John Jeremiah McRaith (December 6, 1934 – March 19, 2017) was 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 'pre ...

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 the

Diocese of Owensboro The Diocese of Owensboro ( la, Dioecesis Owensburgensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Kentucky. , the diocese contained of 78 parishes and two Newman Centers in 32 counties of western Kentucky. ...

in Kentucky from 1982 to 2009.

Biography

Early life

John McRaith was born on December 6, 1934, in

Hutchinson, Minnesota Hutchinson is the largest city in McLeod County, Minnesota, United States. It lies along the South Fork of the Crow River. The population was 14,599 at the 2020 census. History The Hutchinson Family Singers (John, Asa, and Judson Hutchinson) ...

to Arthur Luke McRaith and Marie (née Hanley) McRaith. He grew up on a farm in that community. McRaith attended St. John's Preparatory School in Collegeville, Minnesota, then went to

Loras College Loras College is a private Catholic college in Dubuque, Iowa. It has an enrollment of approximately 1,600 students and is the oldest post-secondary institution in the state of Iowa. The school offers both undergraduate and graduate degree ...

and St. Bernard's Seminary, both in

Dubuque, Iowa Dubuque (, ) is the county seat of Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, located along the Mississippi River. At the time of the 2020 census, the population of Dubuque was 59,667. The city lies at the junction of Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin, a r ...

Priesthood

McRaith 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 ...

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in partic ...

for the

Diocese of New Ulm The Diocese of New Ulm ( la, Dioecesis Novae Ulmae) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in western Minnesota, United States. It is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan A ...

on February 21, 1960. He served as chancellor and

vicar general A vicar general (previously, archdeacon) is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority and possesses the title of local ordinary. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar general exercises the bishop' ...

of the diocese, and as executive director of the National Catholic Rural Life Conference from 1971 to 1978.

Bishop of Owensboro

On October 23, 1982, McRaith was appointed the third bishop of the

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 ...

. He received his

episcopal consecration 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 ca ...

on December 15, 1982, from Archbishop Thomas Kelly, with Bishops Henry Soenneker and Raymond Lucker serving as co-consecrators.He established the diocesan newspaper, ''The Western Kentucky Catholic'', in 1984. Having grown up on a farm, McRaith was very interested in sustainable agriculture and the issues of rural life. He owned a farm where he grew vegetables and took visitors on hay rides. He led the Subcommittee on Food, Agriculture and Rural Concerns for the

U.S. 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 ...

(USCCB) and testified to a

US Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and po ...

committee on family farms in 1990. At a 1992 USCCB meeting, the bishops adopted a McRaith proposal to create a task force to deal with the sexual abuse of minors by clergy. McRaith was a board member for

Brescia University Brescia University is a private Roman Catholic university in Owensboro, Kentucky. It was founded as a junior college for women and is now a coeducational university offering undergraduate and master's programs. History Brescia University trace ...

, the Daniel Pitino Shelter for the homeless and the McAuley Free Clinic, all in Owensboro, and the Lourdes Hospital Foundation in

Paducah, Kentucky Paducah ( ) is a home rule-class city in and the county seat of McCracken County, Kentucky. The largest city in the Jackson Purchase region, it is located at the confluence of the Tennessee and the Ohio rivers, halfway between St. Louis, Miss ...

Retirement and legacy

On January 5, 2009,

Pope Benedict VI Pope Benedict VI ( la, Benedictus VI; died June 974) was the bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from 19 January 973 to his death in 974. His brief pontificate occurred in the political context of the establishment of the Holy Roman Emp ...

accepted McRaith's early retirement for health reasons as bishop of Owensboro. McRaith explained, "I do not have a life-threatening illness, but my doctors have advised me to slow down." John McRaith died in Owensboro on March 19, 2017 at age 82.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McRaith, John Jeremiah 1934 births 2017 deaths 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States Loras College alumni People from Hutchinson, Minnesota Roman Catholic Diocese of New Ulm Roman Catholic Diocese of Owensboro Religious leaders from Kentucky Catholics from Minnesota 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States