William Robert Johnson

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For the English cricketer, see William Johnson (cricketer, born 1962).
Catholic University of America
Styles of
William Robert Johnson
Your Excellency
Religious styleMonsignor

William Robert Johnson (November 19, 1918—July 28, 1986) was an American

Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Orange in California from 1976 until his death in 1986. He previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles
in California from 1971 to 1976.

Biography

Early life

William Johnson was born on November 19, 1918, in Tonopah, Nevada, to Jorgen and Marie (née O'Connell) Johnson.[1] In the early 1920s, the family moved to Los Angeles, California, where he enrolled at St. Ignatius School.[1] He attended Los Angeles College, the minor seminary of what was then the Diocese of Los Angeles-San Diego, from 1932 to 1938.[2] He completed his theological studies at St. John's Seminary in Camarillo, California.[1]

Priesthood

Johnson was

African Americans in Los Angeles, from 1962 to 1968.[2] He was pastor of American Martyrs Parish in Manhattan Beach, California (1968–71), and became parochial vicar for St. Vibiana's Cathedral in 1970.[1]

Auxiliary Bishop of Los Angeles

On February 19, 1971, Johnson was appointed

consecration on March 25, 1971, from Archbishop Timothy Manning, with Archbishop Joseph T. McGucken and Bishop Alden Bell serving as co-consecrators.[3] He selected as his episcopal motto: Caritas Christi (Latin: "Charity of Christ").[1]
As an auxiliary bishop, he assisted Archbishop Manning for five years.

Bishop of Orange

Johnson was named by Paul VI as the first

Cathedral of the Holy Family on June 16 of that year.[4] He celebrated Mass with inmates at the Orange County Jail every Christmas, and established a Department of Hispanic Ministries in 1979.[2] He described the church before the Second Vatican Council as "a fairly rigid, centralized structure from the top down to the parish," and declared, "I certainly relish the changes that have occurred in the Church since" the Council.[2] He was an outspoken advocate of nuclear disarmament, and encouraged Catholics to support the settlement of refugees from Southeast Asia.[2]

Johnson suffered from kidney problems and related illnesses for the last year of his life, eventually using a wheelchair.[2] William Johnson died from a bacterial infection at St. Joseph Hospital in Orange, California, on July 28, 1986, at age 67.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Weber, Francis J. (1979). California Catholicity.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Pinsky, Mark I. (1986-07-29). "William R. Johnson, First Bishop of Orange, Is Dead". Los Angeles Times.
  3. ^ a b c d "Bishop William Robert Johnson". Catholic-Hierarchy.org.
  4. ^ "Chronological Highlights from the past 25 Years". Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange.
Catholic Church titles
Preceded by
none
 Bishop of Orange
1976–1986 		Succeeded by
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