Michael Joseph Fitzgerald (born May 23, 1948) is an American prelate of the

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 ...

, having served 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 Philadelphia in Philadelphia from 2010 until his retirement in 2023.

Biography

Early life and education

Michael Fitzgerald was born on May 23, 1948, in Montclair,

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

, the second of nine children of Edwin and Dorothy (née Bogart) Fitzgerald. He and his family moved when he was a young boy to

Southwest Philadelphia Southwest Philadelphia (formerly Kingsessing Township) is a section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The section can be described as extending from the western side of the Schuylkill River to the city line, with the SEPTA. The no ...

and then to

King of Prussia, Pennsylvania King of Prussia (nicknamed K.O.P.) is a census-designated place in Upper Merion Township, Pennsylvania, Upper Merion Township in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. The community took its unusual name in the 18th century from a loca ...

. Fitzgerald attended St. Clement Parish school in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

and St. Augustine Parish school in Bridgeport, Pennsylvania. He entered Bishop Kenrick High School in Norristown, Pennsylvania in 1962, graduating in 1966. Fitzgerald graduated from

Temple University Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related research university in Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist ministe ...

in Philadelphia with a Bachelor of English degree in 1970, and earned a

Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...

from

Villanova University School of Law The Charles Widger School of Law (known as Villanova Law) is the law school of Villanova University, a private Roman Catholic research university in Villanova, Pennsylvania. It was opened in 1953 and is approved by the American Bar Association (A ...

in Villanova, Pennsylvania, in 1973. He served as a judicial clerk in the Court of Common Pleas in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, from 1973 to 1975, and then worked in private practice. After feeling called to the priesthood, Fitzgerald consulted his

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 ...

and then entered St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia in 1975. He earned a

Master of Divinity For graduate-level theological institutions, the Master of Divinity (MDiv, ''magister divinitatis'' in Latin) is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America. It is the most common academic degree in seminaries and ...

degree from St. Charles in 1980.

Ordination and ministry

On May 17, 1980, Fitzgerald 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 for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia by Cardinal John Krol. After his ordination, Fitzgerald's first assignment was as a parochial vicar at Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in the Roxborough section of Philadelphia, remaining there for one year. He then served at St. Callistus Parish in Philadelphia from 1981 to 1982. In 1982, Fitzgerald was appointed the

defender of the bond A defender of the bond ( or ''defensor matrimonii'') is a Catholic Church official whose duty is to defend the marriage bond in the procedure prescribed for the hearing of matrimonial causes which involve the validity or nullity of a marriage a ...

, then in 1983 a judge on the metropolitan tribunal. During his four-year tenure on the tribunal, he lived at Immaculate Conception Parish in the

Northern Liberties Northern Liberties is a neighborhood in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It is north of Center City along the Delaware River. Prior to its incorporation into Philadelphia in 1854, it was among the top 10 largest cities in the U.S. i ...

section of Philadelphia. Fitzgerald furthered his studies at the

Catholic University of America The Catholic University of America (CUA) is a private Catholic research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It is one of two pontifical universities of the Catholic Church in the United States – the only one that is not primarily a ...

in Washington, D.C., where he earned a

Licentiate of Canon Law Licentiate of Canon Law (; JCL) is the title of an advanced graduate degree with canonical effects in the Roman Catholic Church offered by pontifical universities and ecclesiastical faculties of canon law. Licentiate is the title of a person who ...

in 1989. In 1991, he received a

Doctor of Canon Law Doctor of Canon Law (, JCD) is the doctoral-level terminal degree in the studies of canon law of the Roman Catholic Church. It can also be an honorary degree awarded by Anglican colleges. It may also be abbreviated ICD or dr.iur.can. (''Iuris Can ...

degree 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 ...

in Rome. Following his return to Philadelphia, Fitzgerald served as the first director of the archdiocesan Office for Legal Services from 1991 to 2004. During his tenure as director, he lived at St. Thomas Aquinas Parish and afterwards at Annunciation B.V.M. Parish, both in

South Philadelphia South Philadelphia, nicknamed South Philly, is the section of Philadelphia bounded by South Street to the north, the Delaware River to the east and south, and the Schuylkill River to the west."." ''City of Philadelphia''. Retrieved November 8, ...

. He was named by the Vatican a

chaplain of his holiness Chaplain of His Holiness is a title of distinction given by the Pope in recognition of a priest's service to the Church. They are addressed with the honorific of "Monsignor" and have certain privileges with respect to ecclesiastical dress and ve ...

on March 24, 2003. From 2004 to 2007, Fitzgerald was vice- rector of St. Charles Borromeo Seminary. As vice-rector, he also served as chairman of the Admissions Committee. He became

judicial vicar In the Roman Catholic Church, a judicial vicar or episcopal official () is an officer of the diocese who has ordinary power to judge cases in the diocesan ecclesiastical court. Although the diocesan bishop can reserve certain cases to himself, ...

of the archdiocese in 2007, holding that office until 2010. During his three-year tenure, he lived at St. Patrick's Parish in Philadelphia. He also served as a member of the college of consultors, the priests personnel board, and the priests' counsel. He was also a

chaplain A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secular institution (such as a hospital, prison, military unit, intellige ...

to the Serra Club of Philadelphia and to the Holy Spirit Adoration Sisters community in the archdiocese.

Auxiliary Bishop of Philadelphia

On June 22, 2010, Fitzgerald was appointed

of Philadelphia and titular bishop of Tamallula by

Pope Benedict XVI Pope BenedictXVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until his resignation on 28 February 2013. Benedict's election as p ...

. He received his episcopal

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 ( ...

on August 6, 2010, from Cardinal Justin Rigali at the Cathedral Basilica of SS. Peter and Paul in Philadelphia. On May 24, 2023,

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 ...

accepted Fitzgerald's resignation as auxiliary bishop of Philadelphia, his having reached the mandatory retirement age of 75.

References

External links

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia
Official Website
Office of Catholic Education
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fitzgerald, Michael J. 1948 births Living people People from Montclair, New Jersey 21st-century American Roman Catholic titular bishops Pontifical Gregorian University alumni Temple University alumni Villanova University alumni St. Charles Borromeo Seminary alumni Catholic University of America alumni Catholics from New Jersey Bishops appointed by Pope Benedict XVI