Joseph Carroll McCormick (December 15, 1907 – November 2, 1996) was an American
prelate of the
Roman Catholic Church who served as
bishop of the
Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown in Pennsylvania (1960-1966) and bishop of the
Diocese of Scranton
The Diocese of Scranton is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or diocese of the Catholic Church. It is a suffragan see of Archdiocese of Philadelphia, established on March 3, 1868. The seat of the bishop is St. Peter's Cathedral i ...
in Pennsylvania (1966-1983).
In a 2018 grand jury report, McCormick was criticized for his mishandling of sexual abuse allegations against priests when he was Bishop of the Diocese of Scranton.
Biography
Early life
McCormick was born in
Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, on December 15, 1907. He studied at
St. Charles Borromeo Seminary
Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary is a Roman Catholic seminary in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania that is under the jurisdiction of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. The oldest Catholic institution of higher learning in the Philadelphia region, the school ...
in the Overbrook section of Philadelphia and at the
Pontifical Roman Seminary in Rome.
Priesthood
McCormick was
ordained to the priesthood for the
Archdiocese of Philadelphia by his uncle,
Cardinal
Dennis Dougherty, on July 10, 1932.
McCormick served as vice-
chancellor
Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...
, and later chancellor (1936-1944), of the archdiocese. On June 24, 1940, while serving as Chancellor, McCormick offered the
benediction at the closing of the second session of the
1940 Republican National Convention
The 1940 Republican National Convention was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from June 24 to June 28, 1940. It nominated Wendell Willkie of New York for president and Senator Charles McNary of Oregon for vice president.
The contest for the 19 ...
in Philadelphia.
[Official Report of the Proceedings of the 22nd Republican National Convention, published by the Republican National Committee (1940), p. 40] He became
pastor of St. Stephen's Parish in Philadelphia in 1944.
Auxiliary Bishop of Philadelphia
On January 11, 1947, McCormick was appointed as an
auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and as titular bishop of
Ruspae Ruspe or Ruspae was a town in the Roman province of Byzacena, in '' Africa propria''. It served as the episcopal see of Saint Fulgentius of Ruspe. It is now a Roman Catholic titular bishopric.
Name
The name "Ruspe" is usually understood to be a ...
by
Pope Pius XII
Pope Pius XII ( it, Pio XII), born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli (; 2 March 18769 October 1958), was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 2 March 1939 until his death in October 1958. Before his e ...
.
He received his
episcopal consecration on April 23, 1947, from Cardinal Dougherty, with Bishops
Hugh L. Lamb
Hugh Louis Lamb (October 6, 1890 – December 8, 1959) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the first bishop of the Diocese of Greensburg in Pennsylvania from 1951 until his death in 1959. He previously served as ...
and
Eugene J. McGuinness
Eugene Joseph McGuinness (September 6, 1889 – December 27, 1957) was an American clergyman of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Raleigh (1937–44) and Bishop of Oklahoma City-Tulsa (1948–57).
Biography
Early life and e ...
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 Churches, ...
.
Bishop of Altoona-Johnstown
McCormick was named Bishop of the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown on June 25, 1960 by
Pope Paul VI. McCormick attended the
Second Vatican Council from 1962 to 1965.
Bishop of Scranton
McCormick was appointed Bishop of the Diocese of Scranton by Paul VI on March 4, 1966.
Retirement and legacy
On February 15, 1983,
Pope John Paul II accepted McCormick's letter of resignation as Bishop of Scranton.
He died on November 2, 1996, at age 89.
[Report Grand Jury on sexual abuse in six dioceses in Pennsylvania](_blank)
2018].["University of Scranton stripping Scranton bishops' names from buildings", from ''The Scranton Times-Tribune''](_blank)
/ref>["Bishop’s Name to be Removed from King’s College Building"](_blank)
/ref>
In 2018, a grand jury
A grand jury is a jury—a group of citizens—empowered by law to conduct legal proceedings, investigate potential criminal conduct, and determine whether criminal charges should be brought. A grand jury may subpoena physical evidence or a pe ...
investigating the handling of sexual abuse cases in Pennsylvania by the Catholic Church was released. The report described several instances in the Diocese of Scranton in which parents, a police officer and other clergy reported sexual assault or inappropriate behaviors by priests to the diocese. McCormick never notified parishioners or authorities about these allegations, but either dismissed them or reassigned the offending priests to different parishes.King's College King's College or The King's College refers to two higher education institutions in the United Kingdom:
*King's College, Cambridge, a constituent of the University of Cambridge
*King's College London, a constituent of the University of London
It ca ...
in Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania announced that they were removing McCormick's name from the building housing the chapel and the campus ministry. This was in reaction to revelations that McCormick had protected priests accused of sexually abusing children.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:McCormick, Joseph Carroll
1907 births
Pontifical Roman Seminary alumni
1996 deaths
Participants in the Second Vatican Council
St. Charles Borromeo Seminary alumni
Clergy from Philadelphia
20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States