Lawrence Harold Welsh (February 1, 1935 – January 13, 1999) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as an auxiliary bishop of the

Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...

in Minnesota from 1991 to 1999. He previously served as bishop of the Diocese of Spokane in Washington State from 1978 to 1989.

Biography

Early life

Lawrence Welsh was born on February 1, 1935, in

Winton, Wyoming Winton is a ghost town in Sweetwater County, Wyoming, United States. Winton was north-northeast of Rock Springs. Winton is sometimes referred to as Megeath. Megeath Coal Company owned a Post Office named Winton. Union Pacific bought out Megeath ...

. He was ordained a priest for the

Diocese of Helena The Diocese of Helena ( la, Dioecesis Helenensis) is the Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in western Montana with its cathedral located in Helena. The diocese was created from the year-old Apostolic Vicariat ...

by Bishop

Joseph Michael Gilmore Joseph Michael Gilmore (March 23, 1893 – April 2, 1962) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Helena in Montana from 1936 until his death in 1962. Biography Joseph Gilmore was born in Ne ...

on March 26, 1962.

Bishop of Spokane

On November 6, 1978, Pope John Paul II appointed Welsh as bishop of the Diocese of Spokane. He was consecrated by Archbishop

Raymond Gerhardt Hunthausen Raymond Gerhardt Hunthausen (August 21, 1921 – July 22, 2018) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Helena in Montana from 1962 to 1975 and as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Seattle in Washing ...

on December 14, 1978. Welsh was accused of reassigning the priest Patrick O'Donnell to another parish after three families brought allegations of sexual abuse of children by O'Donnell to the knowledge of Bishop Welsh. On August 21, 1991, John Paul II accepted Welsh's resignation as bishop of the Diocese of Spokane. His resignation came after a recent arrest in Spokane for

driving under the influence of alcohol Drunk driving (or drink-driving in British English) is the act of driving under the influence of alcohol. A small increase in the blood alcohol content increases the relative risk of a motor vehicle crash. In the United States, alcohol is invo ...

Auxiliary bishop of Saint Paul and Minneapolis

On November 5, 1991, John Paul II appointed Welsh an auxiliary bishop of the

and Titular Bishop of Aulon Lawrence Welsh died on January 13, 1999, at age 63 in

Helena, Montana Helena (; ) is the capital city of Montana, United States, and the county seat of Lewis and Clark County. Helena was founded as a gold camp during the Montana gold rush, and established on October 30, 1864. Due to the gold rush, Helena would ...

. In October 2002, it was revealed that Welsh was investigated by the

Spokane Police Department The Spokane Police Department is the agency responsible for law enforcement in Spokane, Washington Spokane ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It is in eastern Washington, along the Spokane Ri ...

in 1986 on an assault allegation from Chicago. On September 9, 1986, a male

sex worker A sex worker is a person who provides sex work, either on a regular or occasional basis. The term is used in reference to those who work in all areas of the sex industry.Oxford English Dictionary, "sex worker" According to one view, sex work is d ...

claimed that Welsh, in Chicago for a

Knights of Columbus The Knights of Columbus (K of C) is a global Catholic fraternal service order founded by Michael J. McGivney on March 29, 1882. Membership is limited to practicing Catholic men. It is led by Patrick E. Kelly, the order's 14th Supreme Knight. ...

convention, had taken him to a motel. While the man was performing oral sex, he said that Welsh "began to strangle him." During his police interview, Welsh admitted to picking up a so-called drug addict and taking him to his hotel room for counseling. On further questioning, Welsh admitted to putting his hands all over the accuser's body. On September 29, 1986, the Spokane police met with Welsh and Seattle Archbishop

Raymond Hunthausen Raymond Gerhardt Hunthausen (August 21, 1921 – July 22, 2018) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Helena in Montana from 1962 to 1975 and as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Seattle in Washing ...

. At this meeting, Welsh stated that "he did not feel he did anything violent in the course of the sex act and that if he had it would have been as an outlet for frustrations that had built up within him." Welsh, Hunthausen, and the police detectives agreed that Welsh should be examined by a

psychiatrist A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in psychiatry, the branch of medicine devoted to the diagnosis, prevention, study, and treatment of mental disorders. Psychiatrists are physicians and evaluate patients to determine whether their sy ...

.Welsh was never charged in the incident; one former Spokane detective claimed that the story had been "handled in a hush-hush manner". This incident did not become public until October 2002, when the Spokane ''Spokesman-Review'' published the story.

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Welsh, Lawrence Harold Roman Catholic bishops of Spokane 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States People from Sweetwater County, Wyoming 1935 births 1999 deaths Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis Roman Catholic Diocese of Rapid City Catholics from Wyoming