William Patrick Callahan | |
|---|---|
| Bishop Emeritus of La Crosse | |
 | |
| Church | Roman Catholic |
| Diocese | La Crosse |
| Appointed | June 11, 2010 |
| Installed | August 11, 2010 |
| Retired | March 19, 2024 |
| Predecessor | Jerome Edward Listecki |
| Successor | Gerard William Battersby |
| Previous post |
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| Orders | |
| Ordination | April 30, 1977 by William Edward Cousins |
| Consecration | December 21, 2007 by Timothy M. Dolan,Richard J. Sklba, andJohn J. Myers |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1950-06-17)June 17, 1950 (age 75) |
| Motto | Adoramus te Christe (We adore you Christ) |
| Styles of William Patrick Callahan | |
|---|---|
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| Reference style | |
| Spoken style | Your Excellency |
| Religious style | Bishop |
William Patrick Callahan, OFM Conv. (born June 17, 1950) is an American Catholic prelate serving asBishop of La Crosse from 2010 to May 2024. He is a member of theConventual Franciscans.
Callahan previously served as anauxiliary bishop for theArchdiocese of Milwaukee. After ArchbishopTimothy Dolan was namedArchbishop of New York, Callahan was elected theapostolic administrator of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, serving until November 14, 2009.
Callahan was born inChicago,Illinois, to William and Ellen Callahan. The youngest of four children, he has two sisters, Roberta and JoAnn, and one brother, Jerry. William Callahan attended St. Mary of Perpetual Help Church in Chicago as a child.[1]
Deciding that he wanted to become a priest, Callahan applied to theArchbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary in Chicago, but was rejected.[1] He instead entered theFranciscan-run St. Mary Minor Seminary inCrystal Lake, Illinois in 1964. He attended a junior college in Chicago in 1968 for one year.[2]
In 1969, Callahan was accepted at thenovitiate of theConventual Franciscans (Minorites) in Lake Forest, Illinois. He made hisprofession to the Minorites on August 11, 1970.[3] Callahan then attendedLoyola University Chicago, obtaining a bachelor's degree in radio and television communications in 1973. He then moved toToronto, Ontario, to study atSt. Michael's College at theUniversity of Toronto, where he received aMaster of Divinity degree in 1976.[4]
Callahan wasordained to the priesthood in Milwaukee at theBasilica of St. Josaphat for the Minorites by ArchbishopWilliam Cousins on April 30, 1977.[3] After his 1977 ordination, the Minorites assigned Callahan as curate at St. Josaphat.[5]
He returned to Illinois in 1978 to serve as director ofvocations for the Minorites for the next six years. He was named associate pastor in 1984 of Holy Family Parish inPeoria, Illinois; he was appointed pastor of that parish in 1987.[4]
The Minorites transferred Callahan back to Milwaukee in 1994 to becomerector and pastor of St. Josaphat. He oversaw the basilica's $7.5 million restoration, earning himself a reputation as an able fundraiser. In 2005, Callahan went to Rome to serve asspiritual director of thePontifical North American College inRome.[5]
Ordination history of William P. Callahan | |||||||||
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On October 30, 2007, Callahan was appointed as anauxiliary bishop of Milwaukee andtitular bishop ofLares byPope Benedict XVI. Callahan received hisepiscopal consecration on December 21, 2007, from ArchbishopTimothy M. Dolan. Hisco-consecrators were BishopRichard J. Sklba and ArchbishopJohn Myers.[3]
Callahan is the first Minorite to be appointed as a bishop in the United States, and was the first auxiliary bishop to be named to the Archdiocese of Milwaukee since 1979.[6] Following Dolan's appointment as archbishop of theArchdiocese of New York in February 2009, Callahan was elected as thediocesan administrator of Milwaukee on April 20, 2009. He oversaw the daily administration of the archdiocese until Benedict XVI named BishopJerome Listecki as the new archbishop in November 2009.[7]
On June 11, 2010, Callahan was appointed bishop of La Crosse by Benedict XVI, succeeding Listecki.[8][9] On August 11, 2010, Callahan was installed as bishop.[3]
In August 2020, before the2020 United States presidential election,James Altman, pastor of St. James the Less Parish in LaCrosse, stated in aYouTube video that “You cannot be Catholic and be a Democrat”, due to the party's support oflegal access to abortion. He encouraged Catholic Democrats to “repent of your support of that party and its platform or face the fires of hell.” In July 2021, Callahan removed Altman as pastor of St. James and banned him from public preaching.[10][11][12] The next day, in defiance of Callahan's order, Altman gave thebenediction at the 2021Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Orlando, Florida.[13] In November 2022, Callahan appointed the parochial administrator of St. James as its pastor.[14][15]
Pope Francis accepted Callahan's resignation from office on March 19, 2024, for health reasons.[16]
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| Preceded by | Bishop of La Crosse 2010–2024 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by – | Auxiliary Bishop of Milwaukee 2007–2010 | Succeeded by – |
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