Thomas Vose Daily (September 23, 1927 – May 14, 2017) was 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
bishop
A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...
of the
Diocese of Brooklyn in New York from 1990 to 2003. He previously served as bishop of the
Diocese of Palm Beach in Florida from 1984 to 1990 and as an auxiliary bishop of the
Archdiocese of Boston in Massachusetts from 1975 to 1984
Biography
Early life
Thomas Daily was born in Belmont, Massachusetts to John F. and Mary McBride (née Vose) Daily, on September 23, 1927. He attended at
Boston College and later
St. John's Seminary in Boston, Massachusetts.
Priesthood
Daily was ordained a priest of the
Archdiocese of Boston on January 10, 1952, by Cardinal
Richard Cushing at Boston's
Cathedral of the Holy Cross. Following ordination, he was assigned as
curate
A curate () is a person who is invested with the ''care'' or ''cure'' () of souls of a parish. In this sense, ''curate'' means a parish priest; but in English-speaking countries the term ''curate'' is commonly used to describe clergy who are as ...
for St. Ann's Parish in
Quincy, Massachusetts. He remained in that post through the rest of that decade.
In 1960, Daily joined the Missionary Society of St. James the Apostle and moved to the Limatambo area of
Cusco, Peru. He spent five years as a missionary in Peru.
After returning to Boston, Daily was assigned again to St. Ann's, where he served as assistant pastor until 1971. He was appointed to the position of secretary to Cardinal
Humberto Medeiros and later vicar for temporalities.
Auxiliary Bishop of Boston
On December 28, 1974,
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 ...
appointed Daily as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Boston. He was consecrated on February 11, 1975, by Cardinal Medeiros. In 1976, Daily was appointed
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 ...
of the archdiocese.
Because of his fluency in
Spanish, he was given special duties regarding the Spanish-speaking members of the archdiocese.
Bishop of Palm Beach
On July 17, 1984, Daily was appointed by Pope John Paul II as the first bishop of the new
Diocese of Palm Beach. Among his most noteworthy actions were his leading of
anti-abortion
Anti-abortion movements, also self-styled as pro-life movements, are involved in the abortion debate advocating against the practice of abortion and its Abortion by country, legality. Many anti-abortion movements began as countermovements in r ...
prayer vigils at local women's health clinics. From 1987 to 2005, Daily also served as the supreme chaplain of the
Knights of Columbus.
Bishop of Brooklyn
On February 20, 1990, John Paul II appointed Daily as the sixth bishop of the Diocese of Brooklyn, succeeding Bishop
Francis J. Mugavero. Daily was installed on April 18, 1990. Shortly after his installation, he responded to a reporter's question by stating that the then-Governor of New York,
Mario Cuomo, would not be welcomed as a speaker in the diocese's parishes because of Cuomo's
pro-choice position on
abortion rights for women.
Sex abuse scandal
In 2002, Daily was criticized for his past involvement in cases of priests accused of sexual abuse in the Archdiocese of Boston.
He has acknowledged his "profound regret" over some of his decisions in the Boston Archdiocese.
Retirement and legacy
On August 1, 2003, Daily announced his resignation as a bishop had finally been accepted by the Vatican, ten months after he had submitted a letter of resignation upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 75. Daily served as a member of the
Pontifical Commission for Latin America and as a board member of the Society of St. James the Apostle in Boston and the National Catholic Office for Persons with Disabilities in
Washington, D.C.
Thomas Daily died on May 15, 2017, at the Bishop Mugavero Residence in
Douglaston, Queens in New York City He was 89.
See also
*
Catholic Church hierarchy
*
Catholic Church in the United States
The Catholic Church in the United States is part of the worldwide Catholic Church in full communion, communion with the pope, who as of 2025 is Chicago, Illinois-born Pope Leo XIV, Leo XIV. With 23 percent of the United States' population , t ...
*
Historical list of the Catholic bishops of the United States
*
List of Catholic bishops of the United States
*
Lists of patriarchs, archbishops, and bishops
References
External links
Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn Official Site
Episcopal succession
{{DEFAULTSORT:Daily, Thomas Vose
1927 births
2017 deaths
20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States
21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States
American Roman Catholic clergy of Irish descent
Boston College alumni
People from Belmont, Massachusetts
Roman Catholic bishops of Palm Beach
Roman Catholic bishops of Brooklyn
Saint John's Seminary (Massachusetts) alumni
Catholics from Massachusetts
People from Douglaston–Little Neck, Queens