Joseph Walsh (1888–1972) was an

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

clergyman 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

Archbishop of Tuam The Archbishop of Tuam ( ; ga, Ard-Easpag Thuama) is an archbishop which takes its name after the town of Tuam in County Galway, Ireland. The title was used by the Church of Ireland until 1839, and is still in use by the Catholic Church. Histor ...

from 1940 to 1969., ''Handbook of British Chronology'', p. 444. Born on 24 December 1888 in Newport,

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, he was ordained to the priesthood on 21 June 1914. He was appointed an Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Tuam 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 ''Coela'' on 16 December 1937. 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 ...

took place on 2 January 1938. Two years later, he was appointed

on 16 January 1940. He participated in all the four sessions of the

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

, held between in 1962 and 1965. After 29 years, he resigned on 31 January 1969 and was appointed Titular Archbishop of ''Tubernuca''. He resigned the titular position in 1971, and died on 20 June 1972, aged 83.

Controversy

During his 29 years as first auxiliary bishop and later archbishop of Tuam between 1937 and 1969, hundreds of children were trafficked, neglected and mistreated in the

Bon Secours Mother and Baby Home The Bon Secours Mother and Baby Home (also known as St Mary's Mother and Baby Home or simply The Home) that operated between 1925 and 1961 in the town of Tuam, County Galway, Ireland, was a maternity home for unmarried mothers and their childre ...

, with mass graves directly linked to these institutions being uncovered in the early 2010's.

References

Bibliography

External links

Archbishop Joseph Walsh of Tuam
(flickr) 19 1888 births 1972 deaths Christian clergy from County Mayo Christian clergy from County Galway Roman Catholic archbishops of Tuam Participants in the Second Vatican Council 20th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in Ireland {{ireland-RC-archbishop-stub