Joseph Maria Pernicone (November 4, 1903 – February 11, 1985) was an American clergyman of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of New York from 1954 to 1978.

Biography

Joseph Pernicone was born in Regalbuto, Sicily, to Salvatore and Petronilla (née Taverna) Pernicone. He received his early training at the seminaries in

Nicosia Nicosia ( ; el, Λευκωσία, Lefkosía ; tr, Lefkoşa ; hy, Նիկոսիա, romanized: ''Nikosia''; Cypriot Arabic: Nikusiya) is the largest city, capital, and seat of government of Cyprus. It is located near the centre of the Mesaor ...

and

Catania Catania (, , Sicilian and ) is the second largest municipality in Sicily, after Palermo. Despite its reputation as the second city of the island, Catania is the largest Sicilian conurbation, among the largest in Italy, as evidenced also by ...

. He came to the United States in 1920. He continued his studies at Cathedral College in New York City and St. Joseph's Seminary in Yonkers. He was ordained to the priesthood on December 18, 1926. His first assignment was as a

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 ...

a
Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church
in Yonkers. In 1932, he earned a

Doctor of Canon Law Doctor of Canon Law ( la, Juris Canonici Doctor, JCD) is the doctoral-level terminal degree in the studies of canon law of the Roman Catholic Church. It can also be an honorary degree awarded by Anglican colleges. It may also be abbreviated ICD ...

degree from the

Catholic University of America The Catholic University of America (CUA) is a private Roman Catholic research university in Washington, D.C. It is a pontifical university of the Catholic Church in the United States and the only institution of higher education founded by U.S. ...

in Washington, D.C. He was pastor of

Our Lady of Mount Carmel's Church (Poughkeepsie, New York) The Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel is a historic Roman Catholic parish church building located in Poughkeepsie, Dutchess County, New York. History In the early 1900s the Italian population of the city of Poughkeepsie had increased substantiall ...

Our Lady of Carmel Church
/ref> from 1932 to 1944, and served as master of ceremonies at the Requiem Mass for Marchese

Guglielmo Marconi Guglielmo Giovanni Maria Marconi, 1st Marquis of Marconi (; 25 April 187420 July 1937) was an Italians, Italian inventor and electrical engineering, electrical engineer, known for his creation of a practical radio wave-based Wireless telegrap ...

, the inventor of wireless telegraphy, in 1937. From 1944 to 1966, he was pastor o
Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church
in the Bronx. During his tenure in the Bronx, he oversaw the construction of a

parochial school A parochial school is a private primary or secondary school affiliated with a religious organization, and whose curriculum includes general religious education in addition to secular subjects, such as science, mathematics and language arts. The ...

which opened in 1949. He was named a papal chamberlain in 1945, and raised to the rank of

domestic prelate Monsignor (; it, monsignore ) is an honorific form of address or title for certain male clergy members, usually members of the Roman Catholic Church. Monsignor is the apocopic form of the Italian ''monsignore'', meaning "my lord". "Monsignor" ca ...

in 1952. On April 6, 1954, Pernicone was appointed auxiliary bishop of the

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 New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

and titular bishop of ''Hadrianopolis in Honoriade'' by

Pope Pius XII Pope Pius XII ( it, Pio XII), born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli (; 2 March 18769 October 1958), was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 2 March 1939 until his death in October 1958. Before his e ...

. 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 ...

on the following May 5 from Cardinal Francis Spellman, with Bishops

Joseph Francis Flannelly Joseph Francis Flannelly (October 22, 1894—May 23, 1973) was an American clergyman of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of New York from 1948 to 1969. Biography Joseph Flannelly was born in New ...

and

Edward Vincent Dargin Edward Vincent Dargin (April 25, 1898—April 20, 1981) was an American clergyman of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of New York from 1953 to 1973. Biography Edward Dargin was born in New York ...

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, ...

, at St. Patrick's Cathedral. During his tenure as an auxiliary bishop, he also served as pastor o
Holy Trinity Church
in Poughkeepsie and episcopal vicar of

Dutchess Dutchess County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 295,911. The county seat is the city of Poughkeepsie, New York, Poughkeeps ...

and Putnam Counties. After reaching the mandatory retirement age of 75, he retired as auxiliary bishop on November 28, 1978. He died from a

stroke A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...

at Jacobi Hospital in the Bronx, aged 81.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pernicone, Joseph Maria 1903 births 1985 deaths Religious leaders from the Province of Enna Italian emigrants to the United States Saint Joseph's Seminary (Dunwoodie) alumni Catholic University of America alumni 20th-century American Roman Catholic titular bishops Participants in the Second Vatican Council Clergy from Sicily People from Regalbuto