Joseph Fiorenza
Galveston-Houston | |
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Appointed | December 6, 1984 |
Installed | February 18, 1985 |
Term ended | February 26, 2006 |
Predecessor | John Louis Morkovsky |
Successor | Daniel DiNardo |
Orders | |
Ordination | May 29, 1954 by Wendelin Joseph Nold |
Consecration | October 25, 1979 by Patrick Flores, John Louis Morkovsky, and John E. McCarthy |
Personal details | |
Born | Beaumont, Texas, U.S. | January 25, 1931
Died | September 19, 2022[1] | (aged 91)
Previous post(s) |
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Motto | Thy kingdom come |
Styles of Joseph Anthony Fiorenza | ||
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Reference style | ||
Spoken style | Your Excellency | |
Religious style | Archbishop |
Joseph Anthony Fiorenza (January 25, 1931 – September 19, 2022) was an American
Biography
Early life and education
Joseph Fiorenza was born in Beaumont, Texas, the second of four sons of Anthony and Grace (née Galiano) Fiorenza.[2] His father immigrated from Sicily at age 10, while his mother was the daughter of Sicilian immigrants.[3] He attended St. Anthony High School in Beaumont, where he was football team captain and senior class president.[3] Fiorenza skipped a grade and graduated from high school at age 16 in 1947.[4] He then studied at St. Mary's Seminary in La Porte, Texas.[5]
Priesthood
Fiorenza was
Fiorenza served as pastor of St. Augustine Parish (1967 to 1969) and of St. Benedict the Abbot Parish (1969 to 1972), both in Houston.[2] From 1972 to 1973, he was both pastor of Assumption Parish in Houston and vice-chancellor of the diocese.[5] Fiorenza was named honorary prelate of his holiness by Pope Paul VI on December 5, 1973, and served as diocesan chancellor from 1973 to 1979.[5]
Bishop of San Angelo
On September 4, 1979, Fiorenza was appointed the fourth bishop of the Diocese of San Angelo by
Bishop and archbishop of Galveston-Houston
On December 18, 1984, Fiorenza was named bishop of the Diocese of Galveston-Houston by Pope John Paul II. He was installed by Archbishop
On June 11, 2001, Fiorenza expressed his regret at the execution of
Retirement
Fiorenza submitted his letter of retirement as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston to Pope Benedict XVI in February 2006 at the mandatory retirement age of 75. The pope accepted his resignation on February 28, 2006, and appointed former coadjutor archbishop Daniel DiNardo as Fiorenza's successor.[9] Fiorenza had been living in retirement at the Archbishop Joseph A. Fiorenza Priest Retirement Residence in Houston.[10] The Archbishop Joseph Fiorenza Park in Harris County, Texas, is named after Fiorenza.[11]
In a February 2020 lawsuit filed against the archdiocese, a man and a woman from Conroe, Texas accused Fiorenza of allowing the ordination of Manuel La Rosa-Lopez, despite a previous allegation of sexual abuse. In 1992, the Diocese of Galveston-Houston received an accusation that La Rosa-Lopez had molested a minor at St. Thomas More Parish in Houston. Despite this, Fiorenza allowed La Rosa-Lopez to be ordained a priest in 1999. Between 1998 and 2001, he allegedly molested the two plaintiffs at Sacred Heart Parish in Conroe, both of whom were children. Fiorenza met with the girl's family at the time of the initial accusation and promised to remove La Rosa-Lopez from the parish and send him for treatment. However, the allegations were never reported to police or to parishioners.[12] In December 2020, LaRosa-Lopez pleaded guilty to felony indecency with a child and was sentenced to 10 years in prison.[13]
Appointments and board memberships
- Member of the administrative board of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, 1995– ?
- Former member of the Bishops' Committee for Black Catholics
- Vice-president of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops – 1995–1998
- Board memberof the Catholic Near East Welfare Association
- Trustee of the University of St. Thomas in Houston
- President of the board of trustees of Catholic Charities
- President of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops – 1998–2001
See also
- Catholic Church hierarchy
- Catholic Church in the United States
- Historical list of the Catholic bishops of the United States
- List of Catholic bishops of the United States
- Lists of patriarchs, archbishops, and bishops
- Christianity in Houston
References
- ^ "'Tireless social justice advocate': Archbishop Emeritus Joseph A. Fiorenza, longtime bishop of Galveston-Houston, dies at 91". KPRC. September 19, 2022.
- ^ Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. Archived from the originalon 2013-02-23.
- ^ a b c Holmes, Cecile S. (1998-11-14). "Strong leader, humble spirit - HOUSTON CATHOLIC BISHOP IN THE RUNNING FOR TOP DENOMINATIONAL POST". Houston Chronicle.
- ^ Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. Archived from the originalon 2013-02-23.
- ^ a b c Vara, Richard (2006-03-01). "'New era' for 1.3 million Catholics - Archbishop Fiorenza retires and asks region to embrace successor Daniel DiNardo". Houston Chronicle.
- ^ a b c "Archbishop Joseph Anthony Fiorenza". Catholic-Hierarchy.org.
- ^ a b "Statement by Bishop Fiorenza on the Execution of Timothy McVeigh | USCCB". www.usccb.org. Retrieved 2022-04-21.
- ^ Craig Malisow (August 17, 2006). "Parish Predators". Houston Press. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
- ^ "Texas Archbishop Resigns". KWTX-TV. February 28, 2006. Archived from the original on March 7, 2012. Retrieved September 20, 2010.
- ^ "4 retired Houston priests, including Archbishop Fiorenza, test positive for COVID-19". khou.com. June 29, 2020. Retrieved 2022-04-21.
- ^ "Archbishop Joseph A. Fiorenza Park". www.pct3.com. Archived from the original on 2022-07-04. Retrieved 2022-04-21.
- ^ Hensley, Nicole (2020-02-17). "Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, Vatican sued for handling of ex-Conroe priest allegations". Chron. Retrieved 2022-04-21.
- ^ Childers, Shelley (2020-12-16). "Former Conroe priest Manuel La Rosa-Lopez heading to prison for child indecency". ABC13 Houston. Retrieved 2022-04-21.
External links
- Fiorenza, Archbishop Joseph and David Goldstein. Archbishop Joseph Fiorenza Oral History Archived 2015-02-01 at the Wayback Machine, Houston Oral History Project, May 27, 2008.
- Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Galveston–Houston