John E. McCarthy

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

John Edward McCarthy (June 21, 1930 – August 18, 2018) was an American Roman Catholic bishop who led the Diocese of Austin from 1985 to 2001 and previously served as auxiliary bishop of Galveston-Houston from 1979 to 1985.

Early life
He was born in Houston, the youngest of four children. His father died when he was a baby, and his family faced hardship during the Great Depression. He survived serious childhood illness and excelled in school. He studied at the University of St. Thomas in Houston and at St. Mary Seminary in Ohio, earning a Master of Theology in 1979. He was ordained a priest on May 26, 1956, for the Diocese of Galveston.

Priest and ministry
As a priest, McCarthy served in several parishes and started parish social ministry programs, creating models that influenced Catholic Charities USA. He led the Bishops’ Committee for Spanish-speaking Catholics and helped found the Catholic Campaign for Human Development. He also directed the Texas Catholic Conference, the bishops’ public policy group in Texas, from 1973 to 1980.

Bishop and leadership
Pope John Paul II named him auxiliary bishop of Galveston-Houston in 1979. In December 1985 he was appointed bishop of Austin and was installed in 1986. In Austin, he established the Office of Black Catholics to strengthen African American ministry, urged parishes to engage in social advocacy and charity, and started the Diocesan Law Project to provide free legal help to the needy. He issued pastoral letters in 1992 on compassion for people with HIV/AIDS and in 1993 encouraging Catholics to reflect on values in media.

Later years and legacy
McCarthy retired on January 2, 2001. He wrote a blog and, in 2013, published a book called Off the Cuff and Over the Collar: Common Sense Catholicism. He died in Austin in 2018 at age 88.

Controversies and impact
A 2019 report described his involvement in transferring a priest accused of sexual abuse in 1994 and indicated he was aware of multiple allegations. He also approved tubal ligations at a Catholic hospital, which the Vatican later halted. McCarthy supported efforts to end the death penalty and was known for promoting civil rights, social justice, and minority inclusion in the church. He also supported workers’ rights and civil rights initiatives, including marching in the Selma to Montgomery marches.