Michael Joseph Begley (March 12, 1909 – February 9, 2002) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He was the first bishop of the Diocese of Charlotte in North Carolina, serving from 1972 until 1984.
In addition to his duties as a diocesan bishop, Begley also served as chair of the Catholic Committee on Appalachia.[4] In this capacity, he led 26 other bishops from 13 states in issuing a joint pastoral letter "This Land is Home to Me" on the state of the poor in the region.[2] A supporter of capital punishment, Begley endorsed the 1984 execution of serial killer Velma Barfield, noting, "The state has a right to decide on the death penalty and this is one instance when they chose that right."[5]
Retirementedit
Upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 75, Begley submitted his letter of resignation to Pope John Paul II in March 1984. The pope accepted his resignation on May 29, 1984, and he was succeeded by Monsignor John Donoghue.[3]
Michael Begley died on February 9, 2002, at the Maryfield Nursing Home in High Point, aged 92.[2] He was a cousin of Bishop William Joseph Hafey, and baptized Bishop Peter Jugis as a child.[4]
michael, joseph, begley, march, 1909, february, 2002, american, prelate, roman, catholic, church, first, bishop, diocese, charlotte, north, carolina, serving, from, 1972, until, 1984, excellency, most, reverendbishop, charlotteseediocese, charlottein, officeja. Michael Joseph Begley March 12 1909 February 9 2002 was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church He was the first bishop of the Diocese of Charlotte in North Carolina serving from 1972 until 1984 His Excellency The Most ReverendMichael Joseph BegleyBishop of CharlotteSeeDiocese of CharlotteIn officeJanuary 12 1972May 29 1984SuccessorJohn Francis DonoghueOrdersOrdinationMay 26 1934by Thomas Michael O LearyConsecrationJanuary 12 1972by Luigi RaimondiPersonal detailsBorn 1909 02 12 February 12 1909West Springfield Massachusetts USDiedFebruary 9 2002 2002 02 09 aged 92 High Point North Carolina USDenominationRoman CatholicEducationMount St Mary s CollegeUniversity of North CarolinaMottoDiligimus Fratres We have loved the brethren Contents 1 Biography 1 1 Early life 1 2 Priesthood 1 3 Bishop of Charlotte 1 4 Retirement 2 See also 3 References 4 External links 5 Episcopal successionBiography editEarly life edit Michael Begley was born on February 12 1909 in West Springfield Massachusetts to Dennis and Anna nee Moynahan Begley 1 2 Dennis Begley came to the United States from County Kerry in Ireland 2 Michael Begley received his early education at West Springfield public schools and at Cathedral High School in Springfield 2 He studied at Mount St Mary s College in Emmitsburg Maryland obtaining a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1930 1 Priesthood edit Begley was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Thomas O Leary on May 26 1934 for the Diocese of Raleigh 3 After his ordination Begley served in pastoral assignments at Basilica Shrine of St Mary Parish in Wilmington North Carolina and at St Edward Parish in High Point North Carolina 4 Begley then served as pastor of St Therese Parish in Wrightsville Beach North Carolina Immaculate Conception Parish in Wilmington 1938 1942 and at St Leo the Great Parish in Winston Salem North Carolina 1942 1955 4 He earned a Master of Social Work degree from the University of North Carolina in 1949 and was named a domestic prelate by the Vatican in 1954 1 In 1955 Begley became the first pastor of St Ann Parish in Charlotte North Carolina 4 He was later made superintendent of Raleigh s Catholic orphanage and pastor of Our Lady of Grace Parish in Greensboro North Carolina 4 Bishop of Charlotte edit On November 30 1971 Begley was appointed as the first bishop of the newly erected Diocese of Charlotte by Pope Paul VI 3 He received his episcopal consecration on January 12 1972 from Archbishop Luigi Raimondi with Bishops Vincent Waters and George Lynch serving as co consecrators 3 He selected as his motto Diligimus Fratres We Have Loved the Brethren 2 In addition to his duties as a diocesan bishop Begley also served as chair of the Catholic Committee on Appalachia 4 In this capacity he led 26 other bishops from 13 states in issuing a joint pastoral letter This Land is Home to Me on the state of the poor in the region 2 A supporter of capital punishment Begley endorsed the 1984 execution of serial killer Velma Barfield noting The state has a right to decide on the death penalty and this is one instance when they chose that right 5 Retirement edit Upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 75 Begley submitted his letter of resignation to Pope John Paul II in March 1984 The pope accepted his resignation on May 29 1984 and he was succeeded by Monsignor John Donoghue 3 Michael Begley died on February 9 2002 at the Maryfield Nursing Home in High Point aged 92 2 He was a cousin of Bishop William Joseph Hafey and baptized Bishop Peter Jugis as a child 4 See also edit nbsp Catholicism portalCatholic Church hierarchy Catholic Church in the United States Historical list of the Catholic bishops of the United States List of Catholic bishops of the United States Lists of patriarchs archbishops and bishopsReferences edit a b c Curtis Georgina Pell 1977 The American Catholic Who s Who Vol XXI Grosse Pointe Michigan Walter Romig a b c d e f Death Notice The Charlotte Observer 2002 02 11 a b c d Bishop Michael Joseph Begley Catholic Hierarchy org a b c d e f Murray Kevin E 2009 03 13 Celebrating the diocese s first shepherd PDF The Catholic News amp Herald permanent dead link Megivern James J 1997 The Death Penalty An Historical and Theological Survey Mahwah Paulist Press External links editRoman Catholic Diocese of CharlotteEpiscopal succession editCatholic Church titlesPreceded bynone Bishop of Charlotte1971 1984 Succeeded byJohn Francis Donoghue Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Michael Joseph Begley amp oldid 1218353761, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
