William Theodore Mulloy (November 9, 1892 – June 1, 1959) 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 'pref ...

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 Covington from 1945 until his death in 1959.

Biography

The oldest of five children, William Mulloy was born in Ardoch,

North Dakota North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the Native Americans in the United States, indigenous Dakota people, Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north a ...

, to William James and Margaret Ann (née Doyle) Mulloy. He attended St. Boniface College in

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, before returning to 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 territorie ...

and studying at St. Paul Seminary and St. Thomas College in St. Paul,

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

. He 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 by Bishop James O'Reilly on June 7, 1916. Returning to North Dakota, Mulloy then served as a

curate A curate () is a person who is invested with the ''care'' or ''cure'' (''cura'') ''of souls'' of a parish. In this sense, "curate" means a parish priest; but in English-speaking countries the term ''curate'' is commonly used to describe clergy w ...

a
St. Michael Church
in

Grand Forks Grand Forks is the third-largest city in the state of North Dakota (after Fargo and Bismarck) and the county seat of Grand Forks County. According to the 2020 census, the city's population was 59,166. Grand Forks, along with its twin city o ...

until 1920, when he became

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 ...

o
St. Boniface Church
in

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. He was pastor o
Sacred Heart Church
in

Cando Cando may refer to: * Cando, North Dakota * Cando, Saskatchewan * Cando, Spain * Cando (river), in San Marino * CANDO, community project * NEO CANDO Northeast Ohio Community and Neighborhood Data for Organizing (NEO CANDO) is an online database ...

from (1921-1925) and o
St. Alphonsus Church
in Langdon and dean of the Langdon Deanery (1925-1933). From 1933 to 1938, he served as pastor of his home parish o
St. John the Evangelist Church
in Grafton and dean of the Grafton Deanery. He became

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

of th
National Catholic Rural Life Conference
in 1935, and rector o
St. Mary's Cathedral
in 1938. He also served as superintendent of

Catholic school Catholic schools are pre-primary, primary and secondary educational institutions administered under the aegis or in association with the Catholic Church. , the Catholic Church operates the world's largest religious, non-governmental school syste ...

s in the Diocese of Fargo and

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of the diocesan

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. He was raised to the rank of

Domestic Prelate Monsignor (; it, monsignore ) is an honorific form of address or title for certain male clergy members, usually members of the Roman Catholic Church. Monsignor is the apocopic form of the Italian ''monsignore'', meaning "my lord". "Monsignor" ca ...

in 1941. On November 18, 1944, Mulloy was appointed the sixth Bishop of Covington,

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 ...

, by

Pope Pius XII Pope Pius XII ( it, Pio XII), born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli (; 2 March 18769 October 1958), was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 2 March 1939 until his death in October 1958. Before his e ...

. He received 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 ...

on January 10, 1945, from Bishop Aloisius Joseph Muench, with Bishops

Vincent James Ryan Vincent James Ryan (July 1, 1884 – November 10, 1951) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as bishop of the Diocese of Bismarck in North Dakota from 1940 until his death. Biography Early life The fourth of five chi ...

and Peter William Bartholome 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, ...

, at St. Mary's Cathedral. In addition to

rural In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry typically are describ ...

issues, Mulloy was also dedicated to

civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life of ...

. Speaking to the Catholic Committee of the South in 1951, he declared that "

racial justice Anti-racism encompasses a range of ideas and political actions which are meant to counter racial prejudice, systemic racism, and the oppression of specific racial groups. Anti-racism is usually structured around conscious efforts and deliberate ...

is a moral question" and that Catholic leaders in the

Southern United States The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, or simply the South) is a geographic and cultural region of the United States of America. It is between the Atlantic Ocean ...

"cannot remain silent," even at the expense of being labeled with "the opprobrious accusation of being 'anti-Southern.'" After fifteen years as bishop, Mulloy died in Covington at age 66. He is buried at St. Mary Cemetery in Fort Mitchell.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mulloy, William Theodore 1892 births 1959 deaths People from Walsh County, North Dakota 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States University of St. Thomas (Minnesota) alumni Roman Catholic bishops of Covington Roman Catholic Diocese of Fargo Religious leaders from North Dakota Catholics from Kentucky Catholics from North Dakota