J. Kevin Boland
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John Kevin Boland (born April 25, 1935) is an Irish-born 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 ...
. Boland served as bishop of the
Diocese of Savannah The Diocese of Savannah is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the southern United States comprising 90 of the southern counties of the state of Georgia.
in Georgia from 1995 to 2011.


Biography


Early life

John Kevin Boland was born in Monkstown, County Cork, Ireland on April 25, 1935, to John Joseph and Gertrude O’Brien. His brother, Raymond Boland, served as bishop of the
Diocese of Kansas City-Saint Joseph In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associat ...
in Missouri. John Boland attended Christian Brothers College in Cork, Ireland and All Hallows Seminary in Dublin.


Priesthood

On June 14, 1959, Boland was ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Savannah by Archbishop John McQuaid in Dublin. In September 1959, Boland arrived in Georgia to assume the position of assistant pastor at St. Mary on the Hill Parish in
Augusta, Georgia Augusta ( ), officially Augusta–Richmond County, is a consolidated city-county on the central eastern border of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. The city lies across the Savannah River from South Carolina at the head of its navig ...
. In 1961, he was posted as associate pastor at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist Parish in Savannah, remaining there until 1962. Boland attended 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. ...
in Washington D.C. part-time for his master's degree between 1962 and 1964. Boland was appointed pastor in 1967 of St. Michael Parish in
Tybee Island, Georgia Tybee Island is a city and a barrier island located in Chatham County, Georgia, 18 miles (29 km) east of Savannah, United States. Though the name "Tybee Island" is used for both the island and the city, geographically they are not identical ...
, staying there until 1968. In 1970, he returned to the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist Parish as rector. Boland moved in 1972 to Blessed Sacrament Parish in Savannah. In 1974, Boland attended the
Pontifical North American College The Pontifical North American College (NAC) is a Catholic Church, Roman Catholic educational institution in Rome, Italy, that prepares seminarians to become priests in the United States and elsewhere. The NAC also provides a residence for Pri ...
in Rome in its continuing education program. In 1983, Boland became pastor of St. Anne Parish in
Columbus, Georgia Columbus is a consolidated city-county located on the west-central border of the U.S. state of Georgia. Columbus lies on the Chattahoochee River directly across from Phenix City, Alabama. It is the county seat of Muscogee County, with which it ...
. While there, he attended summer programs for three years at
Fordham University Fordham University () is a Private university, private Jesuit universities, Jesuit research university in New York City. Established in 1841 and named after the Fordham, Bronx, Fordham neighborhood of the The Bronx, Bronx in which its origina ...
in New York City to obtain his master's degree in 1989.


Bishop of Savannah

On February 7, 1995,
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 ...
appointed Boland as bishop of the Diocese of Savannah. His episcopal ordination by Archbishop John Donoghue took place on April 18, 1995, at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Savannah. Boland was a member of the Pastoral Practices Committee of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). He served on the board of the Southeast Pastoral Institute in
Miami, Florida Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...
. He was Region IV representative to the USCCB Administrative Committee and a member of the USCCB Communications Committee. In November 2001, he was named chair of the Committee on Marriage and Family Life. In November 2002, Boland became a member of the USCCB Budget and Finance Committee. Boland is currently a board member of the All Hallows Missionary College Fund and a trustee for Catholic Mutual Group. In 2003, Boland wrote a letter to the Chicago Province of the
Society of Jesus , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...
, expressing concerns about Donald J. McGuire, a Jesuit priest known for running youth retreats in Georgia. Boland was forwarding the complaints of a Georgia couple whose son had attended one retreat. The boy told his parents that McGuire had shown him
pornography Pornography (often shortened to porn or porno) is the portrayal of sexual subject matter for the exclusive purpose of sexual arousal. Primarily intended for adults,
and shared his bed with him. A few years later, McGuire was convicted of child sexual abuse and sentenced to 25 years in prison. On November 4, 2009, the diocese agreed to a $4.24 million lawsuit settlement with Allan Ranta, a victim of sexual abuse by Wayland Y. Brown, a diocese priest. Boland released this statement:
I am sorry for all the pain and suffering experienced by Mr. Ranta and my prayers go out not only to him, but to all victims of child sexual abuse that each may find the healing they seek.
Boland reached the mandatory retirement age of 75 on April 25, 2010, and submitted his resignation to
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 ...
. It was accepted by the pope on July 19, 2011.


References


External links


Diocese of SavannahBiography of Bishop Boland
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boland, J. Kevin Fordham University alumni Catholic University of America alumni Alumni of All Hallows College, Dublin Irish emigrants to the United States 1935 births Living people People from Monkstown, County Cork Roman Catholic bishops of Savannah, Georgia Pontifical North American College alumni People educated at Christian Brothers College, Cork 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States American Roman Catholic clergy of Irish descent