Andrew Joseph McDonald

Andrew Joseph McDonald (October 24, 1923 – April 1, 2014) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Little Rock from 1972 to 2000. He spent his retirement at the St. Joseph Home for the Elderly in Palatine, Illinois, and died there on April 1, 2014.

Styles of
Andrew McDonald
Reference styleThe Most Reverend
Spoken styleYour Excellency
Religious styleMonsignor
Posthumous stylenot applicable

Biography

The second youngest of 12 children, McDonald was born in Savannah, Georgia to James Bernard and Theresa (née McGrael) McDonald.[1] After graduating from Marist School for Boys, he studied at St. Charles College in Catonsville, Maryland and at St. Mary's Seminary in Baltimore, from where he obtained a Licentiate of Sacred Theology (1948).[1]

McDonald was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Emmet M. Walsh on May 8, 1948.[2] He then furthered his studies at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. and at the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome, there earning a Doctorate in Canon Law in 1951.[3] Upon his return to the United States, he became chancellor of the Diocese of Savannah, official of the Diocesan Marriage Tribunal, and curate of Port Wentworth.[1] He was named a Papal Chamberlain in 1956 and a Domestic Prelate in 1959.[1] From 1963 to 1972 he served as pastor of Blessed Sacrament Church; during this time, he was also named vicar general of the diocese in 1967.[1]

On July 4, 1972 McDonald was appointed the fifth Bishop of Little Rock, Arkansas, by Pope Paul VI.[2] He received his episcopal consecration on the following September 5 from Archbishop Thomas McDonough, with Archbishop Philip Hannan and Bishop Gerard Frey serving as co-consecrators.[2] He was formally installed as Bishop two days later, on September 7.[2]

Unlike his predecessor, Albert Fletcher, McDonald followed the suggestion of the Second Vatican Council in instituting permanent deacons in Little Rock, largely because of the diocese's shortage of priests.[4] McDonald was opposed to the Supreme Court's 1973 legalization of abortion in Roe v. Wade; he later established a pro-life office in the diocesan curia and led the annual March for Life each January in Little Rock.[4] In 1982, he invited Mother Teresa to open a home for single mothers in Little Rock.

A dedicated ecumenist, McDonald reached out to other denominations in Arkansas throughout his tenure, and once assisted in promoting a Billy Graham crusade at War Memorial Stadium in 1989.[4] A year later, in 1990, he condemned the legal execution of John Edward Swindler, Arkansas's first execution in more than twenty-five years.[4]

He also became known for his affable personality, his involvement with the laity, and his personal interest in those Catholics under his jurisdiction.[4] After twenty-seven years of service, he retired as Little Rock's ordinary on January 4, 2000.[2] Afterwards, McDonald lived outside of Chicago, Illinois, where he served as chaplain for the Little Sisters of the Poor.[4]

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References
  1. Motes, Michael. "The Bishops From Georgia". The Georgia Bulletin.
  2. "Bishop Andrew Joseph McDonald". Catholic-Hierarchy.org.
  3. "Bishop Named to Little Rock; Coadjutor Succeeds in Rockville Centre". United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. 2000-01-04.
  4. "Most Rev. Andrew J. McDonald". Roman Catholic Diocese of Little Rock. Archived from the original on 2007-12-25. Retrieved 2008-01-17.
Catholic Church titles
Preceded by
Albert Lewis Fletcher		 Bishop of Little Rock
1972–2000		 Succeeded by
J. Peter Sartain
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