Joseph Aloysius Durick (October 13, 1914 – June 26, 1994) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Nashville in Tennessee from 1969 to 1975. He previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Mobile-Birmingham in Alabama from 1954 to 1963 and as coadjutor bishop of Nashville from 1963 to 1969. Durick publicly opposed United States participation in the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

and the

death penalty Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that ...

, which led to criticism from conservative circles. Durick also directed efforts at ecumenical cooperation with

Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

and

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

communities in Tennessee, as well as introducing Project Equality. He had the image of an amiable country vicar, so much so that the newspapers called him "the happy priest."

Biography

Early life

Joseph Durick was born on October 13, 1914, in

Dayton, Tennessee Dayton is a city and county seat in Rhea County, Tennessee, Rhea County, Tennessee, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city population was 7,065. The Dayton Urban Cluster, which includes developed areas adjacent ...

, the seventh of twelve children. He grew up in

Bessemer, Alabama Bessemer is a southwestern suburb of Birmingham in Jefferson County, Alabama, United States. The population was 26,019 at the 2020 census. It is within the Birmingham-Hoover, AL Metropolitan Statistical Area, of which Jefferson County is the ...

, during the height of anti-Catholic violence in that state. After deciding not to pursue a

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career, Durick began studies for the priesthood. He entered St. Bernard College in

Cullman, Alabama Cullman is the largest city and county seat of Cullman County, Alabama, United States. It is located along Interstate 65, about north of Birmingham and about south of Huntsville. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 14,775, with an ...

,graduating in 1933. In 1936, he completed coursework in

philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. ...

at St. Mary's Seminary and University in Baltimore, Maryland. He later received a degree in theology from the

Pontifical Urbaniana University The Pontifical Urban University, also called the ''Urbaniana'' after its names in both Latin and Italian,; it, Pontificia Università Urbaniana. is a pontifical university under the authority of the Congregation for the Evangelization of People ...

in Rome. Durick was ordained in Rome by Cardinal

James Gibbons James Cardinal Gibbons (July 23, 1834 – March 24, 1921) was a senior-ranking American prelate of the Catholic Church who served as Apostolic Vicar of North Carolina from 1868 to 1872, Bishop of Richmond from 1872 to 1877, and as ninth ...

for the Archdiocese of Mobile on March 23, 1940. Durick soon became the assistant director of

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 and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

missions in North Alabama; by 1943 he was the director.

Auxiliary Bishop of Mobile-Birmingham

On December 30, 1954, Pope Pius XII appointed Durick as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Mobile-Birmingham and

titular bishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox a ...

of Cerbali. He was consecrated on March 24, 1955, by Archbishop

Thomas Joseph Toolen Thomas Joseph Toolen (February 28, 1886 – December 4, 1976) was an American clergyman of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Mobile from 1927 to 1969, and was given the personal title of Archbishop in 1954. Early life and educati ...

. Durick's episcopal motto was "''The love of Christ impels us"'' (Caritas Christi urget nos). At age 40, he was one of the youngest American bishops. April 12, 1963, Durick signed an open public letter urging African-Americans to withdraw their support of Dr.

Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister and activist, one of the most prominent leaders in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968 ...

, to which Dr. King responded in his April 16 "

Letter from Birmingham Jail The "Letter from Birmingham Jail", also known as the "Letter from Birmingham City Jail" and "The Negro Is Your Brother", is an open letter written on April 16, 1963, by Martin Luther King Jr. It says that people have a moral responsibility to ...

Coadjutor Bishop and Bishop of Nashville

On December 11, 1963, Paul VI appointed Durick as

coadjutor bishop A coadjutor bishop (or bishop coadjutor) is a bishop in the Catholic, Anglican, and (historically) Eastern Orthodox churches whose main role is to assist the diocesan bishop in the administration of the diocese. The coadjutor (literally, "co- ...

of the Diocese of Nashville with right of succession to Bishop William Adrian. Durick was installed on March 3, 1964. Durick was inspired to lead the Catholic Church in

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 36th-largest by ...

into a new era by the reforms initiated by

Pope John XXIII Pope John XXIII ( la, Ioannes XXIII; it, Giovanni XXIII; born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, ; 25 November 18813 June 1963) was head of the Roman Catholic Church, Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City, Vatican City State from 28 Oc ...

in the

Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions), each lasting between 8 and ...

. To help present his reforms, Durick consulted with

laymen, as well as a number of journalists including John Popham,

John Seigenthaler John Lawrence Seigenthaler ( ; July 27, 1927 – July 11, 2014) was an American journalist, writer, and political figure. He was known as a prominent defender of First Amendment rights. Seigenthaler joined the Nashville newspaper ''Th ...

, Joe Sweat, and Father Owen Campion. Originally a conformist cleric, Durick and seven other colleagues wrote the letter "

A Call For Unity "A Call for Unity" was an open letter published in Birmingham, Alabama, on April 12, 1963, by eight local white clergymen in response to civil rights demonstrations taking place in the area at the time. In the letter, they took issue with event ...

", calling on King and "outsiders" during the Birmingham protests of 1963 to stop and let the courts work toward integration. King responded with his "Letter from Birmingham Jail", voicing disappointment in the white clergy, who should be "among our strongest allies". This, and the message he got from

Vatican II The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions), each lasting between 8 and ...

, led Durick to become a strong voice for civil rights in the segregated South, for which he was called a heretic and a communist by his tradition-bound congregation. In 1968–1969 especially, he faced serious opposition in the form of boycotts of his public appearances. On September 10, 1969, Durick succeeded Adrian as bishop of Nashville.

Resignation and legacy

On April 2, 1975, Paul VI accepted Durick's resignation as bishop of the Diocese of Nashville. He spent the next six years working in

prison ministry Prison religion includes the religious beliefs and practices of prison inmates, usually stemming from or including concepts surrounding their imprisonment and accompanying lifestyle. "Prison Ministry" is a larger concept, including the support of ...

. He was then forced to semi-retire due to a severe heart problem and underwent cardiac surgery. Joseph Durick died of cancer on July 26, 1994, at age 79 at his home in Bessemer.

References

Sources

External links

Joseph Aloysius Durick
Findagrave.com
Joseph Aloysius Durick:
Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture

Diocese of Nashville Profile

*

Episcopal succession

{{DEFAULTSORT:Durick, Joseph Aloysius 1914 births 1994 deaths 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States Participants in the Second Vatican Council People from Bessemer, Alabama People from Dayton, Tennessee Roman Catholic bishops of Nashville St. Mary's Seminary and University alumni Catholics from Alabama