John Paul Elford (September 24, 1922 – February 6, 1991) was an American

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

priest who appointed a bishop but declined the position and was never consecrated. Born in

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

, on September 24, 1944, Elford moved with his family to

Bloomington, Indiana Bloomington is a city in and the county seat of Monroe County, Indiana, Monroe County in the central region of the U.S. state of Indiana. It is the List of municipalities in Indiana, seventh-largest city in Indiana and the fourth-largest outside ...

. He went to

St. Meinrad Archabbey Saint Meinrad Archabbey is a Catholic monastery in Spencer County, Indiana, USA, was founded by monks from Einsiedeln Abbey in Switzerland on March 21, 1854, and is home to approximately 79 monks. The Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology ...

seminary and received his doctorate in sacred theology from

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. ...

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, ...

Elford was ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis on May 27, 1947. On July 15, 1968, 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 ...

appointed Elford titular bishop of

Acropolis An acropolis was the settlement of an upper part of an ancient Greek city, especially a citadel, and frequently a hill with precipitous sides, mainly chosen for purposes of defense. The term is typically used to refer to the Acropolis of Athens, ...

and auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Fort Wayne–South Bend,

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

. In October 1968, Ellford announced that Pope Paul had granted his request to "dispense me from accepting the office of bishop". He offered no explanation and asked the public to accept what he had done "without question". He cited "personal reasons" and said he was "at peace" with the decision. He died on February 6, 1991.

Notes

External links

Catholic Hierarchy-Father John Paul Elford
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Elford, John Paul 1922 births 1991 deaths Religious leaders from Pittsburgh People from Bloomington, Indiana Catholic University of America alumni Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Indianapolis Roman Catholic Diocese of Fort Wayne–South Bend Catholics from Indiana 20th-century American Roman Catholic priests