Francis James Harrison (August 20, 1912 – May 1, 2004) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as
Bishop of Syracuse
The Archdiocese of Siracusa, also known as Syracuse, ( la, Archidioecesis Syracusana) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Sicily. It became an archdiocese in 1844.Syracuse
Syracuse may refer to:
Places Italy
*Syracuse, Sicily, or spelled as ''Siracusa''
*Province of Syracuse
United States
*Syracuse, New York
**East Syracuse, New York
**North Syracuse, New York
*Syracuse, Indiana
* Syracuse, Kansas
*Syracuse, Miss ...
,
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
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Film and television
* '' ...
, to Francis and Mary (née Flynn) Harrison. He graduated from St. Lucy Academy, where he was
class president
A class president, also known as a class representative, is usually the leader of a student body class, and presides over its class cabinet or organization within a student council. In a grade school, class presidents are generally elected by th ...
varsity
Varsity may refer to:
*University, an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in various academic disciplines
Places
*Varsity, Calgary, a neighbourhood in Calgary, Alberta, Canada
* Varsity Lakes ...
curate
A curate () is a person who is invested with the ''care'' or ''cure'' (''cura'') ''of souls'' of a parish. In this sense, "curate" means a parish priest; but in English-speaking countries the term ''curate'' is commonly used to describe clergy w ...
at Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Utica, St. Mary of the Assumption in Binghamton, and the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Syracuse; and founding pastor of St. Andrew the Apostle in Syracuse; St. Patrick in Binghamton, and St. James in Syracuse.
On March 1, 1971, Harrison was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Syracuse and Titular Bishop of
Aquae in Numidia
Aquae in Numidia is a former Roman city and bishopric and present Latin Catholic titular see in present Algeria.
History
In Antiquity, the city (situated near modern Henchir-El-Hamman) was important enough in the Roman province of Numidia to bec ...
episcopal
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 ...
consecration
Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service. The word ''consecration'' literally means "association with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different grou ...
on the following April 22 from Bishop
David Frederick Cunningham
David Frederick Cunningham (December 3, 1900 – February 22, 1979) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Syracuse from 1970 to 1976.
Biography
David Cunningham was born in Walkerville, Montana, to D ...
, with Bishops
Stanislaus Joseph Brzana
Stanislaus Joseph Brzana (July 7, 1917 – March 1, 1997) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church who served as the tenth bishop of the Diocese of Ogdensburg, New York from 1968 to 1993.
Biography
Stanislaus Brzana was born in Buff ...
and
Joseph Lloyd Hogan
Joseph Lloyd Hogan (March 11, 1916 – August 27, 2000) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the seventh bishop of the Diocese of Rochester in New York from 1969 to 1978.
Biography
Early life
Hogan was born on M ...
serving as
co-consecrators
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, ...
. Following the resignation of Bishop Cunningham, Harrison was named the seventh
Bishop of Syracuse
The Archdiocese of Siracusa, also known as Syracuse, ( la, Archidioecesis Syracusana) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Sicily. It became an archdiocese in 1844.installed at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception on February 6, 1977. He was the first native of the Syracuse Diocese to head the diocese.
Harrison practiced a
collegial
Collegiality is the relationship between colleagues. A colleague is a fellow member of the same profession.
Colleagues are those explicitly united in a common purpose and respect each other's abilities to work toward that purpose. A colleague is ...
manner of governing, and worked to include
laity
In religious organizations, the laity () consists of all members who are not part of the clergy, usually including any non-ordained members of religious orders, e.g. a nun or a lay brother.
In both religious and wider secular usage, a layperson ...
and especially women in the diocesan affairs. He launched diocesan programs for African Americans, Hispanic, Native Americans, and the disabled. He once played a game of golf with entertainer Bob Hope, who later recorded a radio ad for the diocese's first HOPE Appeal, an annual fundraiser Harrison started in 1978. In 1980 he called for the United States to cease its aid to
El Salvador
El Salvador (; , meaning " The Saviour"), officially the Republic of El Salvador ( es, República de El Salvador), is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south b ...
following the murder of three nuns, declaring, "As Christians and as Americans, we cannot condone our resources and our tax dollars being used to help any foreign government repress its own people so brutally." He later expressed his opposition to military aid for Nicaragua.
Shortly before reaching the mandatory retirement age of 75, Harrison resigned as bishop on June 16, 1987. He later died at St. Camillus Health and Rehabilitation Center, aged 91. He is buried at the St. Agnes Cemetery in Syracuse.