William Henry Bullock

His Excellency, The Most Reverend William H. Bullock
Bishop of Madison Titular Bishop of Natchesium
Church	Roman Catholic Church
See	Madison
In office	April 13, 1993 – May 23, 2003
Predecessor	Cletus F. O'Donnell
Successor	Robert C. Morlino[1]
Previous post(s)	Bishop of Des Moines Auxiliary Bishop of Saint Paul and Minneapolis
Orders
Ordination	June 7, 1952
Consecration	August 12, 1980 by John Robert Roach
Personal details
Born	(1927-04-13)April 13, 1927 Maple Lake, Minnesota, US
Died	April 3, 2011(2011-04-03) (aged 83) Madison, Wisconsin, US
Education	Saint 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

• Catholic 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 bishops

References

1. "Obituary. Bishop William Bullock, 83 (continued)". Wisconsin State Journal. April 5, 2001. p. 4. Retrieved October 15, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
2. "Obituary. Bishop William Bullock, 83". Wisconsin State Journal. April 5, 2001. p. 1. Retrieved October 14, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "Newsmakers". The Minneapolis Star. June 3, 1980. p. 1. Retrieved October 17, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "New Bishop Appointed for Des Moines". Sioux City Journal. February 11, 1987. p. 1. Retrieved October 16, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
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.

External links

• About Bishop Bullock – Diocese of Madison edition of The Catholic Herald
• Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis
• Roman Catholic Diocese of Des Moines
• Roman Catholic Diocese of Madison Archived 2018-07-10 at the Wayback Machine

Catholic Church titles
Preceded by –	Bishop Emeritus of Madison 2003–2011	Succeeded by –
Preceded by Cletus F. O'Donnell	Bishop of Madison 1993–2003	Succeeded by Robert C. Morlino
Preceded by Maurice John Dingman	Bishop of Des Moines 1987–1993	Succeeded by Joseph Leo Charron
Preceded by –	Auxiliary Bishop of Saint Paul and Minneapolis 1980–1987	Succeeded by –