Walter James Edyvean (October 18, 1938 – February 2, 2019) 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 was an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Boston who served from 2001 to 2014.

Early life and career

Bishop Edyvean was born in Medford,

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...

, on October 18, 1938, and was the only child of Walter and Frances Edyvean. He attended local public schools and graduated from high school in 1956. Edyvean attended Boston College, obtaining a bachelor's degree in English literature in 1960. He studied at St. John's Seminary before furthering 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 North American College and

Pontifical Gregorian University The Pontifical Gregorian University ( it, Pontificia Università Gregoriana; also known as the Gregorian or Gregoriana,) is a higher education ecclesiastical school ( pontifical university) located in Rome, Italy. The Gregorian originated as ...

, there earning a

baccalaureate Baccalaureate may refer to: * ''Baccalauréat'', a French national academic qualification * Bachelor's degree, or baccalaureate, an undergraduate academic degree * English Baccalaureate, a performance measure to assess secondary schools in England ...

(1963) and

licentiate in theology The Licentiate in Theology or (in Britain) Licence in Theology (LTh or, in Australia, ThL) is a non-degree qualification in theology awarded in Canada and previously awarded in the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. A qualification simil ...

(1965). While in Rome, Edyvean 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 ...

to the priesthood by Bishop Francis Reh on December 16, 1964. He was an assistant pastor at St. Joseph Church in Ipswich, Massachusetts from 1965 to 1968, and earned a doctorate in theology after further studies in Rome from 1968 to 1971. He was a faculty member of St. John's Seminary from 1971. Edyvean initially taught dogmatic theology before moving into the field of sacramental theology as an ordinary professor. In 1990 he returned to Rome and was named ''capo ufficio'' of the

Congregation for Catholic Education , type = Congregation , seal = Coat of arms Holy See.svg , seal_size = 100px , seal_caption = Coat of arms of the Holy See , logo = , picture =Via della Conciliazione din Roma1.jpg , picture_caption = Palazzo delle Congregazioni in Piazza ...

in the Roman Curia. Edyvean's role was to deal with Catholic colleges and universities across the world.

Bishop

On June 29, 2001, Edyvean was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

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 ''Aeliae'' by

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

. He was appointed at the same time as one of his former students, Richard G. Lennon. Edyvean received his

episcopal consecration 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 ca ...

on the following September 14 at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross, Boston from Bernard Cardinal Law, with Bishops

Lawrence Riley Lawrence Riley (1896–1974) was a successful United States, American playwright and screenwriter. He gained fame in 1934 in literature, 1934 as the author of the Broadway theatre, Broadway hit ''Personal Appearance'', which was turned by Mae West ...

and William Murphy serving as co-consecrators. As an auxiliary bishop, he served as Regional Bishop of the West Pastoral Region and

vicar general A vicar general (previously, archdeacon) is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority and possesses the title of local ordinary. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar general exercises the bishop' ...

of the Archdiocese. Thirteen years to the day after his appointment (June 29, 2014),

Pope Francis Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...

accepted his retirement as Auxiliary Bishop in the Archdiocese of Boston. He died on February 2, 2019.

References

External links

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston
{{DEFAULTSORT:Edyvean, Walter James 1938 births 2019 deaths People from Medford, Massachusetts 21st-century American Roman Catholic titular bishops Pontifical Gregorian University alumni Boston College alumni Saint John's Seminary (Massachusetts) alumni Pontifical North American College alumni Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston Religious leaders from Massachusetts Catholics from Massachusetts

Early life and career

Bishop

See also

References

External links