Joseph Alphonse McNicholas (January 13, 1923 – April 17, 1983) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the sixth bishop of the

Diocese of Springfield in Illinois The Diocese of Springfield in Illinois ( la, Diœcesis Campifontis in Illinois) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the south central Illinois region of the United States. The prelate is a bishop serving ...

from 1975 to until his death in 1983. He previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the

Archdiocese of St. Louis The Archdiocese of St. Louis ( la, Archidiœcesis Sancti Ludovici) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church that covers the City of St. Louis and the Missouri counties of Franklin, Jefferson, Lincoln, Perr ...

in Missouri from 1969 to 1975.

Biography

Early life

Joseph McNicholas was born on January 23, 1923, in

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

. He attended Cardinal Glennon College in Shrewsbury, Missouri, and Kenrick Seminary in St. Louis. 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 va ...

to the priesthood on June 7, 1949 by Cardinal Joseph Elmer Ritter. After his ordination, McNicholas' first assignment was as an assistant pastor at the Old Cathedral of St. Louis Parish. He was transferred in 1955 to Most Holy Name of Jesus Parish in St. Louis as a part time associate pastor while studying for his Master of Social Work degree at St. Louis University.

Auxiliary Bishop of St. Louis

On January 31, 1969, McNicholas was appointed as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of St. Louis 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 an ...

of ''Scala'' by

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, Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 to his ...

. He received his

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 ...

in St. Louis on March 25, 1969, from Cardinal

John Carberry John Joseph Cardinal Carberry (July 31, 1904 – June 17, 1998) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as archbishop of the Archdiocese of St. Louis in Missouri from 1968 to 1979, and was created a cardinal in 1969. H ...

, with Archbishop Leo Byrne and Bishop

Charles Helmsing Charles Herman Helmsing (March 23, 1908 – December 20, 1993) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as bishop of the Diocese of Kansas City–St. Joseph in Missouri (1962–1977). Biography Early life Helmsing wa ...

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, ...

. As auxiliary bishop, McNicholas also served as

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 ...

of the Old Cathedral of St. Louis Parish, and was active in social welfare and youth programs.

Bishop of Springfield

Pope Paul VI appointed McNicholas as bishop of the Diocese of Springfield on July 22, 1975. He was installed by Cardinal

John Cody John Patrick Cody (December 24, 1907 – April 25, 1982) was an American bishop and cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. A native of St. Louis, he served as Bishop of Kansas City–Saint Joseph (1956–1961), Archbishop of New Orleans (1964� ...

on September 3, 1975. He became personally acquainted with the diocese by launching a visitation of churches, missions, schools, hospitals, the orphanage, and homes for senior citizens. He hosted the first Midwest Regional Meeting of the

St. Vincent de Paul Society The Society of St Vincent de Paul (SVP or SVdP or SSVP) is an international voluntary organization in the Catholic Church, founded in 1833 for the sanctification of its members by personal service of the poor. Innumerable Catholic parishes have ...

to be held in downstate Illinois, and in 1978 appointed the first

nun A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 599. The term is o ...

to the position of

superintendent Superintendent may refer to: *Superintendent (police), Superintendent of Police (SP), or Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), a police rank *Prison warden or Superintendent, a prison administrator *Superintendent (ecclesiastical), a church exec ...

Catholic school Catholic schools are pre-primary, primary and secondary educational institutions administered under the aegis or in association with the Catholic Church. , the Catholic Church operates the world's largest religious, non-governmental school syste ...

s. He also renamed the diocesan newspaper as ''Time and Eternity''. Joseph McNicholas died on April 17, 1983, from a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

at age 60.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McNicholas, Joseph Alphonse Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Louis 1923 births 1983 deaths Clergy from St. Louis Kenrick–Glennon Seminary alumni 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States Roman Catholic bishops of Springfield in Illinois Religious leaders from Missouri