William Henry Keeler

The title of this article is ambiguous. For the American baseball player of the same name, see Willie Keeler ( William Henry Keeler ; 1872–1923).

William Henry Cardinal Keeler (1995)

Cardinal William Henry Keeler (born March 4, 1931 in San Antonio , Texas , † March 23, 2017 in Catonsville , Maryland ) was an American clergyman and Roman Catholic Archbishop of Baltimore .

Life

Coat of arms of William Henry Cardinal Keeler

William Henry Keeler grew up in Lebanon ( Pennsylvania ) and attended Catholic schools there. He then studied Catholic theology and philosophy in Overbrook , Philadelphia . On July 17, 1955, he received the sacrament of ordination for the diocese of Harrisburg through Cardinal Luigi Traglia . A year later he graduated from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome with a degree in theology.

From 1956 to 1958 he served as vicar in Marysville and as secretary of the diocesan court. In the following three years he completed a doctoral degree in canon law at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, at the end, in 1961 a doctorate in the Department of Canon Law was awarded. From 1961 Keeler was again used in the pastoral care of his home diocese and at the same time worked as a lawyer at the diocesan court. From 1962 to 1965 he served as secretary to his diocesan bishop at the Second Vatican Council . From 1964 he also led the Marysville Parish . On November 9, 1965, Pope Paul VI awarded him . the honorary title of redundant secret chamberlain of His Holiness ( Monsignor ) and on May 8, 1970 the title of Honorary Prelate of His Holiness . From 1965 to 1979 Keeler held leadership positions in the Diocese of Harrisburg, initially as Vice Chancellor from 1965 to 1969, and then as Vicar General from 1969 to 1979 .

On July 24, 1979 he was appointed titular bishop of Ulcinium and auxiliary bishop in the Diocese of Harrisburg by Pope John Paul II . On September 21, 1979, he received from Bishop Joseph Thomas Daley , the episcopal ordination ; Co- consecrators were Francis Joseph Gossman , Bishop of Raleigh , and Auxiliary Bishop Martin Nicholas Lohmuller of Philadelphia . His episcopal motto was Opus fac evangelistae .

On November 10, 1983, Keeler was named Bishop of Harrisburg. Since April 11, 1989 he was Archbishop of Baltimore. Since November 26, 1994, he was a cardinal priest with the titular church of Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri of the college of cardinals . From 1992 to 1995 he was Chairman of the Bishops' Conference of the United States .

In 1989 he was appointed Grand Prior of the Lieutenancy for "USA Middle Atlantic" by Giuseppe Caprio , Cardinal Grand Master of the Order of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem ; he was followed in 2007 by Archbishop Edwin Frederick O'Brien .

Keeler was a participant in the 2005 conclave , in which Pope Benedict XVI. was chosen. On July 12, 2007, he accepted Keeler's resignation due to reasons of age.

Act

William Keeler was committed to interreligious dialogue, particularly to Catholic-Jewish exchange; he was the responsible person in the US Bishops' Conference for it. Keeler was a member of the International Catholic Orthodox Commission for Theological Dialogue since 1986 and chaired the Bishops' Committee for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs from 1984 to 1987. In 1987 he initiated the meeting of Pope John Paul II with Jewish church representatives in Miami as well as a meeting with Protestant ones Church officials in Columbia.

In 1994 he was appointed by Pope John Paul II to the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and the Congregation for the Eastern Churches . From 1998 to 2001 and from 2003 to 2006 he chaired the Committee on Pro-Life Activities .

In 1996 he co-initiated Partners in Excellence , an initiative for families in need. With this program, over 16,500 pupils were able to find free education in Catholic schools. In 1992 he was the initiator of the Lenten Appeal , a campaign that raised over USD 70 million to support young people at risk to attend Catholic schools.

Outside the church, he was active as chairman of the Religious Alliance Against Pornography (RAAP).

honors and awards

• Distinguished Eagle Scout Award from the Boy Scouts of America
• Silver Beaver Award from the Boy Scouts of America
• Silver Antelope Award from the Boy Scouts of America
• Silver Buffalo Award from the Boy Scouts of America
• Honors from Lebanon Valley College; Mount St. Mary's; Gettysburg College; Susquehanna University; Gannon University, Erie, Pennsylvania; Loyola College, Baltimore; St. Mary's College of Minnesota, Winona, Minnesota; Shippensburg State University, Pennsylvania; Elizabethtown College, Pennsylvania, University of Notre Dame, South Bend; Ateneo University, Philippines, College of Notre Dame of Maryland, Baltimore, Franciscan University, Steubenville, Ohio; Hebrew Union University, Cincinnati, Ohio; Viterbo University, LaCrosse, Wisconsin

Fonts

• Real People, Real Presence: Ordinary Catholics on the Extraordinary Power of the Eucharist , Word Among Us Press, 2005
• Memoria Futuri: Catholic-Jewish Dialogue Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow: Texts and Addresses of Cardinal William H. Keeler , Paulist Press, 2012

Web links

• Entry on William Henry Keeler on catholic-hierarchy.org

Individual evidence

1. ^ Cardinal William Keeler, who grew up in Lebanon, dies at 86; led oldest diocese in US. AP article on Lancaster Online, March 23, 2017, accessed March 23, 2017 . 
2. ↑ Annuario Pontificio per l'anno 1968 , Città del Vaticano 1968, p. 1627.
3. ↑ Annuario Pontificio per l'anno 1972 , Città del Vaticano 1972, p. 1276.
4. ^ Rinuncia dell 'Arcivescovo Metropolita di Baltimore (USA) e Nomina del Successore. In: Daily Bulletin. Holy See Press Office , July 12, 2007, accessed November 13, 2014 (Italian). 
5. ↑ ^{a b c d} Cardinal William H. Keeler - Biography. Archdiocese of Baltimore , May 14, 2017, accessed March 29, 2018 . 
6. ↑ KEELER Card. William Henry. In: Documentation Cardinali Biography. Holy See Press Office , March 24, 2017, accessed March 24, 2017 . 

predecessor	Office	successor
Joseph Thomas Daley (en)	Bishop of Harrisburg 1983-1989	Nicholas Carmen Dattilo
William Donald Borders	Archbishop of Baltimore 1989–2007	Edwin Frederick O'Brien
-	Grand Prior of the USA MIDDLE ATLANTIC Lieutenancy of the Order of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem 1989–2007	Edwin Frederick O'Brien