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William A. Rice, S.J. (October 3, 1891 – February 2, 1946) was an United States, American-born Bishop (Catholic Church), bishop of the Catholic Church. He served as the Vicar Apostolic of Roman Catholic Diocese of Belize City-Belmopan, Belize from 1939 to 1946. He was also the founder of Baghdad College.
William Aloysius Rice was born in Framingham, Massachusetts. He attended Boston College High School and in 1911 entered the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) teaching at Regis High School (New York City). He then studied in Spain and completed his theology studies in Valkenburg, South Holland, the Netherlands, where he was ordained a priest on August 27, 1925. He worked in administration at Boston College and as rector of the Jesuit novitiate in Massachusetts. In the fall of 1931, at the behest of Pope Pius XI, the New York Province Jesuits opened a secondary school in Baghdad, Iraq, and Rice was given charge of the project as Jesuit Superior. He was a scholarly priest and fluent in several languages. In discussions with members of the Iraqi Board of Education, his knowledge of Arabic "enabled him to refute his opponents by referring them to their own law books."Feeny, T.J. (June 1939). "From Boston – a Bishop for Belize." Jesuit Missions, 144f.
The Bishop leaned toward the intellectual and artistic side. He promoted Gregorian chant, strove to develop good choirs at the Holy Redeemer Cathedral, cathedral, and encouraged the congregation to participate through singing, personally leading the children in hymn practice. It was also during Rice's term that the pioneering work of Marion M. Ganey#Growing movement, Marion M. Ganey, initiator of credit unions and cooperatives in Belize, the Fiji Islands, and South Pacific, began. These proved instrumental in the economic development of the peoples of these areas. When on November 8, 1942, a hurricane struck northern Belize causing a great deal of destruction of buildings, Rice shared his experience from Iraq where he had taught the Arabs to construct the modern buildings of Baghdad College."Afield with American Jesuit missionaries" (September 1943) Jesuit Missions, 215f.
Early in 1946 Bishop Rice had several heart attacks and on the night of February 28 a severe attack ended his life at the age of 54. Fr. David Hickey, S.J., was appointed to succeed him as bishop.
Biography
William Aloysius Rice was born in Framingham, Massachusetts. He attended Boston College High School and in 1911 entered the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) teaching at Regis High School (New York City). He then studied in Spain and completed his theology studies in Valkenburg, South Holland, the Netherlands, where he was ordained a priest on August 27, 1925. He worked in administration at Boston College and as rector of the Jesuit novitiate in Massachusetts. In the fall of 1931, at the behest of Pope Pius XI, the New York Province Jesuits opened a secondary school in Baghdad, Iraq, and Rice was given charge of the project as Jesuit Superior. He was a scholarly priest and fluent in several languages. In discussions with members of the Iraqi Board of Education, his knowledge of Arabic "enabled him to refute his opponents by referring them to their own law books."Feeny, T.J. (June 1939). "From Boston – a Bishop for Belize." Jesuit Missions, 144f.
Episcopacy
On November 19, 1938, Pope Pius XI appointed Rice Titular Bishop of ''Rusicade'' and Vicar Apostolic of Belize (British Honduras). On April 16, 1939, he was consecrated in Boston by Bishop Thomas Addis Emmet (bishop), Thomas Emmet, S.J., the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kingston in Jamaica, Vicar Apostolic of Jamaica. The principal co-consecrators were Bishop Thomas Michael O'Leary, Thomas O'Leary of Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts, Springfield in Massachusetts and Archbishop Francis Spellman of Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, New York. Rice arrived in Belize on June 18, 1939, at the age of 47. His predecessor Bishop Joseph Anthony Murphy bequeathed to him a History of Roman Catholicism in Belize#Jesuit mission, mission field with 24 priests (all but 2 were Jesuits) and 4 Jesuit brothers, greatly assisted by religious sisters: 36 Sisters of Mercy, 7 Sisters of the Holy Family (Louisiana), Sisters of the Holy Family, and 53 Pallottines. The six parish churches had more than fifty outlying missions. Rice's home parish would be Holy Redeemer Catholic Parish, Belize City, Holy Redeemer in Belize City.Work as bishop
The Bishop leaned toward the intellectual and artistic side. He promoted Gregorian chant, strove to develop good choirs at the Holy Redeemer Cathedral, cathedral, and encouraged the congregation to participate through singing, personally leading the children in hymn practice. It was also during Rice's term that the pioneering work of Marion M. Ganey#Growing movement, Marion M. Ganey, initiator of credit unions and cooperatives in Belize, the Fiji Islands, and South Pacific, began. These proved instrumental in the economic development of the peoples of these areas. When on November 8, 1942, a hurricane struck northern Belize causing a great deal of destruction of buildings, Rice shared his experience from Iraq where he had taught the Arabs to construct the modern buildings of Baghdad College."Afield with American Jesuit missionaries" (September 1943) Jesuit Missions, 215f.
Early in 1946 Bishop Rice had several heart attacks and on the night of February 28 a severe attack ended his life at the age of 54. Fr. David Hickey, S.J., was appointed to succeed him as bishop.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rice, William A. 1891 births 1946 deaths People from Framingham, Massachusetts 20th-century American Jesuits Jesuit bishops American Roman Catholic missionaries Roman Catholic missionaries in Belize 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Belize 20th-century American Roman Catholic titular bishops Jesuits in Belize Jesuit missionaries American expatriates in Belize Boston College High School alumni Catholics from Massachusetts Roman Catholic bishops of Belize City–Belmopan