John Anthony Dooher (born May 3, 1943) is an American

prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Christian clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which means 'carry before', 'be set above or over' or 'pref ...

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 an auxiliary bishop of the

Archdiocese of Boston The Archdiocese of Boston ( la, Archidiœcesis Bostoniensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church located in the New England region of the United States. Its territorial remit encompasses the whole of ...

in Massachusetts from 2006 to 2018.

Biography

Early life and education

John Dooher was born on May 3, 1943, in

Dorchester, Boston, Massachusetts Dorchester (colloquially referred to as Dot) is a Boston neighborhood comprising more than in the City of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Originally, Dorchester was a separate town, founded by Puritans who emigrated in 1630 from Dorcheste ...

, to Irish immigrants Anthony (Tony) and Brigid (Patsy) Dooher. One of four children, he has two brothers, Francis and Terence, and one sister, Kathleen. Following the death of his aunt, many of his cousins moved in with his family. The Dooher family included several priests. Dooher said that he was inspired to enter the priesthood as a young man by the Reverend Mortimer Gavin, who founded the Boston Labor Guild. Dooher studied at St. John's Seminary in Boston, obtaining a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

degree in 1965 and a

Master of Divinity For graduate-level theological institutions, the Master of Divinity (MDiv, ''magister divinitatis'' in Latin) is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America. It is the most common academic degree in seminaries and divi ...

degree in 1969.

Ordination and ministry

Dooher 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 va ...

to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Boston on May 21, 1969, by Cardinal

Richard Cushing Richard James Cushing (August 24, 1895 – November 2, 1970) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Boston from 1944 to 1970 and was made a cardinal in 1958. Cushing's main role was as fundraiser and builder ...

. After ordination, Dooher served as

associate pastor A pastor (abbreviated as "Pr" or "Ptr" , or "Ps" ) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and ...

at St. Francis Xavier Parish in

Weymouth, Massachusetts ("To Work Is to Conquer") , image_map = Norfolk County Massachusetts incorporated and unincorporated areas Weymouth highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250px , map_caption = Location in Norfolk County in Massa ...

, also working as chaplain at

South Shore Hospital South Shore Hospital is a 396-bed hospital located in Weymouth, Massachusetts. It is the only community hospital within the state that operates a Level III neonatal intensive care unit. It is also one of three hospitals in Massachusetts with a L ...

in Weymouth and the

Naval Air Station South Weymouth Naval Air Station South Weymouth was an operational United States Navy airfield from 1942 to 1997 in South Weymouth, Massachusetts. It was first established as a regular Navy blimp base during World War II. During the postwar era the base became p ...

. In 1974, Dooher was posted to St. Augustine Parish in

South Boston South Boston is a densely populated neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, located south and east of the Fort Point Channel and abutting Dorchester Bay. South Boston, colloquially known as Southie, has undergone several demographic transformati ...

. During this period, he also served as president of the Priests' Senate (1978–1982) and director of the Office of Spiritual Development (1982–1991). From 1991 to 1996, Dooher served in pastoral postings at St. Vincent de Paul Parish and Saints Peter and Paul Parish in Boston, which were later merged. In 1996, Dooher was named pastor of St. Mary of the Assumption Parish in Dedham, Massachusetts. At St. Mary's, Dooher also founded the

Life Teen Life Teen is a Catholic youth ministry organization and movement in the United States. According to Life Teen, "Eucharist-based ministry has the power to transform teens, parishes, and culture". Life Teen is best known for its parish-based pr ...

program. He said that Life Teen was

"one of the most satisfying things I've ever been involved with in ministry. If there's any group that needs to feel as if they belong to a church, its teenagers, and Life Teen really helps with that."

Dooher was part of the Singing Priests, a group that performed for various charities; he played the guitar, harp, and piano.

Auxiliary Bishop of Boston

On October 12, 2006,

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 sovereign ...

appointed Dooher as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Boston and titular bishop of

Theveste Theveste was a Roman colony situated in the present Tébessa, Algeria. History In 146 BC, the Romans conquered the region, where existed an old city called " Tbessa". Theveste was founded by the Romans in 75 AD near an old Berber village located ...

. He received his

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

on December 12, 2006, from Cardinal Seán O'Malley, with Bishops Francis Irwin and Walter Edyvean serving as co-consecrators. As an auxiliary, Dooher served as regional bishop for the South Pastoral Region. Dooher's appointment was met with some criticism from advocates of sexual abuse victims' rights, who claimed that Dooher "abetted a harmful and immoral coverup for the Boston archdiocese" as a priest. He had been mentioned in a 2003 report by Massachusetts Attorney General

Thomas Reilly Thomas Francis Reilly (born February 14, 1942) is an American attorney and politician who served as the 45th Massachusetts Attorney General. He was born in Springfield, Massachusetts to Irish immigrant parents. He was one of three candidates who ...

as one of two priests who in the mid-1990's met with pastors in

parishes A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...

affected by abuse cases. In a 2002 deposition by Bishop John McCormack, Dooher was noted as having participated in conversations in the archdiocese in 1994 about where to house abusive priests.

Retirement

On June 30, 2018,

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 Dooher's letter of resignation as auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Boston after he reached the mandatory retirement age of 75.

References

External links

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston

Episcopal succession

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dooher, John Anthony 1943 births Living people Clergy from Boston Saint John's Seminary (Massachusetts) alumni Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States Clergy from Dedham, Massachusetts