John Roach (bishop)
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John Robert Roach (July 31, 1921 – July 11, 2003) was 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 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 ...
who served as Archbishop of Saint Paul and Minneapolis from 1975 to 1995. Appointed as an auxiliary bishop of the archdiocese in 1971, he his later appointment as archbishop made him the first St. Paul archbishop to have been born in Minnesota. Roach delivered a
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at
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's inauguration in 1977 and was head of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops from 1980 to 1983. In 1985, he was arrested for drunk driving after crashing into a convenience store; he would later admit to being an alcoholic. Roach was alleged by
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to have protected and reassigned a priest accused of molesting girls. Both MPR and the
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criticised his handling of cases of sexual abuse by clergy. He oversaw a major reorganization and renovation of the
Saint Paul Seminary The Saint Paul Seminary (SPS) is a Catholic Church, Catholic major seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. A part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, SPS prepares men to enter th ...
and its affiliation and merger with the University of St. Thomas. He retired at age 74 on September 5, 1995, succeeded by Harry Flynn. Roach died at age 81 on July 11, 2003.


Early life

John Robert Roach was born on July 31, 1921, in Prior Lake, Minnesota, to Simon and Mary Roach. The eldest of three children, he had two younger sisters—Virginia and Mona. Growing up, he worked at the general store in Prior Lake owned by his father. He attended
Shakopee High School Shakopee High School is a four-year public high school as of fall 2018 located in Shakopee, Minnesota, United States. The school district serves nearly 8,380 students in Shakopee, Savage, Prior Lake, and the Jackson, Louisville, and Sand Creek ...
for two years before transferring in his junior year to
Nazareth Hall Preparatory Seminary Nazareth Hall Preparatory Seminary, known familiarly as Naz Hall, was a Minor seminary, high school seminary in Arden Hills, Minnesota, United States, serving the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, Archdiocese of Saint Pa ...
. In 1941, he began at
Saint Paul Seminary The Saint Paul Seminary (SPS) is a Catholic Church, Catholic major seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. A part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, SPS prepares men to enter th ...
. Because of
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, he was placed on an accelerated path to ordination and 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 ...
a priest on June 18, 1946, while 24 years old, by Archbishop John Gregory Murray. He would later go on to receive
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degree at the
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.


Priesthood

Roach was first assigned to the Church of Saint Stephen in Minneapolis. Only there for the summer, when the fall arrived he was assigned to
Saint Thomas Academy Saint Thomas Academy (abbr. STA), originally known as St. Thomas Aquinas Seminary and formerly known as St. Thomas Military Academy, is an all-male, Catholic military high school in Mendota Heights, Minnesota. The academy has a middle school (gr ...
where he served as an instructor of Latin and religion. From 1951 to 1968, he was the headmaster of the school. As headmaster, he oversaw the 1965 move of the academy from sharing a campus with the College of Saint Thomas to its own location in
Mendota Heights Mendota Heights ( ) is a city in Dakota County, Minnesota, United States. It is a first-ring southern suburb of the Twin Cities. The population was 11,744 at the 2020 census. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has ...
. He was named a
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in 1965. From 1968 to 1971, he served as the founding rector of Saint John Vianney Seminary in St. Paul.


Episcopacy


Auxiliary bishop

On July 12, 1971, at the age of 49, Roach was appointed
titular bishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox an ...
of
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and 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 Saint Paul and Minneapolis; he was consecrated on September 8, 1971, alongside Raymond Alphonse Lucker. Archbishop
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was the primary consecrator. From 1971 to 1973, Roach served as pastor of St. Charles Borromeo parish in St. Anthony; from 1973 to 1975, he served as pastor of St. Cecilia in
St. Paul Paul, also named Saul of Tarsus, commonly known as Paul the Apostle and Saint Paul, was a Christian apostle ( AD) who spread the teachings of Jesus in the first-century world. For his contributions towards the New Testament, he is generally ...
.


Archbishop

Roach was appointed to succeed Leo Binz as Archbishop of Saint Paul and Minneapolis on May 21, 1975, and was installed on July 16, 1975. He was the first priest born in the archdiocese to be named the archbishop. In 1977, Roach delivered a
benediction A benediction (, 'well' + , 'to speak') is a short invocation for divine help, blessing and guidance, usually at the end of worship service. It can also refer to a specific Christian religious service including the exposition of the eucharisti ...
at the inauguration of President
Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (October 1, 1924December 29, 2024) was an American politician and humanitarian who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party ...
. Roach served as the president of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops (NCCB) from 1980 to 1983. During his tenure, the NCCB strongly advocated for nuclear disarmament and economic justice. During his last months as president, the NCCB issued a pastoral letter on war and peace, " The Challenge of Peace: God's Promise and Our Response". During the drafting process, President
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involved himself, appealing to
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for a letter that would distance itself from the
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. Roach publicly complained about the interference. In addition to his time as NCCB president, Roach also served as chairman of the
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from 1986 to 1989, and president of the National Catholic Rural Life Conference. Roach oversaw the implementation of a permanent diaconate program in the Archdiocese in the wake of
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, ordaining the first group of 12 permanent
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s on April 25, 1976. At a Jewish-Christian interfaith event on May 13, 1977, Roach was giving an acceptance speech for an award when a man threw a chocolate-cream pie at Roach. The man, 22-year-old Patrick Schwartz, said he did so as a protest against the Catholic Church's views on homosexuality. George Casey, a
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priest and former chaplain to a group for gay Catholics, had offered $20 to anyone who would hit Roach with a pie. In 1985, Roach founded a diocesan AIDS ministry, providing support to those with AIDS and their family members and providing anointing of the sick to those with the disease. The archdiocese also started a support group for gay and lesbian persons wishing to remain celibate. Roach made national news when he was arrested for drunk driving on February 21, 1985, after driving his car into the wall of a
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convenience store in
Lindstrom, Minnesota Lindström (also spelled Lindstrom) is a city in Chisago County, Minnesota, United States, located 35 miles northeast of the Twin Cities. The population was 4,888 at the 2020 census. Lindström's motto is ''America's Little weden'. U.S. High ...
. He was discovered to have a blood alcohol count of 0.19. His license was suspended for 90 days; during that time, he was limited to driving only for official clerical business between Tuesday and Sunday, and required to attend an alcohol education program. During a
homily A homily (from Greek ὁμιλία, ''homilía'') is a commentary that follows a reading of scripture, giving the "public explanation of a sacred doctrine" or text. The works of Origen and John Chrysostom (known as Paschal Homily) are considered ...
at a Mass before youth at
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in
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, he admitted that he was an alcoholic; he received a standing ovation afterwards. At the
Saint Paul Seminary The Saint Paul Seminary (SPS) is a Catholic Church, Catholic major seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. A part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, SPS prepares men to enter th ...
, Roach oversaw the 1987–1989 renovation of Saint Mary's Chapel, the demolition of the old administration building and construction of a new one, as well as construction of new dormitories. Roach oversaw the 1987 merger and affiliation agreement between the College of Saint Thomas and seminary, which until that point had been separate institutions with adjacent campuses. As part of the affiliation, much of the land of the campus of the seminary was sold to the college to create the current south campus, and the college became the degree-issued institution for the seminary. His handling of cases of sexual abuse by clergy were criticized as being too lenient by the
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and the
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. In one case, Roach was alleged by
MPR News Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) is a public radio network for the state of Minnesota. With its three services, News & Information, YourClassical MPR and The Current, MPR operates a 46-station regional radio network in the upper Midwest. MPR has ...
to have protected and reassigned a priest accused of raping girls. On February 22, 1994, Bishop Harry Flynn, the Bishop of Lafayette, Louisiana, was appointed
coadjutor bishop A coadjutor bishop (or bishop coadjutor) ("co-assister" in Latin) is a bishop in the Latin Catholic, Anglican and (historically) Eastern Orthodox churches whose main role is to assist the diocesan bishop in administering the diocese. The coa ...
and became the presumptive successor of Roach. On September 5, 1995, Roach's retirement was accepted. While Roach was 74, a year younger than the normal retirement age, he said that he considered Flynn ready to take over.


Retirement and death

When he retired, Roach stated that he intended to do mission work in local parishes and work on a project with the National Conference of Catholic Bishops to evaluate Catholic social teaching in Catholic schools. He moved into the same apartment at
Saint Thomas Academy Saint Thomas Academy (abbr. STA), originally known as St. Thomas Aquinas Seminary and formerly known as St. Thomas Military Academy, is an all-male, Catholic military high school in Mendota Heights, Minnesota. The academy has a middle school (gr ...
that he had lived in when he taught there. The University of St. Thomas changed the name of Albertus Magnus Hall to the John R. Roach Center for Liberal Arts in recognition of his 20 years of service as chairman of the St. Thomas board of trustees, after a $9.8 million renovation to the 1947
Collegiate Gothic Collegiate Gothic is an architectural style subgenre of Gothic Revival architecture, popular in the late-19th and early-20th centuries for college and high school buildings in the United States and Canada, and to a certain extent Europ ...
building was completed in 2000. Roach died of heart failure on July 11, 2003, at the Little Sisters of the Poor home in St. Paul at the age of 81. Over 2,500 attended his funeral at the Cathedral of Saint Paul, including 300 priests and 15 bishops. Minnesota Governor
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and former vice-president
Walter Mondale Walter Frederick "Fritz" Mondale (January 5, 1928April 19, 2021) was the 42nd vice president of the United States serving from 1977 to 1981 under President Jimmy Carter. He previously served as a U.S. senator from Minnesota from 1964 to 1976. ...
were also in attendance. The sermon was given by Bishop John Kinney. Roach was buried at Resurrection Cemetery in
Mendota Heights Mendota Heights ( ) is a city in Dakota County, Minnesota, United States. It is a first-ring southern suburb of the Twin Cities. The population was 11,744 at the 2020 census. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has ...
.


Notes


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Roach, John 1921 births 2003 deaths Saint Paul Seminary alumni People from Scott County, Minnesota 20th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in the United States Roman Catholic archbishops of Saint Paul and Minneapolis Presidents of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops University of Minnesota alumni Burials at Resurrection Cemetery