Prelate of the Roman Catholic Church
Paul Stagg Coakley
(born June 3, 1955) is an American
prelate
of the
Roman Catholic Church
. He has been serving as archbishop of the
Archdiocese of Oklahoma City
since 2010
Early life and education
[
edit
]
Paul Coakley was born on June 3, 1955, in
Norfolk, Virginia
, to John and Mary Coakley.
[1]
His mother was of
French
descent and his father of Irish descent.
[2]
The second of three children, he has an older brother, John, and a younger sister, Mary Christina. At age 2, he and his family moved to
Metairie, Louisiana
, where Coakley attended St. Mary Magdalen School from 1960 to 1965.
[1]
The family then moved to
Overland Park, Kansas
in 1965, and Coakley there attended Cherokee Elementary School for two years. He attended Broadmoor Junior High School (1967?1970) and
Shawnee Mission West High School
in Overland (1970?1973). Coakley ten entered the
University of Kansas
(KU) in Lawrence, Kansas, obtaining a
Bachelor of Arts
degree in English and Classical Antiquities in 1977.
[1]
During this period, he was also a student in KU's
Integrated Humanities Program
. After graduating from KU, Coakley traveled in
Europe
and briefly considered a
monastic vocation
at the
Abbey of Notre Dame de Fontgombault
in
France
. He then returned to the United States, where he entered St. Pius X Seminary in
Erlanger, Kentucky
in 1978.
[1]
On April 8, 1982, he was
ordained
a
deacon
by Bishop
David M. Maloney
.
[3]
He also studied at
Mount St. Mary's Seminary
in
Emmitsburg, Maryland
, earning a
Master's in Divinity
in 1983.
[1]
Priesthood
[
edit
]
Coakley was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Wichita by
Eugene J. Gerber
on May 21, 1983.
[3]
He then served as
chaplain
at
St. Francis Regional Medical Center
in
Wichita
from June to August 1983, and as
associate pastor
at St. Mary's Parish in
Derby, Kansas
, from 1983 to 1985. Coakley then furthered his studies in Rome at the
Pontifical Gregorian University
, where he received a
Licentiate of Sacred Theology
in 1987.
[1]
Upon his return to Wichita, Coakley served as chaplain at
Kansas Newman College
in Wichita from 1987 to 1989.
[1]
He also worked as director of the Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministries (1987?91), and
pastor
of Our Lady of Guadalupe Church (1989?90). From 1990 to 1995, he served as associate director of the Spiritual Life Center and associate pastor of St. Thomas Aquinas Parish. Coakley served as pastor of the Church of the Resurrection Parish from 1995 to 1998 before returning to Mount St. Mary's Seminary in Maryland, where he was director of
spiritual formation
from 1998 to 2002.
[1]
Coakley served as director of the Spiritual Life Center in Wichita from 2002 to January 2004, when he became vice-
chancellor
of the diocese. He also served as administrator of the Church of the Magdalen Parish from July to December 2004.
[1]
Bishop of Salina
[
edit
]
On October 21, 2004, Coakley was appointed the ninth bishop of the Diocese of Salina by
Pope John Paul II
.
[3]
He was consecrated on December 28, 2004, by Archbishop
James P. Keleher
, with Bishops
George K. Fitzsimons
and Eugene J. Gerber serving as
co-consecrators
.
[3]
He selected as his episcopal
motto
:
Duc In Altum
, meaning, "Put Out Into The Deep" (
Luke 5:4
)
[
which?
]
.
[2]
During the
2008 US presidential election
, Coakley declared, "To vote for a candidate who supports an intrinsic evil, such as
abortion
or
genocide
, would require a proportionately grave moral reason for ignoring such a flaw."
[4]
He later stated that House Speaker
Nancy Pelosi
and Senator
Joe Biden
"misrepresented Catholic teaching on abortion" in their respective interviews on
Meet the Press
.
[5]
Later calling the victory of President
Barack Obama
an "undeniable irony," he said that the election of the first
African-American
president
"signals that our nation has crossed a threshold in the struggle for
civil rights
" but also noted Obama's "denial of civil rights and legal protection to a whole class of persons as well,
unborn
human beings."
[6]
In March 2009, Coakley described President Obama's reversal of the
Mexico City Policy
and nomination of Governor
Kathleen Sebelius
as
Secretary of Health and Human Services
as "serious assaults against the rights of conscience and our efforts to protect innocent human life."
[7]
Within the
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
(USCCB), Coakley currently sits on the Subcommittee on Home Missions; Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations; and Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis. He is also a Fourth Degree
Knight of Columbus
, and a member of the
Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem
.
[1]
Archbishop of Oklahoma City
[
edit
]
On December 16, 2010,
Pope Benedict XVI
appointed Coakley as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City. He was installed on February 11, 2011, replacing retiring
Eusebius J. Beltran
.
[8]
After the announcement, Coakley remarked:
"This new pastoral responsibility is an opportunity and a challenge that I certainly had not sought, but one which I will eagerly embrace with all my heart."
[9]
In August 2014, Coakley criticized the Oklahoma City municipal government for allowing a
Satanist
gathering at the
Civic Center Music Hall
, saying,
"If someone had come to them to rent the Civic Center to stage a burning of the Koran or to hold an event that was blatantly and clearly anti-Semitic, I think they might find a way to prevent it ... Not all speech is protected if there is hate speech and it is intended to ridicule another religion ... I don't believe it is a free speech matter."
[10]
In response to Archbishop
Carlo Maria Vigano
's letter describing a series of warnings to the
Vatican
regarding sexual misconduct by Cardinal
Theodore McCarrick
, Coakley professed to having "the deepest respect for Archbishop Vigano and his personal integrity" and called for an investigation and a "purification" of the Church.
[11]
Catholic Relief Services
[
edit
]
On November 18, 2013, at the USCCB General Assembly, Coakley was announced as the new chair of the board of
Catholic Relief Services
(CRS),
[12]
succeeding Bishop
Gerald Kicanas
. The international relief and humanitarian agency of the US Catholic Church, CRS operates in about 91 countries, and the board stewards a budget of over $700 million.
[13]
Coakley had been on the board since 2012, and at the time of his appointment, the agency was in the midst of responding to the impact of
Typhoon Haiyan
in the
Philippines
. Coakley described himself as "humbled" and "honored" to chair the 70-year-old organization.
[14]
In his first months as chair, Archbishop Coakley undertook visits to
Palestine
[15]
and the
Philippines
[16]
to observe the agency's programs and meet with local staff and beneficiaries.
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
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]
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
i
j
"Biography/Curriculum Vitae"
.
Roman Catholic Diocese of Salina
. Archived from
the original
on 2009-06-23.
- ^
a
b
"Personal Coat of Arms - Bishop Paul S. Coakley"
.
Roman Catholic Diocese of Salina
. Retrieved
April 18,
2018
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
"Archbishop Paul Stagg Coakley"
.
Catholic-Hierarchy.org
. David M. Cheney
. Retrieved
January 21,
2015
.
[
self-published source
]
- ^
Coakley, Paul S. (2008-08-22).
"The Duties of Faithful Citizenship (Conclusion)"
.
Roman Catholic Diocese of Salina
. Archived from
the original
on 2011-07-27.
- ^
Coakley, Paul S. (2008-09-12).
"Setting The Record Straight: Pelosi, Biden and Abortion"
.
Roman Catholic Diocese of Salina
. Archived from
the original
on 2011-07-27.
- ^
Coakley, Paul S. (2008-11-21).
"One Step Closer To Civil Rights For All"
.
Roman Catholic Diocese of Salina
. Archived from
the original
on 2011-07-27.
- ^
Coakley, Paul S. (2009-03-20).
"Troubling Signals in Already Troubling Times"
.
Roman Catholic Diocese of Salina
. Archived from
the original
on 2011-07-27.
- ^
Hinton, Carla (December 16, 2010).
"Vatican appoints new Oklahoma archbishop"
.
The Oklahoman
. Retrieved
December 16,
2010
.
- ^
Hinton, Carla (December 16, 2010).
"Newly-named Oklahoma archbishop said he will 'eagerly embrace' his appointment"
.
The Oklahoman
. Retrieved
December 16,
2010
.
- ^
"Satanists' plan to stage 'black mass' in Oklahoma City sparks outrage"
.
Fox News Channel
. August 8, 2014
. Retrieved
11 August
2014
.
- ^
"Archbishop Coakley's Response to Vigano Testimony"
. Archdiocese of Oklahoma City. August 28, 2018
. Retrieved
August 29,
2018
.
- ^
"Leadership"
.
- ^
Catholic Relief Services (2013).
"Catholic Relief Services 2012 Annual Report"
.
Catholic Relief services website
. Archived from
the original
on August 5, 2013
. Retrieved
February 20,
2013
.
- ^
Bunderson, Carl (November 20, 2013).
"Archbishop Coakley humbled, surprised to be CRS chairman"
.
Catholic News Agency
. Retrieved
February 20,
2014
.
- ^
Coakley, Paul.
"Six Days in the Holy Land with CRS"
.
Archdiocese of Oklahoma City Website
. Retrieved
February 20,
2014
.
- ^
Stipe, Jim (February 5, 2014).
"Daily Summary of U.S. Delegation in the Philippines"
.
Catholic Relief Services Website
. Archived from
the original
on February 9, 2014
. Retrieved
February 20,
2014
.
External links
[
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[
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]
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