Eusebius Joseph Beltran (born August 31, 1934) is an

American Catholic The Catholic Church in the United States is part of the worldwide Catholic Church in communion with the pope, who as of 2025 is Chicago, Illinois-born Leo XIV. With 23 percent of the United States' population , the Catholic Church is the cou ...

prelate who served as archbishop of Oklahoma City from 1993 until 2010. He previously served as Bishop of Tulsa from 1978 to 1992. Beltran was ordained in 1960 and did

pastoral The pastoral genre of literature, art, or music depicts an idealised form of the shepherd's lifestyle – herding livestock around open areas of land according to the seasons and the changing availability of water and pasture. The target au ...

and curial work in the

Archdiocese of Atlanta The Archdiocese of Atlanta () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction, or archdiocese, of the Catholic Church in northern Georgia in United States. The archdiocese is led by a prelate archbishop, who also serves as pastor of the mother chu ...

until 1978. He also participated in the

Selma to Montgomery marches The Selma to Montgomery marches were three Demonstration (protest), protest marches, held in 1965, along the highway from Selma, Alabama, to the state capital of Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery. The marches were organized by Nonviolence, nonvi ...

in 1965 during the civil rights movement.

Biography

Early life

Eusebius Beltran was born on August 31, 1934, in

Ashley, Pennsylvania Ashley is a borough in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, from Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania, Wilkes Barre. The population was 2,588 at the 2020 census. History Ashley was first settled in 1830. Forty years later, in 1870 ...

, to Joseph and Helen (née Kozlowski) Beltran. His father was a Spanish

immigrant 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- ...

and

coal miner Coal mining is the process of extracting coal from the ground or from a mine. Coal is valued for its energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extrac ...

, who later died of

black lung disease Black lung disease (BLD), also known as coal workers' pneumoconiosis, or simply black lung, is an occupational type of pneumoconiosis caused by long-term inhalation and deposition of coal dust in the lungs and the consequent lung tissue's react ...

. The fifth of eight children, Beltran has two siblings who entered the

religious life Consecrated life (also known as religious life) is a state of life in the Catholic Church lived by those faithful who are called to follow Jesus Christ in a more exacting way. It includes those in institutes of consecrated life (religious and sec ...

as well; one brother also became a priest and one sister became a

nun A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service and contemplation, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 5 ...

, taking the religious name Sister Sponsa and working as a missionary in

Liberia Liberia, officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to Guinea–Liberia border, its north, Ivory Coast to Ivory Coast–Lib ...

. Eusebius Beltran was raised in

Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania Wilkes-Barre ( , alternatively or ) is a city in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. Located at the center of the Wyoming Valley in Northeastern Pennsylvania, it had a population of 44,328 in the 2020 census. It ...

, and attended Marymount School. He took the name Joseph as his

confirmation In Christian denominations that practice infant baptism, confirmation is seen as the sealing of the covenant (religion), covenant created in baptism. Those being confirmed are known as confirmands. The ceremony typically involves laying on o ...

name. After Beltran's father contracted

Black Lung disease Black lung disease (BLD), also known as coal workers' pneumoconiosis, or simply black lung, is an occupational type of pneumoconiosis caused by long-term inhalation and deposition of coal dust in the lungs and the consequent lung tissue's react ...

from working in the mines, he moved the family to

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

in search of different employment. Aspiring to become a missionary, Eusebius Beltran became a

seminarian A seminary, school of theology, theological college, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called seminarians) in scripture and theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy ...

for the

Diocese of Savannah The Diocese of Savannah () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the Catholic Church in southern Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia in the United States.

following his graduation from high school. Beltran returned to

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

for eight years, studying at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia.

Priesthood

Beltran 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 by Bishop Francis Hyland on May 14, 1960, for the Diocese of Atlanta. Beltran then did

and curial work in the Atlanta diocese (raised to archdiocese in 1962) until 1978. He attended the

Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the or , was the 21st and most recent ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. The council met each autumn from 1962 to 1965 in St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City for session ...

sessions in Rome during the early 1960s as a

peritus ''Peritus'' (Latin for "expert"; plural ''periti'') is the title given to Roman Catholic theologians attending an ecumenical council to give advice. At the Second Vatican Council (also known as 'Vatican II'), some ''periti'' accompanied indivi ...

to Archbishop Paul Hallinan. He also participated in the

in 1965 during the American civil rights movement. From 1971 to 1978, Beltran served as

vicar general A vicar general (previously, archdeacon) is the principal deputy of the bishop or archbishop of a diocese or an archdiocese for the exercise of administrative authority and possesses the title of local ordinary. As vicar of the bishop, the vica ...

for the archdiocese.

Bishop of Tulsa

On February 28, 1978, Beltran was appointed bishop of Tulsa by

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 was consecrated on April 20 by Archbishop

Charles Salatka Charles Alexander Kazimieras Salatka (February 26, 1918 – March 17, 2003) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City in Oklahoma from 1977 to 1992. Salatka was the fi ...

, with Archbishop Thomas Donnellan and Bishop Andrew McDonald 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 ...

. His mother, Helen, died shortly afterwards. Most notable among his

charity Charity may refer to: Common meanings * Charitable organization or charity, a non-profit organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being of persons * Charity (practice), the practice of being benevolent, giving and sha ...

work were his efforts to assist persons in need, including unwed mothers,

HIV/AIDS The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...

victims,

homeless Homelessness, also known as houselessness or being unhoused or unsheltered, is the condition of lacking stable, safe, and functional housing. It includes living on the streets, moving between temporary accommodation with family or friends, liv ...

families, and women who had just been released from

prison A prison, also known as a jail, gaol, penitentiary, detention center, correction center, correctional facility, or remand center, is a facility where Prisoner, people are Imprisonment, imprisoned under the authority of the State (polity), state ...

Archbishop of Oklahoma City

On November 24, 1992, Beltran was selected as archbishop of Oklahoma City by

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

. He was installed on January 22, 1993. Beltran became the official publisher of the '' Sooner Catholic,'' a bi-monthly

newspaper A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as poli ...

for Catholics in

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

. Beltran's sermons were featured in each number of the newspaper during his reign. In 1999, Reverend James Francis Rapp was arrested and pleaded

no contest ''Nolo contendere'' () is a type of legal plea used in some jurisdictions in the United States. It is also referred to as a plea of no contest or no defense. It is a plea where the defendant neither admits nor disputes a charge, serving as an ...

to sexually abusing two boys in

Duncan, Oklahoma Duncan is a city in and the county seat of Stephens County, Oklahoma, United States. Its population was 22,310 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Centrally located in Stephens County, Duncan became the county seat after Oklahoma achie ...

. During a subsequent civil trial, it was discovered that Beltran knew about Rapp's prior history of abuse as early as 1994. Beltran received medical documents and psychiatric evaluations of Rapp that advised the priest should not be allowed to work with children. In 2009, Beltran expressed his opposition to 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 ...

giving the commencement speech at 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 ...

from 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 ...

in Notre Dame, Indiana, saying,

"President Obama, by word and action, has approved of abortion and other atrocities against human life. Therefore he deserves no recognition at a Catholic institution."

Retirement and legacy

Upon reaching his 75th birthday in 2009, Beltran submitted to the Vatican a letter of resignation as archbishop of Oklahoma City, as required by Catholic

canon law Canon law (from , , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical jurisdiction, ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its membe ...

. His request was accepted by

Pope Benedict XV Pope Benedict XV (; ; born Giacomo Paolo Giovanni Battista della Chiesa, ; 21 November 1854 – 22 January 1922) was head of the Catholic Church from 1914 until his death in January 1922. His pontificate was largely overshadowed by World War I a ...

I on December 16, 2010, during a press conference at which his successor, Bishop

Paul Stagg Coakley Paul Stagg Coakley (born June 3, 1955) is an Catholic Church in the United States, American Catholic prelate who has served as Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, Archbishop of Oklahoma City since 2010. He previously served as Roman C ...

of the

Diocese of Salina The Diocese of Salina () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the Catholic Church in northern Kansas in the United States. The episcopal see is in Salina. The diocese was founded as the Diocese of Concordia in 1887 and was ...

, Kansas, was introduced.

References

External links

Homepage of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma

Episcopal succession

{{DEFAULTSORT:Beltran, Eusebius J. 1934 births Living people People from Ashley, Pennsylvania American people of Spanish descent Roman Catholic bishops of Tulsa Roman Catholic archbishops of Oklahoma City 20th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in the United States 21st-century Roman Catholic archbishops in the United States Catholics from Pennsylvania Members of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre