William Michael Cosgrove (November 26, 1916 – December 11, 1992) was 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 ...

. He served as bishop of the

Diocese of Belleville The Diocese of Belleville ( la, Diœcesis Bellevillensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the southern Illinois region of the United States. It comprises the southern counties of the state of Ill ...

in Illinois from 1976 to 1981. He previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the

Diocese of Cleveland The Diocese of Cleveland ( la, Dioecesis Clevelandensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the northeastern portion of the U.S. state of Ohio. Pope Pius IX erected the diocese April 23, 1847, in te ...

in Ohio from September 3, 1968, to October 28, 1976.

Biography

Early life

Cosgrove was born on November 26, 1916, in

Canton, Ohio Canton () is a city in and the county seat of Stark County, Ohio. It is located approximately south of Cleveland and south of Akron in Northeast Ohio. The city lies on the edge of Ohio's extensive Amish country, particularly in Holmes and ...

. He attended Saint Ignatius High School in Cleveland and

John Carroll University John Carroll University is a private Jesuit university in University Heights, Ohio. It is primarily an undergraduate, liberal arts institution accompanied by the John M. and Mary Jo Boler College of Business. John Carroll has an enrollment of 3, ...

in University Heights, Ohio. Cosgrove 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 Diocese of Cleveland by Archbishop

Edward Francis Hoban Edward Francis Hoban (June 27, 1878 – September 22, 1966) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Cleveland in Ohio from 1945 to 1966. He previously served as bishop of the Diocese of Rock ...

on December 18, 1943.

Episcopy

On June 12, 1968, Cosgrove was appointed as an auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Cleveland and titular tishop of Trisipa by

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, Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 to his ...

. He received his

episcopal consecration A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or offic ...

on September 3, 1968, from Bishop Clarence Issenmann with bishops John Whealon and Harold Perry 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, ...

. Cosgrove was named the fourth bishop of the Diocese of Belleville on August 30, 1976, by Pope John Paul II. Cosgrove was installed on October 28, 1976. The author Michael Gallagher described Cosgrove as a man of deep social concern who was popular with both clergy and laity. On May 19, 1981, Pope John Paul accepted Cosgrove's resignation as bishop of the Diocese of Belleville. William Cosgrove died on December 11, 1992, at age 76. The Bishop William M. Cosgrove Center in Cleveland is named after him.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cosgrove, William Michael 1916 births 1992 deaths John Carroll University alumni People from Canton, Ohio Roman Catholic Diocese of Cleveland 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States Roman Catholic bishops of Belleville Catholics from Ohio