Vincent Leonard
American prelate
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Vincent Martin Leonard (December 11, 1908 – August 28, 1994) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania from 1969 to 1983.
Vincent Martin Leonard | |
|---|---|
| Bishop of Pittsburgh Titular Bishop of Arsacal | |
| Church | Roman Catholic Church |
| See | Diocese of Pittsburgh |
| Predecessor | John Joseph Wright |
| Successor | Anthony Joseph Bevilacqua |
| Other post | Titular Bishop of Arsacal |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | June 16, 1935 by Hugh C. Boyle |
| Consecration | April 21, 1964 by John Wright |
| Personal details | |
| Born | December 11, 1908 |
| Died | September 28, 1994 (aged 85) |
| Education | Duquesne University St. Vincent Seminary |
| Motto | That I may gain Christ |
| Styles of Vincent Leonard | |
|---|---|
| |
| Reference style | The Most Reverend |
| Spoken style | Your Excellency |
| Religious style | Bishop |
| Posthumous style | none |
Biography
Early life
Vincent Leonard was born on December 11, 1908, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, one of nine children of Francis and Catherine (née Dolan) Leonard.[1] His father worked in the steel mills.[1] He was raised in the Hill District neighborhood of Pittsburgh, and received his early education at the parochial school of St. Brigid Parish.[2] After graduating from Duquesne University Preparatory School, he studied at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh and then at St. Vincent Seminary in Latrobe,Pennsylvania.[3]
Priesthood
Leonard was ordained to the priesthood in Latrobe for the Diocese of Pittsburgh by Bishop Hugh C. Boyle on June 16, 1935.[4] After his ordination, the diocese assigned Leonard as assistant chaplain at Mercy Hospital in Pittsburgh, where he remained for two years.[3] From 1937 to 1950, he served as resident chaplain of Allegheny County Home and Woodville State Hospital in Collier Township, Pennsylvania[2]
In 1950, Leonard was named assistant chancellor of the diocese and chancellor in 1951. He was appointed vicar general (1959) in 1959.[1] In addition to these duties, Boyle served as pastor of St. Patrick Parish in the Strip District (1955–1967) and of St. Philip Parish in Crafton, Pennsylvania (1967–1969).[1] He was named a domestic prelate by Pope Pius XII in 1952.[3]
Auxiliary Bishop and Bishop of Pittsburgh
On February 28, 1964, Leonard was appointed as an auxiliary bishop of Pittsburgh and titular bishop of Arsacal by Pope Paul VI.[5] He received his episcopal consecration at Saint Paul Cathedral in Pittsburgh on April 21, 1964, from Bishop John Wright, with Bishops Richard Henry Ackerman and William G. Connare serving as co-consecrators.[4] He selected as his episcopal motto: Ut Christum Lucrifaciam ("That I may gain Christ").[6]
After Bishop Wright was named to head the Congregation for the Clergy, Leonard was appointed the ninth bishop of Pittsburgh on June 1, 1969.[4] During his tenure, he became one of the first bishops in the United States to make his diocesan financial reports public. He also established a due-process system to allow Catholics to appeal any administrative decision they believed was a violation of canon law.[1] In 1974, Leonard threatened three priests with disciplinary action for giving the eucharist in the hand when it was not yet permitted in the United States.[1] He also served on the Pro-Life Committee of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops and on the Health Affairs Committee of the United States Catholic Conference.[3]
Retirement and legacy
Pope John Paul II accepted Leonard's resignation as bishop of Pittsburgh on June 30, 1983, due to arthritis.[7] Vincent Leonard died on August 28, 1994, from pneumonia at the Little Sisters of the Poor Home in Pittsburgh, at age 85.[3] He is buried in Calvary Cemetery in the Hazelwood neighborhood of Pittsburgh.[8]