William Henry DuBay was a former Catholic priest and activist whose activities and suspension from the priesthood created controversy in the mid-1960s. He has since published widely on Church reform, the rights of ethnic and sexual minorities, and plain language.
Born on 24 December 1934 in Long Beach, California, William H. DuBay attended public and Catholic schools before entering Los Angeles College Junior Seminary at the age of 13. After graduating and attending St. John's Major Seminary in Camarillo, California, he was ordained for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles in May 1960.
Career as priest
While stationed in a segregated white section of San Fernando Valley, DuBay became very interested in the civil rights movement. After publishing a Sunday newsletter calling on Catholics to support integration, he was disciplined and sent to a racially mixed parish in Compton, CA. While there, he attempted to organize other priests who also had been disciplined to protest the Cardinal's racial policies.
In June, 1964, he sent a cable to Pope Paul VI asking him to remove Cardinal McIntyre from office as Archbishop of Los Angeles for "conducting a vicious campaign of intimidation against priests, nuns, and lay Catholics" supporting the civil-rights movement.
DuBay wrote,
"His Eminence has condemned direct action demonstrations on the grounds that they incite violence. But as a matter of fact he has contributed to the possibility of serious racial violence by depriving civil rights groups of responsible Catholic and clerical leadership necessary to encourage Christian forms of nonviolent protest. His inaction has promoted the prolongation of Negro grievances by failing to mobilize the Catholic population against the social evils of segregation.[1]
DuBay was again reassigned, first to St. Boniface Church in Anaheim and then to serve as chaplain at St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica.
In February 1966, DuBay was suspended from the priesthood on the occasion of publishing The Human Church, which called for democratizing the Catholic Church. It recommended that the people elect bishops for limited terms. It called for abandoning the parochial school system in favor of programs that teach Catholics the principles of Christian action. The book argued that the Catholic Church should abandon its tax exemptions and let individual congregations create their own liturgies and creeds.
Citing DuBay's "public expressions of insubordination" and a lack of the bishop's imprimatur, the Vatican ordered DuBay to cease selling and distributing his book. DuBay protested that "prior censorship is a ghost that has been hovering around the Catholic Church since the Spanish Inquisition" and refused to stop distributing The Human Church.[2]
Post-suspension
In 1968, DuBay married Mary Ellen Wall of Seattle.[3] They had one son. The couple divorced in 1971.[4]
That year DuBay came out as gay and became involved in the gay rights movement. He moved to Seattle,[4] where he worked two years in a residential treatment center and another two years managing a health-food store. In 1975, he moved to Ninilchik, Alaska, where he lived on a homestead for two years.
From 1977 to 1985, while working for the Mayor's Office of the North Slope Borough, he published the Arctic Coastal Zone Management Newsletter and The Arctic Policy Review, both monthly publications that covered arctic-resource conflicts between the multinational oil firms and local Iñupiat.
Beginning in 1985, DuBay worked for the health program of the non-profit Aleutian Pribilof Islands Association.
In 1987, he returned to southern California, where he worked as a technical writer, first for Ashton-Tate and then for Phoenix Technologies.
During that time, he published Gay Identity: The Self Under Ban, a sociological study of the homosexual role.
Post-retirement
In 2001, he retired from technical writing to become a plain-language consultant. In 2003, he began publishing The Plain Language at Work Newsletter.
He has since self-published on Amazon three books on plain language: The Principles of Readability, Smart Language: Readers, Readability, and the Grading of Text, and Unlocking Language: The Classic Readability Studies.
DuBay also is the author of a blog, Civic Language: Comments on Current Events and Building Social Capital. On that page is a three-part essay, The Roots of the Holocaust, about the youth of Adolf Hitler in Austria.
in 2016, DuBay self-published on Amazon “The Priest and the Cardinal: Race and Rebellion in 1960s Los Angeles,” a memoir about his conflict with Cardinal McIntyre over the Civil Rights Movement.
Many of DuBay's papers concerning this conflict with can be found in the Special Collections of the Doheny Library of the University of Southern California.
DuBay later lived and wrote on Whidbey Island near Seattle, WA.
He died 13 January 2022 at the age of 87.
Bibliography
The Human Church (Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1966)
Gay Identity: The Self Under Ban (Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co., Inc, 1987)
The Principles of Readability (Costa Mesa, CA: Impact Information, 2004)
Smart Language: Readers, Readability, and the Grading of Text (Costa Mesa, CA; Impact Information. 2007)
The Priest and the Cardinal: Race and Rebellion in 1960s Los Angeles (Charleston, SC: CreateSpace, 2016)
References
^Cogley, John (August 22, 1965) "Religion: Churchmen on Riots." The New York Times. p. E5.
^Editors (August 19, 1966) "The Issue of Imprimatur." Time.
^Editors (August 11, 1968) "Suspended Priest Marries Divorcee." The New York Times. p. 38.
^ abDay, Mark R. (7 August 2019). "He challenged the cardinal on racial injustice". National Catholic Reporter. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
Further reading
Focus on Education Foundation: William DuBay biography 2007-10-08 at the Wayback Machine
Weber, Francis J. (1 December 1996). "Ecclesial Confrontation in Los Angeles: Father DuBay and the Batman Syndrome". Southern California Quarterly. 78 (4): 323–346. doi:10.2307/41171830. JSTOR 41171830.
January 08, 2023
william, dubay, this, article, about, priest, author, comic, book, editor, bill, dubay, comics, this, article, external, links, follow, wikipedia, policies, guidelines, please, improve, this, article, removing, excessive, inappropriate, external, links, conver. This article is about the priest and author For the comic book editor see Bill DuBay comics This article s use of external links may not follow Wikipedia s policies or guidelines Please improve this article by removing excessive or inappropriate external links and converting useful links where appropriate into footnote references October 2021 Learn how and when to remove this template message William Henry DuBay was a former Catholic priest and activist whose activities and suspension from the priesthood created controversy in the mid 1960s He has since published widely on Church reform the rights of ethnic and sexual minorities and plain language Father William DuBay about 1968 Los Angeles Contents 1 Early life 2 Career as priest 3 Post suspension 4 Post retirement 5 Bibliography 6 References 7 Further readingEarly life EditBorn on 24 December 1934 in Long Beach California William H DuBay attended public and Catholic schools before entering Los Angeles College Junior Seminary at the age of 13 After graduating and attending St John s Major Seminary in Camarillo California he was ordained for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles in May 1960 Career as priest EditWhile stationed in a segregated white section of San Fernando Valley DuBay became very interested in the civil rights movement After publishing a Sunday newsletter calling on Catholics to support integration he was disciplined and sent to a racially mixed parish in Compton CA While there he attempted to organize other priests who also had been disciplined to protest the Cardinal s racial policies In June 1964 he sent a cable to Pope Paul VI asking him to remove Cardinal McIntyre from office as Archbishop of Los Angeles for conducting a vicious campaign of intimidation against priests nuns and lay Catholics supporting the civil rights movement DuBay wrote His Eminence has condemned direct action demonstrations on the grounds that they incite violence But as a matter of fact he has contributed to the possibility of serious racial violence by depriving civil rights groups of responsible Catholic and clerical leadership necessary to encourage Christian forms of nonviolent protest His inaction has promoted the prolongation of Negro grievances by failing to mobilize the Catholic population against the social evils of segregation 1 DuBay was again reassigned first to St Boniface Church in Anaheim and then to serve as chaplain at St John s Hospital in Santa Monica In February 1966 DuBay was suspended from the priesthood on the occasion of publishing The Human Church which called for democratizing the Catholic Church It recommended that the people elect bishops for limited terms It called for abandoning the parochial school system in favor of programs that teach Catholics the principles of Christian action The book argued that the Catholic Church should abandon its tax exemptions and let individual congregations create their own liturgies and creeds Citing DuBay s public expressions of insubordination and a lack of the bishop s imprimatur the Vatican ordered DuBay to cease selling and distributing his book DuBay protested that prior censorship is a ghost that has been hovering around the Catholic Church since the Spanish Inquisition and refused to stop distributing The Human Church 2 Post suspension EditIn 1968 DuBay married Mary Ellen Wall of Seattle 3 They had one son The couple divorced in 1971 4 That year DuBay came out as gay and became involved in the gay rights movement He moved to Seattle 4 where he worked two years in a residential treatment center and another two years managing a health food store In 1975 he moved to Ninilchik Alaska where he lived on a homestead for two years From 1977 to 1985 while working for the Mayor s Office of the North Slope Borough he published the Arctic Coastal Zone Management Newsletter and The Arctic Policy Review both monthly publications that covered arctic resource conflicts between the multinational oil firms and local Inupiat Beginning in 1985 DuBay worked for the health program of the non profit Aleutian Pribilof Islands Association In 1987 he returned to southern California where he worked as a technical writer first for Ashton Tate and then for Phoenix Technologies During that time he published Gay Identity The Self Under Ban a sociological study of the homosexual role Post retirement EditIn 2001 he retired from technical writing to become a plain language consultant In 2003 he began publishing The Plain Language at Work Newsletter He has since self published on Amazon three books on plain language The Principles of Readability Smart Language Readers Readability and the Grading of Text and Unlocking Language The Classic Readability Studies DuBay also is the author of a blog Civic Language Comments on Current Events and Building Social Capital On that page is a three part essay The Roots of the Holocaust about the youth of Adolf Hitler in Austria in 2016 DuBay self published on Amazon The Priest and the Cardinal Race and Rebellion in 1960s Los Angeles a memoir about his conflict with Cardinal McIntyre over the Civil Rights Movement Many of DuBay s papers concerning this conflict with can be found in the Special Collections of the Doheny Library of the University of Southern California DuBay later lived and wrote on Whidbey Island near Seattle WA He died 13 January 2022 at the age of 87 Bibliography EditThe Human Church Garden City NY Doubleday 1966 Gay Identity The Self Under Ban Jefferson NC McFarland amp Co Inc 1987 The Principles of Readability Costa Mesa CA Impact Information 2004 Smart Language Readers Readability and the Grading of Text Costa Mesa CA Impact Information 2007 Unlocking Language The Classic Readability Studies Costa Mesa CA Impact Information 2007 The Priest and the Cardinal Race and Rebellion in 1960s Los Angeles Charleston SC CreateSpace 2016 References Edit Cogley John August 22 1965 Religion Churchmen on Riots The New York Times p E5 Editors August 19 1966 The Issue of Imprimatur Time Editors August 11 1968 Suspended Priest Marries Divorcee The New York Times p 38 a b Day Mark R 7 August 2019 He challenged the cardinal on racial injustice National Catholic Reporter Retrieved 22 October 2021 Further reading EditFocus on Education Foundation William DuBay biography Archived 2007 10 08 at the Wayback Machine Weber Francis J 1 December 1996 Ecclesial Confrontation in Los Angeles Father DuBay and the Batman Syndrome Southern California Quarterly 78 4 323 346 doi 10 2307 41171830 JSTOR 41171830 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title William DuBay amp oldid 1132034533, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
