Leonard Paul Blair (born April 12, 1949) is 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 ...

, who served as

archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...

of the

Archdiocese of Hartford The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Hartford () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Connecticut in the United States. It is a metropolitan see. It was established as the Diocese of Hartford in 1843, whe ...

in Connecticut from December 2013 to May 2024. Blair previously served as bishop of the Diocese of Toledo in Ohio from 2003 to 2013 and as an auxiliary bishop of the

Archdiocese of Detroit The Archdiocese of Detroit () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or archdiocese, of the Catholic Church covering the south-east portion of Michigan in the United States. The archdiocese consists counties of Lapeer County, Michigan, Lap ...

in Michigan from 1999 to 2003.

Biography

Early life

Leonard Blair was born on April 12, 1949, in

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

. He first studied at

Sacred Heart Major Seminary Sacred Heart Major Seminary is a private Roman Catholic seminary in Detroit, Michigan. It is affiliated with the Archdiocese of Detroit. In 2016–2017, 107 seminarians, representing eleven dioceses and two religious orders were enrolled in cla ...

in Detroit, where he obtained 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 ...

History History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the Human history, human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some t ...

Priesthood

Blair 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 26, 1976, for the Archdiocese of Detroit by Cardinal John Dearden. After his ordination, Blair studied at the

Pontifical North American College The Pontifical North American College (NAC) is a Catholic Church, Roman Catholic educational institution in Rome, Italy, that prepares seminarians to become priests in the United States and elsewhere. The NAC also provides a residence for Prie ...

in Rome. He earned a

Bachelor of Sacred Theology The Bachelor of Sacred Theology (abbreviated STB) is the first of three ecclesiastical degrees in theology (the second being the Licentiate in Sacred Theology and the third being the Doctorate in Sacred Theology) which are conferred by a number o ...

from the

Pontifical Gregorian University Pontifical Gregorian University (; also known as the Gregorian or Gregoriana), is a private university, private pontifical university in Rome, Italy. The Gregorian originated as a part of the Roman College, founded in 1551 by Ignatius of Loyo ...

; a

Licentiate of Theology Licentiate may refer to: *Licentiate (degree), a degree below a PhD granted by universities in some countries; may indicate a medical doctor qualification in the UK and other countries. *Licentiate (Pontifical Degree), second cycle of ecclesiastic ...

with a specialization in

patristics Patristics, also known as Patrology, is a branch of theological studies focused on the writings and teachings of the Church Fathers, between the 1st to 8th centuries CE. Scholars analyze texts from both orthodox and heretical authors. Patristics e ...

and the history of theology from the Gregorian: and a

Doctor of Theology Doctor of Theology (, abbreviated DTh, ThD, DTheol, or Dr. theol.) is a terminal degree in the academic discipline of theology. The ThD, like the ecclesiastical Doctor of Sacred Theology, is an advanced research degree equivalent to the Doctor o ...

from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas Blair served as assistant pastor or pastor in several parishes in the archdiocese, including St. Martin de Porres in Warren, Our Lady of Queen of Peace in Harper Woods, St. Christopher in Detroit, and St. Paul in Grosse Pointe Farms Blair's archdiocesan positions included assignments at

vicar general A vicar general (previously, archdeacon) is the principal deputy of the bishop or archbishop of a diocese or an archdiocese for the exercise of administrative authority and possesses the title of local ordinary. As vicar of the bishop, the vica ...

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 ...

. He taught theology and patristics at Sacred Heart Major Seminary, where he also served as dean of studies. From 1994 to 1997 he worked as personal secretary to Cardinal

Edmund Szoka Edmund Casimir Szoka (September 14, 1927 – August 20, 2014) was an American Catholic prelate who served as president of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State and president of the Governorate of Vatican City State from 1997 to 2006. H ...

, who was then a senior official in the

Roman Curia The Roman Curia () comprises the administrative institutions of the Holy See and the central body through which the affairs of the Catholic Church are conducted. The Roman Curia is the institution of which the Roman Pontiff ordinarily makes use ...

Auxiliary Bishop of Detroit

On July 8, 1999, Blair was appointed by

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 ...

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 Detroit and Titular Bishop of Voncariana. He received his

episcopal consecration A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of dioceses. The role ...

on August 24, 1999, at the

Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament The Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament is a Neo-Gothic style Roman Catholic cathedral church in the United States. It is the seat of the archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit. The metropolitan archdiocese for the Roman Ca ...

in Detroit from Cardinal Adam Maida, with Cardinal Szoka and Bishop Dale Melczek 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 ...

Bishop of Toledo

Blair was appointed bishop of the Diocese of Toledo by John Paul II on October 7, 2003. He was installed on December 4, 2003. On April 28, 2004, Blair suspended the ministry of Gerald Robinson, a diocese priest, after his arrest on murder charges. Robinson had been charged with killing Sister Margaret Ann Pahl at Mercy Hospital in Toledo, Ohio. Robinson was convicted of murder in 2006 and sentenced to 15 years to life in prison.

Sisters of St. Francis controversy

On May 9, 2005, Blair directed the Sisters of St. Francis to cancel a three-day workshop by New Ways Ministry at the order's campus in

Tiffin, Ohio Tiffin is a city in Seneca County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Developed along the Sandusky River, Tiffin is located about southeast of Toledo, Ohio, Toledo. The population was 17,953 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. ...

. In stating his objections, Blair stated:

The positions of New Ways Ministry are not at all in accord with the guidelines for pastoral care which the bishops of the United States issued in 2006 regarding '
Ministry to Persons with a Homosexual Inclination ''Ministry to Persons with a Homosexual Inclination'' is a document that was issued on November 14, 2006, by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. It details guidelines on Catholic religious ministry to gay and lesbian A l ...
.' Nor does New Ways Ministry present the full, authentic teaching of the Catholic Church on homosexuality.

LCWR controversy

In April 2008, the

Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) is a department of the Roman Curia in charge of the religious discipline of the Catholic Church. The Dicastery is the oldest among the departments of the Roman Curia. Its seat is the Palace of t ...

(CDR) at the Vatican directed Blair to conduct a doctrinal assessment of the

Leadership Conference of Women Religious The Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) is one of two associations of the leaders of congregations of Catholic Church, Catholic Religious sister (Catholic), women religious in the United States (the other being the Council of Major Su ...

(LCWR), the umbrella organization for nuns in the United States. The Vatican was concerned that the LCWR was straying from church priorities and doctrines. Blair submitted his report to the CDR in 2010, noting that "The current doctrinal and pastoral situation of LCWR is grave and a matter of serious concern." In April 2012, the CDR appointed Archbishop J. Peter Sartain, assisted by Blair and Bishop Thomas J. Paprocki, to create a plan for the overhaul of the LCWR. In response, the LCWR voted to reject the CDR plan, creating a standoff. After the installation of

Pope Francis Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...

in 2013, pressure on the LCWR eased and by 2015 the affair concluded without had sanctions against the LCWR.

Komen Foundation controversy

In July 2011, Blair told parishes and

parochial school A parochial school is a private school, private Primary school, primary or secondary school affiliated with a religious organization, and whose curriculum includes general religious education in addition to secular subjects, such as science, mathem ...

s in the Diocese of Toledo not to raise funds for the Susan G. Komen Foundation, citing concerns that the money could be used to fund embryonic stem-cell research. Blair stated:

As best we can determine, at present the Komen Foundation does not fund cancer research that employs embryonic stem cells. However, their policy does not exclude that possibility. They are open to embryonic stem cell research, and may very well fund such research in the future.

Blair's statement also referred to Komen's relationship with

Planned Parenthood The Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. (PPFA), or simply Planned Parenthood, is an American nonprofit organization

, a provider of

abortion Abortion is the early termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. Abortions that occur without intervention are known as miscarriages or "spontaneous abortions", and occur in roughly 30–40% of all pregnan ...

and women's health services. Because of these factors, Blair urged Catholic donors, both corporate and individually, to consider alternative organizations when supporting breast cancer research.

Archbishop of Hartford

Pope Francis appointed Blair as the fifth archbishop of the Archdiocese of Hartford on October 29, 2013; he was installed on December 16, 2013. On January 22, 2019, he announced that the archdiocese had paid $50.6 million to settle 142 claims of

sexual abuse Sexual abuse or sex abuse is abusive sexual behavior by one person upon another. It is often perpetrated using physical force, or by taking advantage of another. It often consists of a persistent pattern of sexual assaults. The offender is re ...

on the part of 29 priests of the archdiocese and three priests from other dioceses. Most involved the abuse of minors. Some 23 of those accused were no longer living; accusations dated as far back as 1953 and almost all occurred before 1990. He celebrated a "Mass of Reparations" at which he said that "on my knees as a bishop ... I ask forgiveness of God, of the wider community and our own Catholic community. I ask it especially of all the victims of sexual abuse and their families. I ask it for all the church leadership has done or failed to do."

accepted his resignation on May 1, 2024.

References

External links

Catholic-HierarchyRoman Catholic Archdiocese of Hartford
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blair, Leonard Paul 1949 births Living people 21st-century Roman Catholic archbishops in the United States Clergy from Detroit Pontifical Gregorian University alumni Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas alumni Bishops appointed by Pope John Paul II Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit Roman Catholic bishops of Toledo Roman Catholic bishops of Hartford Religious leaders from Michigan American Roman Catholic archbishops