William Thomas Larkin (March 31, 1923 – November 4, 2006) was a prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as bishop of the Diocese of St. Petersburg in Florida from 1979 to 1988.

Biography

Early life

William Larkin was born in

Mount Morris, New York Mount Morris is a town in Livingston County, New York, United States. The population was 4,465 at the 2010 census. The town and village were named after Robert Morris, a Founding Father of the United States. The town of Mount Morris has a vil ...

, on March 31, 1923. He attended St. Andrews and St. Bernard seminaries in

Rochester, New York Rochester () is a city in the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Monroe County, and the fourth-most populous in the state after New York City, Buffalo, and Yonkers, with a population of 211,328 at the 2020 United States census. Located in W ...

. He was ordained as a priest in Syracuse, New York, for the

Diocese of St. Augustine The Diocese of St. Augustine is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory of the Catholic Church, located in the U.S. state of Florida. It is a suffragan diocese in the Ecclesiastical Province of Miami, covering much of North Florida, including t ...

on May 15, 1947, by Bishop Walter Foery. After his ordination, Larking served in a parish in Daytona Beach, Florida. He then studied at the Angelicum University in Rome, where he became a roommate of the future

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 ...

. Larkin help him study English. Larkin received a

Doctor of Sacred Theology The Doctor of Sacred Theology ( la, Sacrae Theologiae Doctor, abbreviated STD), also sometimes known as Professor of Sacred Theology (, abbreviated STP), is the final theological degree in the pontifical university system of the Roman Catholic C ...

degree in 1949. After returning from Rome in 1949, Larkin was assigned to work in the chancery of the Diocese of St Augustine. In 1951, he became associate pastor of Holy Family Parish in North Miami. Florida. He was transferred in 1954 to become pastor of Christ the King Parish in

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...

. Larkin became pastor in 1967 of St. Cecilia Parish in Clearwater, Florida, also serving 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' ...

of the diocese. After the death of Bishop Charles McLaughlin in 1978, Larkin served as interim administrator of the Diocese of St. Petersburg.

Bishop of St. Petersburg

Larkin was appointed as the second bishop of St. Petersburg by John Paul II on April 18, 1979. He was consecrated on May 27, 1979 by the pope in

Saint Peter's Basilica The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican ( it, Basilica Papale di San Pietro in Vaticano), or simply Saint Peter's Basilica ( la, Basilica Sancti Petri), is a Church (building), church built in the Renaissance architecture, Renaissanc ...

in Rome. During Larkin's tenure as bishop, the diocese added 15 new parishes, three new schools, and a radio station ( WBVM 90.5 FM). He created new offices for African-American and Hispanic Catholics, along with an office for Catholics with disabilities. Larkin also worked on services for the needy and for those with

HIV/AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual ...

, and was a strong advocate for

ecumenicism Ecumenism (), also spelled oecumenism, is the concept and principle that Christians who belong to different Christian denominations should work together to develop closer relationships among their churches and promote Christian unity. The adjec ...

Retirement and legacy

On November 29, 1988, John Paul II accepted Larkin's resignation as bishop of St. Petersburg for health reasons. William Larkin died of

leukemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia and pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and result in high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or ...

in Clearwater, Florida, on November 4, 2006 at age 83.Bishop Larkin Catholic School in Port Richey, Florida is named in his honor, as is the Bishop W. Thomas Larkin Pastoral Center in St. Petersburgh.

References

Episcopal succession

People from Mount Morris, New York 1923 births 2006 deaths Roman Catholic bishops of Saint Petersburg 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States Catholics from New York (state) {{US-RC-bishop-stub