William Francis Medley (born September 17, 1952) is an American prelate 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 ...

. A former priest of the

Archdiocese of Louisville The Archdiocese of Louisville is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church that consists of twenty-four counties in the central American state of Kentucky, covering . As of 2018, the archdiocese contains appro ...

, Medley has been serving as the

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 ca ...

of the

Diocese of Owensboro The Diocese of Owensboro ( la, Dioecesis Owensburgensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Kentucky. , the diocese contained of 78 parishes and two Newman Centers in 32 counties of western Kentucky. ...

in Kentucky since 2009.

Biography

Early life and education

William Medley was born on September 17, 1952, in Loretto,

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

, to James Werner and Dorothy (née Hayden) Medley. Following his graduation from St. Thomas Seminary High School, he studied at

Bellarmine College Bellarmine University (BU; ) is a private Catholic 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 ...

in Louisville, Kentucky, obtaining a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy and

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries betwe ...

. Medley earned a

Master of Divinity For graduate-level theological institutions, the Master of Divinity (MDiv, ''magister divinitatis'' in Latin) is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America. It is the most common academic degree in seminaries and divi ...

degree from St. Meinrad School of Theology in St. Meinrad, Indiana. From 1974 to 1978, he served as a

social work Social work is an academic discipline and practice-based profession concerned with meeting the basic needs of individuals, families, groups, communities, and society as a whole to enhance their individual and collective well-being. Social work ...

er for the Kentucky Department of Human Resources.

Ordination and ministry

On May 22, 1982, Medley 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 va ...

to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Louisville by Archbishop

Thomas C. Kelly Thomas Cajetan Kelly (July 14, 1931 – December 14, 2011) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. A member of the Dominican Order, Kelley served as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Louisville in Kentucky from 1982 until his retire ...

. He then served as associate pastor at St. Pius X Parish and as chaplain at Assumption High School in Louisville. In 1985, Medley became associate pastor at the Cathedral of the Assumption Parish in Louisville. In 1988, Medley was named administrator of St. Benedict Parish, St. Charles Borromeo Parish and Holy Cross Parish, all merged to form St. Martin de Porres Parish in 1990. He became director of the Office of Clergy Personnel in 1989, and served as

rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

of St. Joseph Proto-Cathedral (the original seat of the Archdiocese of Louisville) from 1993 to 2005. During Medley's tenure as rector, St. Joseph was elevated to the rank of a

basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica is a large public building with multiple functions, typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek East. The building gave its name ...

and had its sanctuary renovated. Medley was named

pastor A pastor (abbreviated as "Pr" or "Ptr" , or "Ps" ) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and ...

of Mother of Good Counsel Parish in Louisville in 2005, and of Transfiguration of Our Lord Parish in

Goshen, Kentucky Goshen is a home rule-class city in Oldham County, Kentucky, in the United States. The population was 909 at the 2010 census. Geography Nestled along the banks of the Ohio River northeast of Louisville, Goshen is located at (38.401581, -85.58 ...

, in 2007. In 2008, these two parishes were merged to form St. Bernadette Parish in

Prospect, Kentucky Prospect is a home rule-class city in Jefferson and Oldham counties in the U.S. state of Kentucky. The Jefferson County portion is a part of the Louisville Metro government. The population was 4,698 at the time 2010 census. It is one of the weal ...

, with Medley remaining as pastor. In addition to his pastoral duties, Medley also served as a member of the

College of Consultors A consultor is one who gives counsel, i.e., a counselor. In the Catholic Church, it is a specific title for various advisory positions: *in the Roman Curia, a consultor is a specially appointed expert who may be called upon for advice desired by ...

, the Priests' Council, the Planning Commission, the Priests' Health Panel, and the Priests' Personnel Board. He also served as president of the Bardstown/Nelson County Ministerial Association and on the Nelson County Human Rights Commission.

Bishop of Owensboro

On December 15, 2009, Medley was appointed as the fourth bishop of the Diocese of Owensboro by

Pope Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the sovereign ...

. His

episcopal Episcopal may refer to: *Of or relating to a bishop, an overseer in the Christian church *Episcopate, the see of a bishop – a diocese *Episcopal Church (disambiguation), any church with "Episcopal" in its name ** Episcopal Church (United State ...

consecration Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service. The word ''consecration'' literally means "association with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different grou ...

by Archbishop Joseph Kurtz took place on February 10, 2010, at the

Owensboro Sports Center The Owensboro Sportscenter is a 5,000-seat multi-purpose arena in Owensboro, Kentucky. It is the home of the basketball teams of Kentucky Wesleyan College and Owensboro Catholic High School. It has been the home to three minor-pro basketball teams ...

. He selected as his episcopal motto: "Holy Is God's Name." In March 2019, Spaulding suspended Edward Bradley, a retired priest in the diocese serving as a catholic high school chaplain, over allegations he abused two minors during the 1980's. On April 21, 2012 the

Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) is the oldest among the departments of the Roman Curia. Its seat is the Palace of the Holy Office in Rome. It was founded to defend the Catholic Church from Heresy in Christianity, heresy and is ...

in Rome re-instated Bradley, but with prohibitions on entering a school for the next five years. On October 9, 2018, Medley released a list of 27 priests from the diocese with 66 sexual abuse claims since 1937. In June 2019, the

Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, known as SNAP, established in 1989, is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization support group of survivors of clergy sexual abuse and their supporters in the United States. Barbara Blaine, a survivor of ...

(SNAP) filed a formal complaint against Medley. SNAP claimed that while serving as personnel director for the Diocese of Louisville, Medley facilitated the transfer of a priest credibly accused of

sexual misconduct Sexual misconduct is misconduct of a sexual nature which exists on a spectrum that may include a broad range of sexual behaviors considered unwelcome. This includes conduct considered inappropriate on an individual or societal basis of morality, se ...

to a parish where children were expected to be fewer in number. In response, the diocese of Owensboro released this statement:

“Bishop William F. Medley has previously met with Mr. Montgomery and is aware of the concerns raised regarding his position as clergy personnel director from 1989-1993 in the Archdiocese of Louisville. At this time Bishop Medley has not received any directives from the Papal Nuncio in regards to this matter. At last week’s meeting of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), the bishops adopted new protocols for reporting concerns such as these. Bishop Medley awaits further direction.”

References

External links