William Henry Bullock


William H. Bullock
Bishop of Madison
Titular Bishop of Natchesium
ChurchRoman Catholic Church
SeeMadison
In officeApril 13, 1993 – May 23, 2003
PredecessorCletus F. O'Donnell
SuccessorRobert C. Morlino[1]
Previous post(s)Bishop of Des Moines
Auxiliary Bishop of Saint Paul and Minneapolis
Orders
OrdinationJune 7, 1952
ConsecrationAugust 12, 1980
by John Robert Roach
Personal details
Born(1927-04-13)April 13, 1927
DiedApril 3, 2011(2011-04-03) (aged 83)
Madison, Wisconsin, US
EducationSaint Paul Seminary, University of Notre Dame

William Henry Bullock (April 13, 1927 – April 3, 2011) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as bishop of the Diocese of Madison in Wisconsin from 1993 to 2003.[2]

Bullock previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis in Minnesota from 1980 to 1987 and as bishop of the Diocese of Des Moines in Iowa from 1987 to 1993.

Biography

William Bullock was born on April 13, 1927, in Maple Lake, Minnesota. He attended Saint Paul Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota, and the University of Notre Dame in Notre Dame, Indiana, from which he received advanced degrees in religious education and liturgy.[3][4]

Bullock was ordained a priest by Archbishop John Murray on June 7, 1952,[3][4] for the Archdiocese of Saint Paul. He taught religion for several years and served as headmaster at Saint Thomas Academy, an archdiocesan high school in Mendota Heights, Minnesota. He held a pastoral position at Saint John the Baptist Parish in Excelsior, Minnesota from 1971 to 1980.[3]

Bullock was appointed as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis and titular bishop of Natchesium on June 3, 1980, by Pope John Paul II.[3] He was consecrated in St. Paul, Minnesota, on August 12, 1980, by Archbishop John Roach.

On February 10, 1987, Bullock was appointed bishop of the Diocese of Des Moines by John Paul II, succeeding Maurice John Dingman.[4] He was installed on April 2, 1987. According to the Diocese of Des Moines, Bullock established a policy addressing sexual abuse in 1988, created the St. Joseph Emergency Family Shelter and St. Mary Family Center, and helped establish the Catholic Pastoral Center in Des Moines.[5]

On April 13, 1993, John Paul II appointed Bullock as the third bishop of the Diocese of Madison; he was installed on June 14, 1993. In 1995, Bullock made the controversial decision to close Holy Name Seminary, a private boys high school in Madison, Wisconsin, after he concluded that not enough of the graduates became priests to justify the cost of the school.[2] He created an office of Hispanic ministry, and he authorized the construction of a social services center to help new immigrants and the poor. In the final years of his tenure, he created an eight-member sexual abuse review board of mostly lay people to advise the diocese.[1]

In 2002, Bullock reached the church's mandatory retirement age of 75,[1] and on May 23, 2003, John Paul II accepted Bullock's resignation as bishop of Madison.[6][7] Bullock died on April 3, 2011, of lung cancer in Madison.[1]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Obituary. Bishop William Bullock, 83 (continued)". Wisconsin State Journal. April 5, 2001. p. 4. Retrieved October 15, 2019 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  2. ^ a b "Obituary. Bishop William Bullock, 83". Wisconsin State Journal. April 5, 2001. p. 1. Retrieved October 14, 2019 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  3. ^ a b c d "Newsmakers". The Minneapolis Star. June 3, 1980. p. 1. Retrieved October 17, 2019 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  4. ^ a b c "New Bishop Appointed for Des Moines". Sioux City Journal. February 11, 1987. p. 1. Retrieved October 16, 2019 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  5. ^ "Bishop William H. Bullock dies". Madison Catholic Herald. 2011-04-03. Retrieved 2024-02-24.
  6. ^ "The Most Reverend William H. Bullock". The Catholic Herald. Retrieved 2009-05-18.
  7. ^ Cheney, David. "Bishop William Henry Bullock". Catholic-Hierarchy. Retrieved 2009-05-18.
Catholic Church titles
Preceded by
Bishop Emeritus of Madison
2003–2011
Succeeded by
Preceded by Bishop of Madison
1993–2003
Succeeded by
Preceded by Bishop of Des Moines
1987–1993
Succeeded by
Preceded by
Auxiliary Bishop of Saint Paul and Minneapolis
1980–1987
Succeeded by