Joseph Alphonse McNicholas (January 13, 1923 – April 17, 1983) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the sixth bishop of the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois from 1975 to until his death in 1983. He previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of St. Louis in Missouri from 1969 to 1975.

Biography

Early life

Joseph McNicholas was born on January 23, 1923, in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...

. He attended Cardinal Glennon College in Shrewsbury, Missouri, and Kenrick Seminary in St. Louis. He 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 on June 7, 1949 by Cardinal Joseph Elmer Ritter. After his ordination, McNicholas' first assignment was as an assistant pastor at the Old Cathedral of St. Louis Parish. He was transferred in 1955 to Most Holy Name of Jesus Parish in St. Louis as a part time associate pastor while studying for his Master of Social Work degree at St. Louis University.

Auxiliary Bishop of St. Louis

On January 31, 1969, McNicholas was appointed 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 St. Louis and

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 ''Scala'' 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 received his

episcopal Episcopal may refer to: *Of or relating to a bishop, an overseer in the Christian church *Episcopate, the see of a bishop – a diocese *Episcopal Church (disambiguation), any church with "Episcopal" in its name ** Episcopal Church (United States ...

consecration Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects ( ...

in St. Louis on March 25, 1969, from Cardinal John Carberry, with Archbishop Leo Byrne and Bishop Charles Helmsing 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 ...

.As auxiliary bishop, McNicholas also served as

pastor A pastor (abbreviated to "Ps","Pr", "Pstr.", "Ptr." or "Psa" (both singular), or "Ps" (plural)) is the leader of a Christianity, Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutherani ...

of the Old Cathedral of St. Louis Parish, and was active in social welfare and youth programs.

Bishop of Springfield

Pope Paul VI appointed McNicholas as bishop of the Diocese of Springfield on July 22, 1975.He was installed by Cardinal John Cody on September 3, 1975. He became personally acquainted with the diocese by launching a visitation of churches, missions, schools, hospitals, the orphanage, and homes for senior citizens. He hosted the first Midwest Regional Meeting of the St. Vincent de Paul Society to be held in downstate Illinois, and in 1978 appointed the first

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 ...

to the position of

superintendent Superintendent may refer to: *Building superintendent, a manager, maintenance or repair person, custodian or janitor, especially in the United States; sometimes shortened to "super" *Prison warden or superintendent, a prison administrator *Soprin ...

Catholic school Catholic schools are Parochial school, parochial pre-primary, primary and secondary educational institutions administered in association with the Catholic Church. , the Catholic Church operates the world's largest parochial schools, religious, no ...

s. He also renamed the diocesan newspaper as ''Time and Eternity''. Joseph McNicholas died on April 17, 1983, from a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

at age 60.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McNicholas, Joseph Alphonse Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Louis 1923 births 1983 deaths Clergy from St. Louis Kenrick–Glennon Seminary alumni 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States Roman Catholic bishops of Springfield in Illinois Religious leaders from Missouri