...

in Florida from 1977 to 1994. He previously served as bishop of the

Diocese of Phoenix The Diocese of Phoenix ( la, Dioecesis Phoenicensis; es, Diócesis de Phoenix) is a Roman Catholic ecclesiastical territory or diocese in the state of Arizona in the United States. It was established on December 2, 1969, when it was split off ...

in Arizona from 1969 to 1977 and as an auxiliary bishop of the

Archdiocese of Cincinnati The Archdiocese of Cincinnati ( la, Archidiœcesis Cincinnatensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or archdiocese that covers the southwest region of the U.S. state of Ohio, including the greater Cincinnati and Dayton metropolitan ...

in Ohio from 1965 to 1969. McCarthy was appointed

Coadjutor Archbishop The term coadjutor (or coadiutor, literally "co-assister" in Latin) is a title qualifier indicating that the holder shares the office with another person, with powers equal to the other in all but formal order of precedence. These include: * Coad ...

of Miami on September 17, 1976, and succeeded Coleman Francis Carroll as archbishop of Miami on July 26, 1977. McCarthy retired as archbishop on November 3, 1994. He died on June 7, 2005, at the age of 87.

Background

McCarthy was ordained a priest in 1943 within the

, graduating from Saint Gregory Seminary and Mt. Saint Mary Seminary in

Norwood, Ohio Norwood is the third most populous city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and an enclave of the larger city of Cincinnati. The population was 19,207 at the 2010 census. Originally settled as an early suburb of Cincinnati in the wooded c ...

. His education included a master's degree in Philosophy from the

Athenaeum of Ohio The Athenaeum of Ohio – Mount St. Mary's Seminary of the West, originally St. Francis Xavier Seminary, is a Catholic seminary in Cincinnati, Ohio. It is the third-oldest Catholic seminary in the United States and was established by Edward ...

. He earned a Doctor of Canon Law degree in 1947 and a

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 ...

degree in 1948 while in Rome, Italy at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas. His dissertation was entitled ''"Epiky: a theoretical study of the virtue of epiky and its use, along with a historical review of the development of the doctrine on this subject"''. He also has a high school named after him. During his service within the Diocese of Cincinnati he served as the secretary to two

Archbishops In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdioc ...

, judge in the

marriage tribunal Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

and chairman of numerous diocesan committees.

Auxiliary Bishop of Cincinnati

McCarthy was appointed as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

Pope Paul VI Pope Paul VI ( la, Paulus VI; it, Paolo VI; born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini, ; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 to his death in Augus ...

on April 21, 1965. He was consecrated on June 15, 1965 with Archbishop Karl Alter serving as

principal consecrator A consecrator is a bishop who ordains someone to the episcopacy. A co-consecrator is someone who assists the consecrator bishop in the act of ordaining a new bishop. The terms are used in the canon law of the Catholic Church, Lutheran Churches, ...

Bishop of Phoenix

McCarthy was appointed the first

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...

of the newly created

by Paul VI on August 25, 1969. McCarthy was installed on December 2, 1969.

Coadjutor Archbishop and Archbishop of Miami

On September 17, 1976, Paul VI appointed McCarthy as the

coadjutor archbishop The term coadjutor (or coadiutor, literally "co-assister" in Latin) is a title qualifier indicating that the holder shares the office with another person, with powers equal to the other in all but formal order of precedence. These include: * Coad ...

of the Archdiocese of Miami due to the failing health of Archbishop Coleman F. Carroll. Upon Archbishop Carroll's death on July 26, 1977, McCarthy automatically succeeded him. Soon after arriving, he oversaw the construction of a Pastoral Center for the diocese and restructured most senior operational divisions. He established the Office of Lay Ministry, the Office of Evangelization and the

Permanent Diaconate A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Chur ...

program. In 1980, McCarthy was a key figure in offering support and assistance during the

Mariel Boat Lift The Mariel boatlift () was a mass emigration of Cubans who traveled from Cuba's Mariel Harbor to the United States between 15 April and 31 October 1980. The term "" (plural "Marielitos") is used to refer to these refugees in both Spanish and En ...

. A year later, he stood up for the rights of Haitian immigrants who were detained under what would become known as the Wet Foot, Dry Foot policy. In response to these incidents, that same year he oversaw the opening of the Pierre Toussaint Haitian Catholic Center in Miami. However, he was also picketed by Haitian-born Roman Catholic priest

Gérard Jean-Juste Gérard Jean-Juste (February 7, 1946 – May 27, 2009) was a Roman Catholic priest and rector of Saint Claire's church for the poor in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. He was also a liberation theologian and a supporter of the Fanmi Lavalas political party ...

, who criticized him for not doing more for Haitian refugees and attributed McCarthy's alleged indifference to racism. As punishment, Jean-Juste was forbidden by his church superiors from performing

mass Mass is an intrinsic property of a body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the quantity of matter in a physical body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physics. It was found that different atoms and different eleme ...

in the area. In 1984, McCarthy assisted with the transition of the new Diocese of Venice and

Diocese of Palm Beach The Diocese of Palm Beach ( la, Dioecesis Litoris Palmensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the U.S. state of Florida. The patron saint of the diocese is the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title Que ...

. A year later, he would call for the first ever Archdiocesan Synod. Lasting until 1988, it was seen as a method to revitalize the faithful within the archdiocese.

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

visited Miami in 1987. For the first time, he was forced to halt his public Mass midway due to a massive thunderstorm. Severe lightning caused the liturgy to be suspended due to safety concerns—an event that had never occurred elsewhere during the Pope's travels. John Paul II completed the offering of the mass inside a trailer, as the crowds dispersed, but only after McCarthy pleaded with them to tend to their own safety.

Retirement and legacy

In 1993, McCarthy submitted his resignation at the mandatory retirement age of 75. He became officially retired on November 3, 1994. In his final year, he started the planning of a new parish and

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

in western

Broward County Broward County ( , ) is a county in the southeastern part of Florida, located in the Miami metropolitan area. It is Florida's second-most populous county after Miami-Dade County and the 17th-most populous in the United States, with over 1.94 m ...

. The church, founded after his retirement, bore his namesake... Saint Edward. current Archbishop John C. Favalora named it the Archbishop Edward A. McCarthy High School. Edward A. McCarthy died in his sleep on June 7, 2005, at the age of 87.

References

External links

Archdiocese of MiamiArchbishop Edward A. McCarthy High School

Episcopal succession

{{DEFAULTSORT:McCarthy, Edward A. 1918 births 2005 deaths Religious leaders from Cincinnati Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati 20th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in the United States Participants in the Second Vatican Council Roman Catholic archbishops of Miami Roman Catholic Ecclesiastical Province of Santa Fe The Athenaeum of Ohio alumni