Joseph Carroll McCormick (December 15, 1907 – November 2, 1996) 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 'pre ...

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

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

of the

Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown In Ecclesiastical polity, 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 Roman province, pro ...

in Pennsylvania (1960-1966) and bishop of the

Diocese of Scranton The Diocese of Scranton is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or diocese of the Catholic Church. It is a suffragan see of Archdiocese of Philadelphia, established on March 3, 1868. The seat of the bishop is St. Peter's Cathedral in th ...

in Pennsylvania (1966-1983). In a 2018 grand jury report, McCormick was criticized for his mishandling of sexual abuse allegations against priests when he was Bishop of the Diocese of Scranton.

Biography

Early life

McCormick was born in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, on December 15, 1907. He studied at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in the Overbrook section of Philadelphia and at the

Pontifical Roman Seminary , type = Major seminary , established = , founder = Pope Pius IV , parent = Diocese of Rome , religious_affiliation = Catholic Church , rector = Gabriele Fara ...

in Rome.

Priesthood

McCormick was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform ...

to the priesthood for the

Archdiocese of Philadelphia The Roman Catholic Metropolitan Archdiocese of Philadelphia is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in southeastern Pennsylvania, in the United States. It covers the City and County of Philadelphia as well a ...

by his uncle, Cardinal Dennis Dougherty, on July 10, 1932. McCormick served as vice- chancellor, and later chancellor (1936-1944), of the archdiocese. On June 24, 1940, while serving as Chancellor, McCormick offered the

benediction A benediction ( Latin: ''bene'', well + ''dicere'', to speak) is a short invocation for divine help, blessing and guidance, usually at the end of worship service. It can also refer to a specific Christian religious service including the exposit ...

at the closing of the second session of the

1940 Republican National Convention The 1940 Republican National Convention was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from June 24 to June 28, 1940. It nominated Wendell Willkie of New York for president and Senator Charles McNary of Oregon for vice president. The contest for the ...

in Philadelphia.Official Report of the Proceedings of the 22nd Republican National Convention, published by the Republican National Committee (1940), p. 40 He became

pastor A pastor (abbreviated as "Pr" or "Ptr" , or "Ps" ) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and ...

of St. Stephen's Parish in Philadelphia in 1944.

Auxiliary Bishop of Philadelphia

On January 11, 1947, McCormick was appointed as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and as titular bishop of Ruspae by Pope Pius XII. He received his

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

on April 23, 1947, from Cardinal Dougherty, with Bishops Hugh L. Lamb and Eugene J. McGuinness serving as co-consecrators.

Bishop of Altoona-Johnstown

McCormick was named Bishop of the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown on June 25, 1960 by

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 ...

. McCormick attended 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 ...

from 1962 to 1965.

Bishop of Scranton

McCormick was appointed Bishop of the Diocese of Scranton by Paul VI on March 4, 1966.

Retirement and legacy

On February 15, 1983,

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 McCormick's letter of resignation as Bishop of Scranton. He died on November 2, 1996, at age 89.Report Grand Jury on sexual abuse in six dioceses in Pennsylvania
2018]."University of Scranton stripping Scranton bishops' names from buildings", from ''The Scranton Times-Tribune''
/ref>"Bishop’s Name to be Removed from King’s College Building"
/ref> In 2018, a grand jury investigating the handling 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 ...

cases in Pennsylvania by the Catholic Church was released. The report described several instances in the Diocese of Scranton in which parents, a police officer and other clergy reported sexual assault or inappropriate behaviors by priests to the diocese. McCormick never notified parishioners or authorities about these allegations, but either dismissed them or reassigned the offending priests to different parishes. On August 21, 2018, King's College in Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania announced that they were removing McCormick's name from the building housing the chapel and the campus ministry. This was in reaction to revelations that McCormick had protected priests accused of sexually abusing children. The

University of Scranton The University of Scranton is a private Jesuit university in Scranton, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1888 by William O'Hara, the first Bishop of Scranton, as St. Thomas College. In 1938, the college was elevated to university status and took t ...

also announced that it was renaming its McCormick Hall due to the same reasons as King's College.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McCormick, Joseph Carroll 1907 births Pontifical Roman Seminary alumni 1996 deaths Participants in the Second Vatican Council St. Charles Borromeo Seminary alumni Clergy from Philadelphia 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States