William Joseph McDonald (June 17, 1904 – January 7, 1989) was an Irish-born

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

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 ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. He served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Washington from 1964 to 1967 and the

Archdiocese of San Francisco The Archdiocese of San Francisco (Latin: ''Archdiœcesis Sancti Francisci''; Spanish: ''Archidiócesis de San Francisco'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the northern California region of the Unite ...

in California from 1967 to 1979.

Biography

William McDonald was born on June 17, 1904, in Kilkenny in County Kilkenny,

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was a sovereign state in the British Isles that existed between 1801 and 1922, when it included all of Ireland. It was established by the Acts of Union 1800, which merged the Kingdom of Grea ...

. He trained for the priesthood in

St Kieran's College St Kieran's College (Coláiste Chiaráin) is a Roman Catholic secondary school, located on College Road, Kilkenny, County Kilkenny, Ireland. History St Kieran's College was founded in Kilkenny, in the diocese of Ossory in 1782, after the pas ...

in Kilkenny. McDonald was ordained a priest in San Francisco for the Archdiocese of San Francisco on June 10, 1928, and served as a parish priest before entering the academic field. He received a master's degree and then doctorate from

The 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. ...

(CUA) in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

where he remained as a professor. From 1957 to 1967, McDonald served as rector of CUA, the last person to hold that title before it was changed to president. From 1960 to 1963, McDonald served as president of the

International Federation of Catholic Universities The International Federation of Catholic Universities (IFCU) is an organisation of over 200 Catholic universities throughout the world. History Founded in 1924. Created by a Papal Decree in 1948 as the ''Fœderatio Universitatum Catholicarum'' it ...

and editor of the '' New Catholic Encyclopedia''.

Auxiliary Bishop of Washington

On March 17, 1964

Pope Paul VI Pope Paul VI ( la, Paulus VI; it, Paolo VI; born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini, ; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 to his death in Augus ...

appointed McDonald as the

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 ''Aquae Regiae'' and as an auxiliary bishop of Washington. He was consecrated a bishop by Archbishop

Egidio Vagnozzi Egidio Vagnozzi (26 February 1906 – 26 December 1980) was an Italian cardinal of the Catholic Church. He served as the second president of the Prefecture for the Economic Affairs of the Holy See from 1968 until his death, and was elevated to ...

on May 19, 1964. The principal co-consecrators were Archbishops Patrick O'Boyle and Joseph McGucken. McDonald attended the third and fourth 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 in 1964 and 1965.

Auxiliary Bishop of San Francisco

Paul VI appointed McDonald on July 26, 1967, as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of San Francisco. His resignation as auxiliary bishop was accepted 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 ...

on June 5, 1979. William McDonald died of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ma ...

in San Francisco on January 7, 1989, at the age of 84.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McDonald, William Joseph 1904 births 1989 deaths People from Kilkenny (city) Irish emigrants to the United States Catholic University of America alumni Catholic University of America faculty Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington 20th-century American Roman Catholic titular bishops Participants in the Second Vatican Council Roman Catholic bishops in Washington, D.C. Presidents of the Catholic University of America 20th-century American academics