Francis Xavier Irwin (January 9, 1934 – October 30, 2019) was an American

prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Minister (Christianity), Christian clergy who is an Ordinary (church officer), ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which me ...

of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

in the United States who served as an

auxiliary bishop An auxiliary bishop is a bishop assigned to assist the diocesan bishop in meeting the pastoral and administrative needs of the diocese. Auxiliary bishops can also be titular bishops of sees that no longer exist as territorial jurisdictions. ...

of the

Archdiocese of Boston The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Boston () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or archdiocese, of the Catholic Church in eastern Massachusetts in the United States. Its mother church is the Cathedral of the Holy Cross (Boston), Cathedral o ...

in Massachusetts from 1996 to 2009.

Biography

Early life

Francis Irwin was born on January 9, 1934, in

Medford, Massachusetts Medford is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. At the time of the 2020 United States census, Medford's population was 59,659. It is home to Tufts University, which has its campus on both sides of the Medford and Somervill ...

, one of seven children. He attended

Boston College High School Boston College High School (also known as BC High) is an all-male, Society of Jesus, Jesuit, Catholic Church, Catholic College-preparatory school, college-preparatory day school in the Columbia Point, Boston, Columbia Point neighborhood of Dorche ...

, then

Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private university, private Catholic Jesuits, Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1863 by the Society of Jesus, a Catholic Religious order (Catholic), religious order, t ...

, and St. John's Seminary, all in Boston.

Priesthood

Irwin 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 ...

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 ...

for the Archdiocese of Boston by Cardinal

Richard Cushing Richard James Cushing (August 24, 1895 – November 2, 1970) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Boston from 1944 to 1970 and was made a cardinal in 1958. Cushing's main role was as fundraiser and builder ...

at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston on February 2, 1960.After his ordination, the archdiocese assigned Irwin as assistant pastor at St. Joseph Parish in Boston, St. Mary of the Assumption in Revere, Massachusetts, and then St. Patrick in

Lawrence, Massachusetts Lawrence is a city located in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, on the Merrimack River. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 89,143. Surrounding communities include Methuen, Massachusetts, Methuen ...

. In 1968, Irwin left St. Patrick to study again at Boston College for a degree in social work. Starting in 1970, he assumed a series of positions within

Catholic Charities The Catholic Church operates numerous charitable organizations. Catholic spiritual teaching includes spreading the Gospel, while Catholic social teaching emphasises support for the sick, the poor and the afflicted through the corporal and spir ...

for the archdiocese as well as the archdiocesan social services Department. During this period, he spent 18 months teaching at

Fordham University Fordham University is a Private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit research university in New York City, United States. Established in 1841, it is named after the Fordham, Bronx, Fordham neighborhood of the Bronx in which its origina ...

in New York City. Irwin left his administrative posts in 1993 for an appointment as pastor of St. Agnes Parish in

Arlington, Massachusetts Arlington is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The town is six miles (10 km) northwest of Boston, Massachusetts, Boston, and its population was 46,308 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History Europe ...

Auxiliary Bishop of Boston

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 ...

appointed Irwin as titular bishop of

Ubaza {{Multiple issues, {{refimprove, date=April 2017{{no footnotes, date=April 2017 Ubaza was an ancient city and bishopric in Roman North Africa, which remains a Latin titular see. History Ubaza was among the many towns in the Roman province of N ...

and as an auxiliary bishop of Boston on July 24, 1996. He was consecrated by Cardinal

Bernard Law Bernard Francis Cardinal Law (November 4, 1931 – December 20, 2017) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church who, among other offices, served as Archbishop of Boston from 1984 to 2002. Originally considered an influential voice a ...

at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross on September 17, 1996. As auxiliary bishop, Irwin was the regional bishop of the North Region of the archdiocese.

Retirement and death

Pope Benedict XVI Pope BenedictXVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until his resignation on 28 February 2013. Benedict's election as p ...

accepted Irwin's resignation as auxiliary bishop of Boston on October 20, 2009.He died on October 30, 2019, at his home on

Cape Cod Cape Cod is a peninsula extending into the Atlantic Ocean from the southeastern corner of Massachusetts, in the northeastern United States. Its historic, maritime character and ample beaches attract heavy tourism during the summer months. The ...

in Massachusetts.

References

External links

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston
{{DEFAULTSORT:Irwin, Francis Xavier 1934 births 2019 deaths 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States People from Medford, Massachusetts Religious leaders from Massachusetts Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston