John Aloysius Marshall | |
|---|---|
| Bishop of Springfield in Massachusetts | |
| Church | Roman Catholic Church |
| See | Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts |
| In office | February 18, 1992 – July 3, 1994 |
| Predecessor | Joseph Francis Maguire |
| Successor | Thomas Ludger Dupré |
| Previous post | Bishop of Burlington (1972–1991) |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | December 19, 1953 by Martin O'Connor |
| Consecration | January 25, 1972 by Robert Joyce |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1928-04-24)April 24, 1928 Worcester, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | July 3, 1994(1994-07-03) (aged 66) |
| Education | College of the Holy Cross Collège de Montréal Pontifical Gregorian University |
| Motto | In unitate spiritus (In the unity of the Spirit) |
John Aloysius Marshall (April 24, 1928 – July 3, 1994) was an Americanprelate of theRoman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of theDiocese of Burlington in Vermont from 1972 to 1992 and bishop of theDiocese of Springfield in Massachusetts from 1992 until his death in 1994.
John Marshall was born on April 24, 1928, inWorcester,Massachusetts, to John A. and Katherine T. (née Redican) Marshall.[1] After attendingSt. John's High School in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, and theCollege of the Holy Cross in Worcester, he went to Canada to study at theCollège de Montréal in Montreal, Quebec. Marshall then travelled to Rome to attend thePontifical Gregorian University.[1]
While in Rome, Marshall wasordained to the priesthood in Rome for the Diocese of Springfield by BishopMartin O'Connor on December 19, 1953.[2] After a period of pastoral work, he completed his graduate studies atAssumption College in Worcester (1961–1968). He then returned to Rome for more studies thePontifical North American College(1969–1971).[1]
On December 14, 1971, Marshall was appointed the seventh bishop of Burlington byPope Paul VI.[2] He received hisepiscopal consecration at the first Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Burlington, Vermont, on January 25, 1972, from BishopRobert Joyce, with BishopBernard Flanagan andJames Hickey serving asco-consecrators.[2] His tenure in Burlington was marked by a decline in both vocations and church attendance, but he still founded Our Lady of the Mountains Parish atSherburne, Vermont, in 1979.[3] Marshall completed the secondCathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Burlington in 1977. Anarsonist had destroyed the original cathedral in 1972.[4]
From 1984 to 1990, Marshall headed anapostolic visitation ordered byPope John Paul II to investigate the doctrinal orthodoxy of American seminaries. The leaders of some seminaries viewed the visitation as an attempt by members of theRoman Curia to force a conservative doctrine on them and stifle any dissent.[5]
John Paul II named Marshall as the sixth bishop of Springfield in Massachusetts on February 18, 1992.[2]
John Marshall died in Springfield on July 3, 1994, at age 66. The Bishop John A. Marshall School inMorrisville, Vermont, was named after Marshall, but changed its name to All Saints Catholic Academy after controversy arose surrounding Marshall tenure as bishop.[6] The Bishop Marshall Center is located in St. Michael's Cathedral in Springfield.[7]
In a 2007civil lawsuit against the Diocese of Burlington, the personal file of Reverend Alfred Willis, a diocesan priest, showed that Marshall transferred him to a different parish after receiving sexual abuse complaints. In February 1978, three parents from St. Anthony Parish in Burlington accused Willis of sexually abusing a teenage boy on a camping trip in 1977, when Willis was still a deacon. Willis denied the accusations. A psychiatrist told Marshall that Willis just had odd habits. In 1979, Marshall transferred Willis to St. Ann's Parish inMilton, Vermont, without notifying the pastor or the parish of Willis' previous accusations. Other accusations soon emerged from St. Ann's. Marshall sent Willis away for treatment and initiated a church trial, which found Willis guilty. Willis was eventuallydefrocked in 1985.[8]
In 2008, a Colorado man sued the Diocese of Burlington, saying that the diocese was negligent in hiring a priest who sexually abused him as a minor over 100 times between 1976 and 1978 at Christ the King Church in Burlington. Marshall allowed ReverendEdward Paquette to transfer from theDiocese of Fort Wayne in Indiana, despite warnings from the bishop of Fort Wayne. Paquette was ultimately accused of abusing over 20 children in the Diocese of Burlington.[8]
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| Preceded by | Bishop of Burlington 1972–1992 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Bishop of Springfield in Massachusetts 1992–1994 | Succeeded by |
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