May 31, 2013

Springfield bishop to mark 50th anniversary of ordination

 

REGIONAL

By Rebecca Drake
(Photo by Fred LeBlanc)

SPRINGFIELD – He is not planning a formal celebration, but Springfield Bishop Timothy A. McDonnell will be in the thoughts and prayers of many in western Massachusetts and beyond on June 1, the 50^th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood.

A native New Yorker, Bishop McDonnell was born in Manhattan on Dec. 23, 1937 and grew up in the Bronx. His parents, the late John J. McDonnell and Margaret (Looney) McDonnell, were immigrants from County Cork, Ireland. The family belonged to the Bronx’s St. Anthony Parish on Commonwealth Avenue, and later joined Holy Cross Parish in the Clasen Point neighborhood.

After graduating from Holy Cross School, the young Timothy McDonnell entered Cathedral College, the archdiocesan high school and junior college-level seminary in Manhattan. He completed his bachelor’s degree in philosophy and a four-year graduate degree in divinity at St. Joseph Seminary in the Dunwoodie section of Yonkers, N.Y.

As a seminarian, the future priest and bishop was known for his intellect and his people skills. During his school years, he worked as a gas station attendant, an elevator operator, a day camp and group home counselor and a casework intern.

Bishop McDonnell was ordained to the priesthood on June 1, 1963 in New York’s St. Patrick Cathedral. (He is pictured at right with his mother on his ordination day.) His first assignment was as parochial vicar of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Ardsley, N.Y. While there he also taught religious education in a nearby parish – and earned a master’s degree in pastoral counseling at Iona College in New Rochelle, N.Y.

Among his other assignments in the early years of his priesthood were assistant director of the Archdiocesan Office for Christian and Family Development; director of the archdiocese’s Society for the Propagation of the Faith; and vice chancellor of the Archdiocese of New York.

He received the title of “monsignor” in 1983 and later was given the title of “prelate of honor,” a higher rank of monsignor. He returned to parish ministry in 1984, and from 1990-1993 served as chief operating officer of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York.

In December of 2001, then-Msgr. McDonnell became one of three new auxiliary bishops for the New York Archdiocese. By the time he was named the eighth bishop of Springfield, Mass., in March of 2004, he had already gained experience with what has been an ongoing challenge in Catholic dioceses throughout the nation: the closing and merging of parishes and schools.  

Msgr. Christopher D. Connelly, vicar general of the Springfield Diocese and rector of St. Michael’s Cathedral Parish, expressed his admiration for Bishop McDonnell, who was suddenly called to serve in western Massachusetts after ministering for more than 20 years in New York.

“At 67 years of age, he was asked to come and begin a new job, in a new place, in a new house, with all new faces,” Msgr. Connelly told iobserve. “And it’s a testimony to his adaptability.”

Msgr. Connelly also praised the bishop for “his complete openness to the will of God and his generous response to the church.”

An estimated 1,400 worshipers were present in St. Michael’s Cathedral when Bishop McDonnell was formally installed as bishop of Springfield on April 1, 2004. As he began his ministry here, he faced another painful issue of the contemporary Catholic Church: the clergy abuse scandal. Replacing a bishop who was himself among the accused, Bishop McDonnell’s first act as shepherd of the Springfield Diocese was to apologize to victims. “Our faith is still being tested. The wrongs done and the betrayal have hit at the heart of our faith,” he said during the homily at his installation Mass. “Over the years, young people were wronged and the trust given so freely by their families was betrayed.

“It should never have happened. From the depths of my being I apologize to those who have been hurt,” he said. “I hope that trust and faith can be restored.”

During his nine years in the Springfield Diocese, Bishop McDonnell has continued to display his sharp wit (especially a love for puns), his intellect, his love of history, his devotion to New York sports teams, and his pastoral skills.

(Photo by Fred LeBlanc)

“Fifty years ago then Father Timothy McDonnell embarked on a path that would bring him 40 years later to western Massachusetts. We have certainly been the beneficiary of his priestly and episcopal calling for these last nine years,” said Mark E. Dupont, public affairs officer for the Springfield Diocese.

Dupont, who also serves the diocese as executive director of its communications ministry, acknowledged that Bishop McDonnell has faced challenges during his episcopacy here, but praises his dedication to serving the Catholics of the four westernmost counties of the state.

“Bishop came to us at what was a difficult and very dark time for our faith community. He has had to make some very challenging decisions, knowing the right course of action was often not the popular one,” Dupont said. “Yet there is no doubt he has given his all, to better prepare the Diocese of Springfield for its future.”  

Having submitted his letter of resignation to the Vatican on his 75^th birthday last December, Bishop McDonnell is planning to spend his retirement years in the Springfield Diocese.