John Michael D'Arcy (August 18, 1932 – February 3, 2013) was an American

prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Minister (Christianity), Christian clergy who is an Ordinary (church officer), ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which me ...

of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

. He served as the eighth

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

of the

Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend 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 associated ...

in Indiana from 1985 to 2009. He previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Boston in Massachusetts from 1974 to 1985.

Biograph

Early life

John D'Arcy was born on August 18, 1932, in Boston, Massachusetts, to Irish

immigrants Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not usual residents or where they do not possess nationality in order to settle as permanent residents. Commuters, tourists, and other short- ...

. His parents were Michael and Margaret (Moran) D'Arcy. He had three sisters: Mrs. Mary Caprio, Sister Anne, and Mrs. Joan Sheridan. He entered St. John's Seminary in Boston in September 1949. D'Arcy was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...

to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Boston on February 2, 1957. D'Arcy attended the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome from 1965 to 1968, earning a

doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''doctor'', meaning "teacher") or doctoral degree is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' licentia docendi'' ("licence to teach ...

in spiritual

theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

. He served as

spiritual director Spiritual direction is the practice of being with people as they attempt to deepen their relationship with the divinity, divine, or to learn and grow in their personal spirituality. The person seeking direction shares stories of their encounters ...

and

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other tertiary education, post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin ...

of spiritual theology at St. John's Seminary from 1968 to 1985, and also as

pastor A pastor (abbreviated to "Ps","Pr", "Pstr.", "Ptr." or "Psa" (both singular), or "Ps" (plural)) is the leader of a Christianity, Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutherani ...

of St. Mary Star of the Sea Parish in

Beverly, Massachusetts Beverly is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, and a suburb of Boston. The population was 42,670 at the time of the 2020 United States census. A resort, residential, and manufacturing community on the Massachusetts North Sho ...

Auxiliary Bishop of Boston

On December 30, 1974, D'Arcy was appointed as an

auxiliary bishop An auxiliary bishop is a bishop assigned to assist the diocesan bishop in meeting the pastoral and administrative needs of the diocese. Auxiliary bishops can also be titular bishops of sees that no longer exist as territorial jurisdictions. ...

of the Archdiocese of Boston 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 an ...

Mediana Mediana is an important archeological site from the late Ancient Rome, Roman period, located in the eastern suburb of the Serbian city of Niš. It represents a luxurious residence with a highly organised economy. Excavations have revealed a Roman ...

Pope Paul VI Pope Paul 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 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding John XXII ...

. He received his

episcopal consecration A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of dioceses. The role ...

on February 11, 1975, from Cardinal Humberto Medeiros, with Bishops Thomas Riley and

Lawrence Riley Lawrence Riley (1896–1974) was a successful American playwright and screenwriter. He gained fame in 1934 as the author of the Broadway hit '' Personal Appearance'', which was turned by Mae West into the film ''Go West, Young Man'' (1936). Bio ...

serving as

co-consecrators A consecrator is a bishop who ordains someone to the episcopacy. A co-consecrator is someone who assists the consecrator bishop in the act of ordaining a new bishop. The terms are used in the canon law of the Catholic Church, Lutheran Churche ...

. He became

episcopal vicar Episcopal may refer to: *Of or relating to a bishop, an overseer in the Christian church *Episcopate, the see of a bishop – a diocese *Episcopal Church (disambiguation), any church with "Episcopal" in its name ** Episcopal Church (United States ...

for the Lowell Region on July 21, 1981. When serving as auxiliary bishop in Boston, D'Arcy "warned against the Catholic Church’s transfer of pedophile priest

John Geoghan John Joseph "Jack" Geoghan ( ; June4, 1935August23, 2003) was an American serial child rapist and Catholic priest assigned to parishes in the Archdiocese of Boston in Massachusetts. He was reassigned to several parish posts involving interacti ...

to a new parish, according to the church's own investigators. But Bishop D'Arcy's 1984 letter to Archbishop

Bernard Francis Law Bernard Francis Cardinal Law (November 4, 1931 – December 20, 2017) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church who, among other offices, served as Archbishop of Boston from 1984 to 2002. Originally considered an influential voice a ...

about Geoghan’s history of abusing young boys did no good." Geoghan was left in his youth-groups job and "D'Arcy was transferred to Indiana".

Bishop of Fort Wayne-South Bend

D'Arcy was named bishop of the

Pope Paul II Pope Paul II (; ; 23 February 1417 – 26 July 1471), born Pietro Barbo, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 30 August 1464 to his death in 1471. When his maternal uncle became Pope Eugene IV, Barbo switched fr ...

on February 26, 1985. Replacing Bishop

William McManus William Telemachus McManus (November 28, 1780January 18, 1835) was an American lawyer and politician from New York (state), New York. Life He was the son of Hugh McManus (1747–1826) and Mary McManus (1751–1834). He attended Lansingburgh A ...

, D'Arcy was installed on May 1, 1985. In March 2009, D'Arcy declared he would boycott the May graduation ceremony at the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac (known simply as Notre Dame; ; ND) is a Private university, private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, United States. Founded in 1842 by members of the Congregation of Holy Cross, a Cathol ...

because President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

would be delivering the

commencement speech In the United States, a commencement speech or commencement address is a speech given to graduating students, generally at a university, although the term is also used for secondary education institutions and in similar institutions around the ...

and receiving an

honorary degree An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad hon ...

. Noting Obama's "unwillingness to hold human life as sacred," he said that "a bishop must teach the Catholic faith 'in season and out of season,' and he teaches not only by his words–but by his actions" and asked Notre Dame if by choosing Obama "it has chosen prestige over truth."

Retirement and legacy

Pope Benedict XVI Pope BenedictXVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until his resignation on 28 February 2013. Benedict's election as p ...

accepted D'Arcy's resignation as bishop of Fort Wayne-South Bend on November 14, 2009. John D'Arcy died on February 3, 2013, in

Fort Wayne, Indiana Fort Wayne is a city in Allen County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. Located in northeastern Indiana, the city is west of the Ohio border and south of the Michigan border. The city's population was 263,886 at the 2020 census ...

, from lung and brain cancer at age 80. Following his death, visitations were held at both St. Matthew's Cathedral in South Bend and the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Fort Wayne. The Mass of Christian Burial for D'Arcy was held on February 8, 2013, at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception followed by the Rite of Committal, which was conducted privately with his family in the crypt of the cathedral.

Sources

Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend
*Michael J. D'Arcy obituary, Nashua Telegraph (Nashua, New Hampshire) December 2, 1977, page 2.

References

External links

New York ''Times'', February 5, 2013. {{DEFAULTSORT:Darcy, John Michael 1932 births 2013 deaths Roman Catholic bishops of Fort Wayne–South Bend 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston Roman Catholic clergy in the United States Saint John's Seminary (Massachusetts) alumni Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas alumni Deaths from lung cancer in Indiana Deaths from brain cancer in Indiana American whistleblowers