William Michael Cosgrove (November 26, 1916 – December 11, 1992) was an American prelate 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 ...

. He served as bishop of the

Diocese of Belleville The Diocese of Belleville () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the Catholic Church in the Southern Illinois region of the United States. It is a suffragan see in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Roman Cath ...

in Illinois from 1976 to 1981. He previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the

Diocese of Cleveland The Diocese of Cleveland () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the Catholic Church in northeastern Ohio in the United States. , the bishop is Edward Malesic. The Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, located in Clevelan ...

in Ohio from September 3, 1968, to October 28, 1976.

Biography

Early life

Cosgrove was born on November 26, 1916, in

Canton, Ohio Canton () is a city in Stark County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of cities in Ohio, eighth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 70,872 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Canton–Massillo ...

. He attended Saint Ignatius High School in Cleveland and

John Carroll University John Carroll University (JCU) is a Private university, private Jesuit university in University Heights, Ohio, United States. Located in a suburb of Cleveland, it is primarily an undergraduate, liberal arts college, liberal arts institution compo ...

in University Heights, Ohio. Cosgrove 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 for the Diocese of Cleveland by Archbishop

Edward Francis Hoban Edward Francis Hoban (June 27, 1878 – September 22, 1966) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Cleveland in Ohio from 1945 to 1966. He previously served as bishop of the Diocese of R ...

on December 18, 1943.

Episcopy

On June 12, 1968, Cosgrove was appointed 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 Cleveland and titular tishop of Trisipa by

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 ...

. 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 September 3, 1968, from Bishop Clarence Issenmann with bishops

John Whealon John Francis Whealon (January 15, 1921 – August 2, 1991) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Hartford in Connecticut from 1968 to 1991. Whealon previously served as an auxilia ...

and Harold Perry 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 ...

. Cosgrove was named the fourth bishop of the Diocese of Belleville on August 30, 1976, by Pope John Paul II. Cosgrove was installed on October 28, 1976. The author Michael Gallagher described Cosgrove as a man of deep social concern who was popular with both clergy and laity. On May 19, 1981, Pope John Paul accepted Cosgrove's resignation as bishop of the Diocese of Belleville. William Cosgrove died on December 11, 1992, at age 76. The Bishop William M. Cosgrove Center in Cleveland is named after him.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cosgrove, William Michael 1916 births 1992 deaths John Carroll University alumni People from Canton, Ohio Roman Catholic Diocese of Cleveland 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States Roman Catholic bishops of Belleville Catholics from Ohio