Joseph Mark McShea (February 22, 1907 – November 28, 1991) 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 the first bishop of the

Diocese of Allentown The Diocese of Allentown ( la, Diœcesis Alanpolitana) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or diocese of the Catholic Church, located in Allentown, Pennsylvania in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania. The Diocese of Allentow ...

in Pennsylvania from 1961 to 1983.

Biography

Early life

Joseph McShea was born in Lattimer,

Luzerne County Luzerne County is a county in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and is water. It is Northeastern Pennsylvania's second-largest county by total area. As of ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, one of seven children of Roger A. and Jeanette (née Beach) McShea. He received his early education at the parochial school of Transfiguration of Our Lord Parish in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

. He graduated from

West Philadelphia Catholic High School for Boys West Philadelphia Catholic High School for Boys (West Boys, West Catholic, Burrs) was founded in 1916. A school building was later constructed at 49th Street between Chestnut and Market Streets in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The school closed its d ...

in 1923, and then began his studies for the priesthood at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia. In 1926, he was sent to continue his studies in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

at the

Pontifical Roman Seminary , type = Major seminary , established = , founder = Pope Pius IV , parent = Diocese of Rome , religious_affiliation = Catholic Church , rector = Gabriele Fara ...

and the

Pontifical Lateran University The Pontifical Lateran University ( it, Pontificia Università Lateranense; la, Pontificia Universitas Lateranensis), also known as Lateranum, is a pontifical university based in Rome. The university also hosts the central session of the Pont ...

. He earned a doctorate in theology in 1932.

Priesthood

McShea 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 ...

a priest by Cardinal

Francesco Marchetti Selvaggiani Francesco Marchetti Selvaggiani (1 October 1871 – 13 January 1951) was an Italian cardinal of the Catholic Church who served as Secretary of the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith, Vicar General of Rome, Secretary of the Holy Of ...

on December 6, 1931. His first assignment, following his return to Pennsylvania, was as a professor at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, where he taught

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

, and history (1932–35). From 1935 to 1938, he served as a ''minutante'' of the

Congregation for the Oriental Churches The Dicastery for the Eastern Churches (also called Dicastery for the Oriental Churches), previously named Congregation for the Oriental Churches or Congregation for the Eastern Churches ( la, Congregatio pro Ecclesiis Orientalibus), is a dicaste ...

in the Roman Curia. He then returned to the United States, where he served as secretary of the Apostolic Delegation in Washington, D.C. (1938–52). He was named a

papal chamberlain A Papal Gentleman, also called a Gentleman of His Holiness, is a lay attendant of the pope and his papal household in Vatican City. Papal gentlemen serve in the Apostolic Palace near St. Peter's Basilica in ceremonial positions, such as escorting d ...

in August 1938, and raised to the rank of domestic prelate in April 1948.

Auxiliary Bishop of Philadelphia

On February 8, 1952, McShea was appointed auxiliary bishop of the

Archdiocese of Philadelphia The Roman Catholic Metropolitan Archdiocese of Philadelphia is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in southeastern Pennsylvania, in the United States. It covers the City and County of Philadelphia as well a ...

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 ...

of ''Mina'' by Pope Pius XII. He received his episcopal consecration on March 19, 195 2, from Archbishop

Amleto Cicognani Amleto Giovanni Cicognani (24 February 1883 – 17 December 1973) was an Italian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Vatican Secretary of State from 1961 to 1969, and Dean of the College of Cardinals from 1972 until his death. C ...

, with Bishops Eugene J. McGuinness and

William O'Brien William O'Brien (2 October 1852 – 25 February 1928) was an Irish nationalist, journalist, agrarian agitator, social revolutionary, politician, party leader, newspaper publisher, author and Member of Parliament (MP) in the House of Commons o ...

serving as co-consecrators, at the Cathedral of SS. Peter and Paul. He selected as his episcopal

motto A motto (derived from the Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of an individual, family, social group, or organisation. Mot ...

: ''Sub Umbra Petri'' ("In the Shadow of

Peter Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a sur ...

"). As an auxiliary bishop, he served as pastor of St. Francis de Sales Parish in Philadelphia.

Bishop of Allentown

McShea was appointed the first

bishop 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 c ...

of the newly erected Diocese of Allentown by

Pope John XXIII Pope John XXIII ( la, Ioannes XXIII; it, Giovanni XXIII; born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, ; 25 November 18813 June 1963) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 28 October 1958 until his death in June 19 ...

on February 11, 1961."Retired Allentown Bishop Dies", AP, November 30, 1991
/ref> His installation took place at the

Cathedral of Saint Catharine of Siena The Cathedral Church of St. Catharine of Siena is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Allentown, Diocese of Allentown. It is located at 1825 Turner Street, Allentown, Pennsylvania. History Saint Catharine of Siena Parish was founded October ...

in Allentown on April 11, 1961. In 1953, he was appointed president of the American Catholic Historical Society. Between 1962 and 1965, McShea attended all four sessions of the

Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions), each lasting between 8 and ...

in Rome. During the Council, he was one of 18 American bishops elected to the 10 commissions that facilitated the Council's work, and served as relator for the Commission for Religious. Bishop Joseph McShea grave

McShea founded "Operation Rice Bowl" which began in the form of a small cardboard box in the parishes of the diocese to receive alms directed to relieving a

famine A famine is a widespread scarcity of food, caused by several factors including war, natural disasters, crop failure, population imbalance, widespread poverty, an economic catastrophe or government policies. This phenomenon is usually accompani ...

in Africa. In 1976 it was adopted by the

United States 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 ...

as a national program, and the following year assigned to Catholic Relief Services. McShea helmed the founding of Holy Family Manor, a nursing and rehabilitation center at the former

Eugene Grace Eugene Gifford Grace (August 27, 1876 – July 7, 1960) was the president of Bethlehem Steel Corporation from 1916 to 1945, and chairman of the board from 1945 until his retirement in 1957. He also served as president of the American Iron and Steel ...

mansion in

Bethlehem, Pennsylvania Bethlehem is a city in Northampton and Lehigh Counties in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, Bethlehem had a total population of 75,781. Of this, 55,639 were in Northampton County and 19, ...

. He also established Holy Family Villa, a retirement home for priests. He convened the first diocesan synod in May 1968. In 1969, McShea sued the board of directors of Sacred Heart Hospital to prevent a corporate merger with Allentown Hospital during the formation of the Allentown-Sacred Heart Hospital Center, in an effort to maintain the Catholic identity of Sacred Heart. During his 22-year tenure, McShea oversaw the construction, purchase, and renovation of over 300 church buildings. In 1964, McShea, together with the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales, founded Allentown College.

Retirement and legacy

On February 3, 1983, Pope Paul II accepted McShea's resignation as bishop of the Diocese of Allentown. McShea, long ill from

diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ...

and other ailments, died on November 28, 1991, at age 84, and is buried on the cathedral grounds."Diocese of Allentown Celebrates 60th Anniversary", ADToday, Jan 27, 2021
/ref>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McShea, Joseph Mark 1907 births 1991 deaths St. Charles Borromeo Seminary alumni Pontifical Lateran University alumni Roman Catholic bishops in Pennsylvania Roman Catholic Ecclesiastical Province of Philadelphia Roman Catholic Diocese of Allentown Participants in the Second Vatican Council 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States