Vincent Leonard
Vincent Martin Leonard (December 11, 1908 – August 28, 1994) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Pittsburgh from 1969 to 1983.
Styles of Vincent Leonard | |
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Reference style | The Most Reverend |
Spoken style | Your Excellency |
Religious style | Bishop |
Posthumous style | none |
Biography
Vincent Leonard was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, one of nine children of Francis and Catherine (née Dolan) Leonard.[1] His father worked in the steel mills.[1] He was raised in the Hill District neighborhood of Pittsburgh, and received his early education at the parochial school of St. Brigid Church.[2] After graduating from Duquesne University Preparatory School, he studied at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh and then at St. Vincent Seminary in Latrobe.[3]
Leonard was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Hugh C. Boyle on June 16, 1935.[4] His first assignment was as assistant chaplain at Mercy Hospital, where he remained for two years.[3] From 1937 to 1950, he was resident chaplain of Allegheny County Home and Woodville State Hospital.[2] He was later named assistant chancellor (1950), chancellor (1951), and vicar general (1959) of the Diocese of Pittsburgh.[1] In addition to these duties, he was pastor of St. Patrick Church in the Strip District (1955–1967) and of St. Philip Church in Crafton (1967–1969).[1] He was named a domestic prelate by Pope Pius XII in 1952.[3]
On February 28, 1964, Leonard was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Pittsburgh and Titular Bishop of Arsacal by Pope Paul VI.[4] He received his episcopal consecration on the following April 21 from Bishop John Wright, with Bishops Richard Henry Ackerman and William G. Connare serving as co-consecrators.[4] He selected as his episcopal motto: Ut Christum Lucrifaciam ("That I may gain Christ").[5]
After Bishop Wright was named to head the Congregation for the Clergy, Leonard was appointed the ninth Bishop of Pittsburgh on June 1, 1969.[4] During his tenure, he became one of the first bishops in the United States to make his diocesan financial reports public, and established a due-process system to allow Catholics to appeal any administrative decision they believed was a violation of canon law.[1] In 1974, he threatened three priests with disciplinary action for giving Communion in the hand when it was not yet permitted in the United States.[1] He also served on the Pro-Life Committee of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops and on the Health Affairs Committee of the United States Catholic Conference.[3]
Leonard resigned as Bishop of Pittsburgh on June 30, 1983, due to arthritis.[6] He later died from pneumonia at the Little Sisters of the Poor Home in Pittsburgh, at age 85.[3] He is buried in Calvary Cemetery in the Hazelwood neighborhood of Pittsburgh.[7]
References
- "BISHOP LEONARD DIES". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 1994-08-29.
- O'Neil, Thomas (1969-06-05). "Leonard To Succeed Wright". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
- Saxon, Wolfgang (1994-08-30). "Obituary". The New York Times.
- Cheney, David M. "Bishop Vincent Martin Leonard". Catholic-Hierarchy.org.
- "Bishop's Life On Coat Of Arms". Pittsburgh Press. 1964-04-10.
- "PITTSBURGH BISHOP, AILING, RETIRES". Philadelphia Inquirer. 1983-07-07.
- "Former Diocesan Bishops". Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh.
External links
Catholic Church titles | ||
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Preceded by John Joseph Wright |
Bishop of Pittsburgh 1969–1983 |
Succeeded by Anthony Joseph Bevilacqua |