Cletus Francis O'Donnell (August 22, 1917 – August 31, 1992) 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 ...

who served as the second bishop of the

Diocese of Madison The Diocese of Madison ( la, Diœcesis Madisonensis) is a Roman Catholic diocese in the U.S. State of Wisconsin. It comprises Columbia, Dane, Grant, Green, Green Lake, Iowa, Jefferson, Lafayette, Marquette, Rock, and Sauk counties. The area o ...

in Wisconsin from 1967 to 1992. He previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the

Archdiocese of Chicago The Archdiocese of Chicago ( la, Archidiœcesis Chicagiensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or archdiocese of the Catholic Church located in Northeastern Illinois, in the United States. It was established as a diocese in 1843 and ...

in Illinois from 1960 to 1967.

Biography

Early life

Cletus O'Donnell was born on August 22, 1917, in

Waukon, Iowa Waukon is a city in Makee Township, Allamakee County, Iowa, United States, and the county seat of Allamakee County. The population was 3,827 at the time of the 2020 census. History Waukon is often said to be named for Waukon Decorah, a Ho C ...

, to Patrick and Isabel (Duffy) O’Donnell. His father was a banker and his mother was a teacher. The family moved to Chicago in 1927. In 1935, O’Donnell graduated from

Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary was an American seminary preparatory school administered by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago for young men considering the priesthood. Located in downtown Chicago at 103 East Chestnut Street, a ...

in Chicago in 1935. A retreat at

St. Mary of the Lake Seminary The University of Saint Mary of the Lake (USML) is a private Roman Catholic seminary in Mundelein, Illinois. It is the principal seminary and school of theology for the formation of priests in the Archdiocese of Chicago in Illinois. It was ...

in Mundelein, Illinois, was a motivator for O'Donnell to join the priesthood. In 1941, he received a master's degree from St. Mary.

Priesthood

O'Donnell was ordained to the priesthood by Cardinal

Samuel Stritch Samuel Alphonsius Stritch (August 17, 1887 – May 27, 1958) was an American Cardinal prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Chicago from 1940 to 1958 and as pro-prefect of the Sacred Congregation for ...

on May 3, 1941, for the

. After his ordination, he was appointed as assistant pastor at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Chicago, serving there for a year. In 1942, O'Donnell entered 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. ...

in Washington, D.C., earning a Doctor of Canon Law degree in 1945. Back in Chicago, O'Donnell was appointed as vice chancellor for the archdiocese. He also became

promoter of justice The law of Vatican City State consists of many forms, the most important of which is the canon law of the Catholic Church. The organs of state are governed by the Fundamental Law of Vatican City State. The Code of Penal Procedure governs tribunal ...

and

defender of the bond The defender of the bond ( la, defensor vinculi or ''defensor matrimonii'') is a Catholic Church official whose duty is to defend the marriage bond in the procedure prescribed for the hearing of matrimonial causes which involve the validity or ...

Auxiliary Bishop of Chicago

On October 26, 1960,

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 ...

appointed O'Donnell as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Chicago. He was consecrated by Cardinal

Albert Meyer Albert Meyer may refer to: *Albert Meyer (politician) (1870–1953), member of the Swiss Federal Council, 1929–1938 *Albert Gregory Meyer (1903–1965), Archbishop of Chicago *Albert J. Meyer (economist) (1919–1983), American economist *Albert ...

on December 21, 1960. O'Donnell was also appointed as

vicar general A vicar general (previously, archdeacon) is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority and possesses the title of local ordinary. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar general exercises the bishop's ...

and

consultor A consultor is one who gives counsel, i.e., a counselor. In the Catholic Church, it is a specific title for various advisory positions: *in the Roman Curia, a consultor is a specially appointed expert who may be called upon for advice desired by ...

at that time. After Meyer's death on April 9, 1965, O'Donnell served as archdiocesan administrator until the installation of Archbishop John P. Cody on August 24, 1965. O’Donnell was named pastor of Holy Name Cathedral Parish in February 1966. In November 1966, he named to the administrative board of the

National Conference of Catholic Bishops The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is the episcopal conference of the Catholic Church in the United States. Founded in 1966 as the joint National Conference of Catholic Bishops (NCCB) and United States Catholic Conference (US ...

(NCCB). He also served as assistant treasurer and chair of the

American Board of Catholic Missions The American Board of Catholic Missions was a Catholic missionary society organised by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Organized at Cincinnati, Ohio, 1920, by a committee appointed by the bishops of the Catholic Church to consoli ...

for the NCCB.

Bishop of Madison

On February 18, 1967,

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 State from 21 June 1963 to his death in Augus ...

appointed O'Donnell as bishop of the Diocese of Madison. As bishop, he founded the diocesan Apostolate to the Handicapped on October 31, 1967. O'Donnell also established ministries for the

deaf Deafness has varying definitions in cultural and medical contexts. In medical contexts, the meaning of deafness is hearing loss that precludes a person from understanding spoken language, an audiological condition. In this context it is written ...

and the

developmentally disabled Developmental disability is a diverse group of chronic conditions, comprising mental or physical impairments that arise before adulthood. Developmental disabilities cause individuals living with them many difficulties in certain areas of life, espe ...

. He also encouraged adult education and created a religious education consultants program to help individual parishes. O’Donnell suffered a stroke on September 13, 1990, and then a second one in the spring of 1992 which led him to resign.

Retirement

On April 28, 1992,

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 ...

accepted O'Donnell resignation. Cletus O'Donnell died of a heart attack on August 31, 1992, in Madison.

Sexual abuse allegations

In February 1995, several men sued the Diocese of Madison for failing to protect them as minors from acts of

sexual abuse Sexual abuse or sex abuse, also referred to as molestation, is abusive sexual behavior by one person upon another. It is often perpetrated using force or by taking advantage of another. Molestation often refers to an instance of sexual assa ...

by Michael Trainor, a priest in the diocese, during the 1970's and 1980's. The plaintiffs claimed that O'Donnell was aware of Trainor's abuse of children and transferred him from one parish to another without reporting him to the police or to the parishioners.

References

External links

Roman Catholic Diocese of Madison
{{DEFAULTSORT:Odonnell, Cletus F. 1917 births 1992 deaths People from Waukon, Iowa Clergy from Chicago Roman Catholic bishops of Madison 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States Participants in the Second Vatican Council Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago Religious leaders from Iowa Religious leaders from Illinois Catholics from Illinois Catholics from Iowa