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BISHOP TIMOTHY McDONNELL NAMED EIGHTH BISHOP OF SPRINGFIELD

SPRINGFIELD, MA – Pope John Paul II has named Bishop Timothy A. McDonnell the Eighth Bishop of Springfield. Bishop McDonnell presently serves as an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of New York City and co-vicar general for that archdiocese.

Born in New York City Dec. 23, 1937, he was the eldest of two sons of the late John J. and Margaret Looney McDonnell – both natives of County Cork, Ireland. Bishop McDonnell attended Catholic schools throughout his youth and was inspired in his vocation by an Irish born great uncle who was a priest. Bishop McDonnell’s brother, John, was also inspired to answer a vocation and is a Marist brother in the United States Province presently stationed in the Philippines.

Ordained June 1, 1963 by the late Cardinal Francis Spellmen, then Father McDonnell served in parish ministry for the first seven years of his priestly ministry. In 1970, he was chosen as assistant director of the Office of Christian and Family Development. In 1977, he assumed the position as Director of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, followed in 1984 by his appointment as vice chancellor for the archdiocese.

In 1983, he was named a monsignor and year later began a six year tenure as pastor of Holy Trinity Parish in Manhattan. Prior to his selection and ordination as an auxiliary bishop in 2001, he served for nine years as pastor of St. John and St. Mary Parish in Chappaqua – an active suburban parish where he oversaw a major renovation construction project to accommodate the rapidly growing parish community.

Bishop McDonnell’s most challenging assignment came in 1990 when he helped to run Covenant House for six months following the resignation of its founder and director, Conventual Franciscan Father Bruce Ritter. Following that he served as chief operating officer for the archdiocesan Catholic Charities office.

On Oct. 29, 2001, the Pope named then Msgr. McDonnell as an auxiliary bishop in the Archdiocese of New York City. He was ordained Dec. 12, 2001 by Cardinal Edward M. Egan at St. Patrick Cathedral. He had been serving as co-vicar general for the archdiocese.

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