Aloysius R. Callaghan, STL, JCD (born September 15, 1946) is a

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

priest of the Diocese of Allentown and rector emeritus of the

Saint Paul Seminary School of Divinity The Saint Paul Seminary (SPS) is a Catholic major seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. A part of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, SPS prepares men to enter the priesthood and permanent diaconate, and educates lay men and women on Ca ...

. He has also served in various roles in the Vatican and the Archdiocese for the Military Services.

Biography

Aloysius R. Callaghan was born on September 15, 1946, in

Heckscherville, Pennsylvania Heckscherville is a census-designated place (CDP) in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 196 at the 2020 census. Geography Heckscherville is located at (40.720951, -76.266458). According to the United States Ce ...

, to Aloysius R. Callaghan Sr. and Genevieve Callaghan. He attended St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia in 1962. After completing his studies there he attended the Pontifical Roman Seminary located in the

Basilica of St. John Lateran The Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran (officially the ''Major Papal, Patriarchal and Roman Archbasilica, Metropolitan and Primatial Cathedral of the Most Holy Savior and Saints John the Baptist and the Evangelist in Lateran, Mother and Head of A ...

complex. After completing his studies at the Roman Seminary he was ordained a

Priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

by James Cardinal Hickey on December 17, 1971, in

St. Peter's Basilica The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican (), or simply St. Peter's Basilica (; ), is a church of the Italian High Renaissance located in Vatican City, an independent microstate enclaved within the city of Rome, Italy. It was initiall ...

. From there he was assigned as the parochial vicar of St. Francis of Assisi Church in Allentown, Pennsylvania where he also had duties as an associate professor at Allentown Central Catholic High School. In 1974, he was again sent to

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

to work on his doctorate in Canon Law from the

Pontifical Lateran University The Pontifical Lateran University (; ), also known as Lateranum, is a pontifical university based in Rome. The university also hosts the central session of the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family. The university ...

, completing the program in 1977. In 1984, he was named pastor of Holy Trinity Church in Whitehall, PA. On March 27, 1986, Thomas Welsh, bishop of Allentown, released Callaghan to serve on the Vatican's

Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life The Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, formerly called Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life (DICLSAL and formerly CICLSAL; ), is the dicastery of the Roman Cu ...

. In this job, he worked closely with

Mother Teresa of Calcutta Mary Teresa Bojaxhiu (born Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu, ; 26 August 1910 – 5 September 1997), better known as Mother Teresa or Saint Mother Teresa, was an Albanian-Indian Catholic Church, Roman Catholic nun, founder of the Missionaries of ...

in canonical affairs concerning the

Missionaries of Charity The Missionaries of Charity () is a Catholic centralised religious institute of consecrated life of Pontifical Right for women established in 1950 by Mother Teresa, now known in the Catholic Church as Saint Teresa of Calcutta. , it consisted o ...

. In 1991 he was transferred to the

Congregation for Bishops The Dicastery for Bishops, formerly named Congregation for Bishops (), is the department of the Roman Curia of the Catholic Church that oversees the selection of most new bishops. Its proposals require papal approval to take effect, but are usu ...

where he stayed until July 1995 when he became Vicar General of the Archdiocese for the Military Services. He served in that role until he was appointed as rector of

Saint Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (often abbreviated St. Paul) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County, Minnesota, Ramsey County. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, ...

, by Archbishop Harry Flynn on July 1, 2005. During his tenure as rector, he greatly increased seminary enrollment and programs. He also oversaw many renovations to St. Mary's Chapel. He served as rector until August 15, 2018, when he was granted the status of rector emeritus. He continues to serve at the seminary in advancement and community relations.

References

External links

Official website of the Saint Paul Seminary School of Divinity
{{DEFAULTSORT:Callaghan, Aloysius R. Callaghan, Aloysius 1946 births Living people