Joseph John Gerry,

O.S.B. The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, they ...

, (September 12, 1928 – July 2, 2023) was an American

Benedictine The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...

monk A monk (; from , ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a man who is a member of a religious order and lives in a monastery. A monk usually lives his life in prayer and contemplation. The concept is ancient and can be seen in many reli ...

and

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 Catholic Church. Gerry served as the third abbot of Saint Anselm Abbey until he was appointed an auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Manchester in New Hampshire in 1986. He then served as bishop of the

Diocese of Portland The Diocese of Portland () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the Catholic Church for the entire state of Maine in the United States. It is a suffragan diocese of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Boston. The mother church ...

in Maine from 1989 to 2004.

Early life

Joseph Gerry was born in

Millinocket, Maine Millinocket is a town in Penobscot County, Maine, United States. The population was 4,114 at the 2020 census. Millinocket's economy has historically been centered on forest products and recreation, but the paper company closed in 2008. Histor ...

, on September 12, 1928. In 1945, he graduated from

George W. Stearns High School George W. Stearns High School (commonly Stearns High School or SHS) is a coeducational public secondary school in Millinocket, Maine, United States, and is part of the Millinocket School Department. It serves students in grades 6– 12. Th ...

in Millinocket. Gerry then entered

Saint Anselm College Saint Anselm College is a private Benedictine liberal arts college in Goffstown, New Hampshire, United States. Founded in 1889, it is named after Saint Anselm of Canterbury. As of 2024, the college's enrollment was 2,094 students. History ...

Goffstown, New Hampshire Goffstown is a New England town, town in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 18,577 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The compact center of town, where 3,366 people resided at the 2020 census, is def ...

. Gerry obtained his novitiate at St. Vincent Archabbey in

Latrobe, Pennsylvania Latrobe ( ) is a city in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 8,060 as of the 2020 census. A part of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area, it is located near Pennsylvania's scenic Chestnut Ridge. Latrobe was incorpo ...

. On July 2, 1948, Gerry made his profession of

religious vows Religious vows are the public vows made by the members of religious communities pertaining to their conduct, practices, and views. In the Buddhist tradition, in particular within the Mahayana and Vajrayana traditions, many different kinds of r ...

as a monk at St. Anselm Abbey in New Hampshire. In 1959, Gerry graduated with a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

degree from Saint Anselm College. He then returned to the abbey to complete four more years of

theological Theology is the study of religious belief from a religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of an ...

studies.

Priestly ministry

On June 12, 1954, Gerry 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

Matthew Brady Matthew Brady (1799 – 4 May 1826) was an English-born convict who became a bushranger in Van Diemen's Land (modern-day Tasmania). He was sometimes known as "Gentleman Brady" due to his good treatment and fine manners when robbing his victims. ...

at St. Joseph's Cathedral in

Manchester, New Hampshire Manchester is the List of municipalities in New Hampshire, most populous city in the U.S. state of New Hampshire. Located on the banks of the Merrimack River, it had a population of 115,644 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Manches ...

. In 1955, Gerry earned a

Master of Philosophy A Master of Philosophy (MPhil or PhM; Latin ' or ') is a postgraduate degree. The name of the degree is most often abbreviated MPhil (or, at times, as PhM in other countries). MPhil are awarded to postgraduate students after completing at leas ...

degree from the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...

. From 1958 to 1986, Gerry was a professor of

philosophy Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

and humanities at Saint Anselm College. In 1959, he received a

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of Postgraduate education, graduate study and original resear ...

degree from

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. That same year, Gerry was appointed subprior of St. Anselm Abbey. He was appointed prior in 1963 and on January 6, 1972 was elected abbot. At Saint Anselm College, Gerry also served as

academic dean Dean is a title employed in academic administrations such as colleges or universities for a person with significant authority over a specific academic unit, over a specific area of concern, or both. In the United States and Canada, deans are usua ...

(1971–72) and

chancellor Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...

(1972–1986).

Episcopal ministry

Auxiliary Bishop of Manchester

On February 4, 1986,

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 Gerry 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 Diocese of Manchester and titular bishop of Praecausa. 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 on April 21, 1986 from Bishop Odore Gendron, with Bishops Ernest Primeau and Robert Mulvee serving as co-consecrators. In February 1988, Gerry was elected chairman of the Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs in the National Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Bishop of Portland

On December 27, 1988, Pope John Paul II named Gerry as the tenth bishop of the Diocese of Portland. Gerry was installed at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Portland, Maine, on February 21, 1989. In February 1989, Gerry published his book, ''Ever Present Lord''. During his 15-year-long tenure, Gerry published a pastoral letter approximately once a year, treating such topics as vocations to the ministry, the sacrament of

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 ...

, and

human sexuality Human sexuality is the way people experience and express themselves sexually. This involves biological, psychological, physical, erotic, emotional, social, or spiritual feelings and behaviors. Because it is a broad term, which has varied ...

. He consolidated Maine parishes in

Old Town In a city or town, the old town is its historic or original core. Although the city is usually larger in its present form, many cities have redesignated this part of the city to commemorate its origins. In some cases, newer developments on t ...

, Lisbon, and Waterville. Gerry publicly opposed

partial-birth abortion Intact dilation and extraction (D&X, IDX, or intact D&E) is a surgical procedure that terminates and removes an intact fetus from the uterus. The procedure is used both after miscarriages and for abortions in the second and third trimesters of ...

and

physician-assisted suicide Assisted suicide, sometimes restricted to the context of physician-assisted suicide (PAS), is the process by which a person, with the help of others, takes actions to end their life. Once it is determined that the person's situation qualifie ...

in state referendums in 1999 and 2000 respectively. Gerry opened St. Dominic Regional High School in Auburn, Maine, in 2002. Gerry was also very engaged in

interfaith dialogue Interfaith dialogue, also known as interreligious dialogue, refers to cooperative, constructive, and positive interaction between people of different religion, religious traditions (i.e. "faiths") and/or spirituality, spiritual or humanism, hum ...

with Buddhists, Hindus and Muslims. He was active in the DIMMID, was appointed member of the

Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue The Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue, previously named the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue (PCID), is a dicastery of the Roman Curia, erected by Pope Paul VI on 19 May 1964 as the Secretariat for Non-Christians, and renamed by ...

and participated in the first Gethsemani Encounter in 1996 together with the

Dalai Lama The Dalai Lama (, ; ) is the head of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism. The term is part of the full title "Holiness Knowing Everything Vajradhara Dalai Lama" (圣识一切瓦齐尔达喇达赖喇嘛) given by Altan Khan, the first Shu ...

. On March 9, 2002, Gerry removed two priests from ministry in the diocese. The two men, Michael Doucette and John Audibert, had admitted to sexually abusing different boys during the 1980's. Gerry said that the men would not be transferred to other parishes. On February 4, 2004, Gerry advised the

Maine Legislature The Maine State Legislature is the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Maine. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral body composed of the lower house Maine House of Representatives and the upper house Maine Senate. ...

not to legalize

same sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same legal sex. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 38 countries, with a total population of 1.5 billion people (20% ...

, calling it a violation of "natural law".

Retirement

On reaching the mandatory retirement age of 75, Gerry submitted his letter of resignation as bishop of Portland to Pope John Paul II in September 2003. His resignation was accepted on February 10, 2004, and he was succeeded by Bishop Joseph Malone. Gerry then retired to Saint Anselm Abbey. After returning to the Abbey he briefly served as novice master for the community, supervising and guiding the novice monks in their formation. Gerry died at a care home in Manchester on July 2, 2023, at the age of 94.

References

External links

Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland Official Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gerry, Joseph John 1928 births 2023 deaths People from Millinocket, Maine Saint Anselm College alumni Fordham University alumni American Benedictines Benedictine abbots Benedictine bishops Roman Catholic Diocese of Manchester Roman Catholic bishops of Portland 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States Bishops appointed by Pope John Paul II Religious leaders from New Hampshire Saint Anselm College faculty American expatriates in Canada 20th-century Christian abbots 20th-century American monks