Floyd Lawrence Begin | |
|---|---|
| Bishop of Oakland Titular bishop of Sala | |
 | |
| Church | Roman Catholic Church |
| See | Diocese of Oakland |
| In office | April 28, 1962 to April 26, 1977 |
| Successor | John Stephen Cummins |
| Other posts | Auxiliary Bishop of Oakland 1947 to 1962 titular bishop of Sala |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | July 31, 1927 |
| Consecration | May 1, 1947 by Edward Francis Hoban |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1902-02-05)February 5, 1902 Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | April 26, 1977(1977-04-26) (aged 75) Oakland, California, U.S. |
| Education | Pontifical North American College Pontifical Urbaniana University Apollinarus University |
| Motto | Adveniat regnum tuum (Let your kingdom come) |
| Styles of Floyd Lawrence Begin | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Reference style | The Most Reverend |
| Spoken style | Your Excellency |
| Religious style | Monsignor |
| Posthumous style | none |
Floyd Lawrence Begin (February 5, 1902 – April 26, 1977) was an Americanprelate of theRoman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of theDiocese of Oakland, California from 1962 until his death in 1977. He previously served as an auxiliary bishop of theDiocese of Cleveland, Ohio from 1947 to 1962.
Floyd Begin was born inCleveland,Ohio, the eldest of three children of Peter H. and Stella Agnes (née McFarland) Begin.[1] He received his early education at theparochial schools of St. Columbkille and St. Thomas Aquinas Parishes.[2] Begin attendedCathedral Latin High School in Chardon, Ohio (1916–20) and St. John Cathedral College (1920–22) in Cleveland.[1] He graduated fromSt. Ignatius High School (Cleveland) in 1920[3]
Begin then studied for thepriesthood at thePontifical North American College in Rome, where he served as assistant to therector during his studies.[2] He earned aDoctorate in Philosophy andDoctorate in Theology from thePontifical Urbaniana University.[1] In 1930, Begin received aDoctorate in Canon Law from theApollinarus University.[1]
Begin wasordained a priest for the Diocese of Cleveland in Rome on July 31, 1927.[4] Following his return to Ohio, he briefly served as administrator of St. Anthony Parish inCanton.[1] From 1930 to 1938, he served as secretary to BishopJoseph Schrembs as well as vice-chancellor and pro-vicar general of the diocese.[2]
Begin became anofficialis of the diocesan tribunal in 1938.[2] He served as director of both the Diocesan Council of Catholic Men and the seventh NationalEucharistic Congress.[2] Begin was alsochaplain of the Rosemary Home for Crippled Children inEuclid. Ohio, and diocesanvicar forreligious.[1] He was named by PopePius XI apapal chamberlain in 1934, and raised by Pius XI to the rank ofdomestic prelate in 1936.[1]
On March 22, 1947, Begin was appointed anauxiliary bishop of Cleveland andtitular bishop of Sala byPope Pius XII.[4] He received hisepiscopalconsecration on May 1, 1947. at St. Agnes Church in Cleveland from BishopEdward Hoban, with BishopsJames A. McFadden andJoseph McGucken serving asco-consecrators.[4] Begin was named vicar general of the diocese in March 1948 andpastor of St. Agnes Parish in Cleveland in January 1949.[1]
During his tenure at St. Agnes, Begin advocated more services for and acceptance ofAfrican Americans, who composed most of the parishioners at St. Agnes.[2] In 1954, he unsuccessfully tried to obtain aKnights of Columbus charter for an interracial council in Cleveland.[5] When the Knights of Columbus refused to give the charter, Begin declared, "The only reason they're being kept out is their color. Anyone who denies that is a pussy-footing liar."[5]
On January 27, 1962, Begin was appointed the firstbishop of the newly erected Diocese of Oakland byPope John XXIII.[4] The diocese comprisedAlameda andContra Costa Counties in the San Francisco Bay Area, and included 386,000 Catholics.[5] His installation took place on April 28, 1962.[4] Between 1962 and 1965, Begin attended all four sessions of theSecond Vatican Council.
Floyd Begin died in Oakland on April 26, 1977.[4] ArchbishopJoseph McGucken celebrated the funeral mass. Begin was buried in the Bishop's Crypt at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery inHayward, California. In 2008, his remains were re-interred in themausoleum of the newCathedral of Christ the Light in Oakland, California.
| Catholic Church titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by None | Bishop of Oakland 1962–1977 | Succeeded by |
