Henry Joseph Mansell (born October 10, 1937) is an
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
Archdiocese of Hartford
The Archdiocese of Hartford is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Hartford, Litchfield and New Haven counties in the U.S. State of Connecticut. The archdiocese includes about 470,000 Catholics, more ...
in Connecticut from the fourth
Archbishop of Hartford
In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdioc ...
from 2004 to 2013.
Mansell previously served as bishop of the
Diocese of Buffalo
The Diocese of Buffalo is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church headquartered in Buffalo, New York, United States. It is a suffragan diocese within the metropolitan province of the Archdiocese of New York. The Diocese of Buffalo includ ...
in New York from 1995 to 2003 and as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of New York in New York City from 1992 to 1995.
Biography
Early life
Henry Mansell was born on October 10, 1937, in the Bronx section of New York City to Henry and Bridget (née Finn) Mansell, and
baptized
Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost ...
Mansell was ordained to the priesthood in Rome for the Archdiocese of New York by Archbishop Martin O'Connor on December 19, 1962. He earned a
Licentiate of Sacred Theology
Licentiate in Sacred Theology ( la, Sacrae Theologiae Licentiatus; abbreviated STL) is the second of three ecclesiastical degrees in theology (the first being the Baccalaureate in Sacred Theology and the third being the Doctorate in Sacred Theol ...
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. until 1965.
Mansell served as a parish priest at
parishes
A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...
in
Harrison, New York
Harrison is a town in Westchester County, New York, United States, northeast of Manhattan. The population was 28,218 at the 2020 census.
History
Harrison was established in 1696 by a patent granted by the British government to John Harrison a ...
, the Bronx, and Saints John and Paul Parish in Larchmont, New York. He was appointed director of the Office of Parish Councils on June 9, 1972, and vice
chancellor
Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...
of the archdiocese on July 1, 1985. On March 17, 1986, Mansell was raised by the Vatican to the rank of
honorary prelate
A Prelate of Honour of His Holiness is a Catholic prelate to whom the Pope has granted this title of honour.
They are addressed as Monsignor and have certain privileges as regards clerical clothing. He later became director of priest personnel and chancellor (1988) of the archdiocese.
Marazanae Marazanae was a Roman town of the Roman province of Byzacena during the Roman Empire and into late antiquity. Location
The town was between Sufes and Aquae Regiae.
The ruins at Henchir-Guennara, ( Tunisia) dating from the Roman Empire are ...
by Pope John Paul II. He received his episcopal consecration on January 6, 1993Wiechec, Nancy Phelan. "Archbishop Mansell of Hartford Retires", ''Catholic New York'', October 30, 2013 /ref> from the pope, with Archbishops Giovanni Re and Justin Rigali 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, ...
, in Rome. He selected as his episcopal motto, "Blessed be God" ().
Bishop of Buffalo
John Paul II appointed Mansell as the twelfth bishop of the Diocese of Buffalo on April 18, 1995. Succeeding the retiring Bishop
Edward D. Head
Edward D. Head (August 5, 1919 – March 29, 2005) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the 11th bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Buffalo, Diocese of Buffalo in New York from 1973 to 1995. He previously s ...
, Mansell was installed on June 12, 1995, at St. Joseph's Cathedral in Buffalo.
During his tenure, Mansell visited every parish in the diocese, most of them multiple times. He also promoted Catholic education, and
health care
Health care or healthcare is the improvement of health via the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in people. Health care is delivered by health profe ...
and social service institutes within the diocese. Mansell established the Catholic Health Care System of Western New York, uniting the resources of local Catholic
hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment with specialized health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically has an emerge ...
s, nursing homes, and other health care facilities. In 1996, Mansell instituted the diocese's vicariate structure, and in 1997 he led the diocese in celebrating its 150th
anniversary
An anniversary is the date on which an event took place or an institution was founded in a previous year, and may also refer to the commemoration or celebration of that event. The word was first used for Catholic feasts to commemorate saints ...
Niagara University
Niagara University (NU) is a private Catholic university in the Vincentian tradition in Lewiston in Niagara County, New York. It is run by the Congregation of the Mission and has 3,300 undergraduate students in 50 academic programs. Appro ...
in Lewiston, New York in May 1996, from
St. Bonaventure University
St. Bonaventure University is a private Franciscan university in St. Bonaventure, New York. It has 2,381 undergraduate and graduate students. The Franciscan Brothers established the university in 1858.
In athletics, the St. Bonaventure Bonn ...
in Saint Bonaventure, New York in August 1996, and from
Canisius College
Canisius College is a private Jesuit college in Buffalo, New York. It was founded in 1870 by Jesuits from Germany and is named after St. Peter Canisius. Canisius offers more than 100 undergraduate majors and minors, and around 34 master's ...
in Buffalo in May 1997. In September 2003, New York Governor George Pataki named Mansell to the State Commission on Education Reform.Buckley, Eileen. "Bishop Mansell Reflects on His Eight Years in Buffalo", WFBO 88.7 /ref>
In Mansell's farewell letter to parishioners of the dioceses in 2003, he said that, "Buffalo is a very strong diocese," and that its parishes, schools, and social service agencies "guarantee strength...for years to come." In 2006, ''
Buffalo Business First
American City Business Journals, Inc. (ACBJ) is an American newspaper publisher based in Charlotte, North Carolina. ACBJ publishes The Business Journals, which contains local business news for 44 markets in the United States, Hemmings Motor News ...
'' reported that Mansell's successor, Bishop
Edward Kmiec
Edward Urban Kmiec (, ; June 4, 1936 – July 11, 2020) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the 13th bishop of the Diocese of Buffalo in New York from 2004 to 2012.
Kmiec previously served as an auxiliary b ...
said that some statistics were too optimistic, and that church and parochial school closures would be necessary to address declining attendance and enrollment, as well as $3 million in debt.Sole power: Bishop Edward Kmiec wants change - and so it will be ''Buffalo Business First'', Buffalo, NY: Buffalo Business First, 11 September 2006, O'Shei, T., Retrieved 3 January 2014.
Archbishop of Hartford
Pope John Paul II appointed Mansell as the fourth archbishop of the Archdiocese of Hartford on October 20, 2003. He was installed on December 18, 2004. On June 29, 2004, Mansell received the pallium from Pope John Paul II in Rome.
In 2005, the archdiocese paid $22 million to settle sexual abuse claims brought by 43 people against 14 priests, the majority of cases occurring in the 1960s and 1970s. Mansell made a statement regarding the settlement. Of the settlement of the sexual abuse case regarding the 14 priests in the Archdiocese, Mansell was quoted in a '' New York Times'' article by William Yardley, stating: " t ispart of a healing process for the persons whose lives have been severely harmed by the evil of sexual abuse and for the Church itself."
Mansell is a proponent of the Traditional Latin Mass.