Daniel Anthony Cronin
Encyclopedia
Daniel Anthony Cronin is an American
prelate
of the Roman Catholic Church
. He served as Bishop of Fall River
from 1970 to 1992, and Archbishop of Hartford
from 1992 to 2003.
, Massachusetts
, and attended St. Peter School in Cambridge
and graduated from Boston College High School
in 1945. He studied at St. John's Seminary
in Brighton from 1945 to 1949, and then furthered his studied at the Pontifical North American College
in Rome
, where Cronin was ordained
to the priesthood
by Archbishop Luigi Traglia on December 20, 1952. He then earned a Licentiate of Sacred Theology
(1953) and Doctorate of Sacred Theology (1956) from the Pontifical Gregorian University
.
Cronin did pastoral
work in Salisbury
, Lynn
, and Waltham
before becoming an attaché
of the Apostolic Internunciature
to Ethiopia
in 1957. He was made an attaché of the Vatican Secretariat of State in 1961, and a Papal Chamberlain
in 1962.
of Boston
and Titular Bishop
of Egnatia by Pope Paul VI
. He received his episcopal consecration
on the following September 12 from Richard Cardinal Cushing, with Bishops Jeremiah Minihan
and Thomas Riley
serving as co-consecrators
, at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross
. He selected as his episcopal motto
: "Ad Oboediendum Fidei", meaning, "For Obedience of Faith" . As an auxiliary bishop, he served as pastor
of St. Raphael Church in Medford
.
Cronin was later named the fifth Bishop of Fall River
on October 30, 1970. He succeeded James Louis Connolly
, and was installed
at St. Mary of the Assumption Cathedral
on December 16, 1970. In 1975 he denounced U.S. Senator
Ted Kennedy
(D
-MA
) when Kennedy declared that he would not vote to outlaw abortion
although he did not personally support it.
On December 10, 1991, Cronin was appointed the third Archbishop of Hartford
, Connecticut
, by Pope John Paul II
. He succeeded the late John Francis Whealon, and was installed at the Cathedral of St. Joseph on January 28, 1992. He received the pallium
, a vestment
worn by metropolitan bishop
s, from John Paul II at St. Peter's Basilica
on the following June 29. Upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 75, he retired as Archbishop on October 20, 2003. He now resides at St. Thomas Seminary
in Bloomfield, CT.
During his time as bishop of Hartford, the diocese agreed to pay $22 million to settle 43 cases of sexual abuse of children by priests from the 1960s to about 1985.
, Cronin is opposed to the ordination of women
, homosexuality
, and abortion
. He once stated, "The dominion of human life is in the hands of God. The gift of life starts from the time of conception and ends at the time of natural death."
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
prelate
Prelate
A prelate is a high-ranking member of the clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin prælatus, the past participle of præferre, which means "carry before", "be set above or over" or "prefer"; hence, a prelate is one set over others.-Related...
of the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
. He served as Bishop of Fall River
Roman Catholic Diocese of Fall River
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Fall River is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the New England region of the United States. It is led by the prelature of a bishop administering the diocese from the mother church St...
from 1970 to 1992, and Archbishop of Hartford
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Hartford
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Hartford is a particular church of the Latin Rite in Hartford, Litchfield and New Haven counties in Connecticut. The archdiocese includes about 700,000 Catholics, more than 500 priests, 216 parishes and almost 300 deacons. This is roughly one-half the population of...
from 1992 to 2003.
Early life and priesthood
Daniel Cronin was born in NewtonNewton, Massachusetts
Newton is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States bordered to the east by Boston. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of Newton was 85,146, making it the eleventh largest city in the state.-Villages:...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, and attended St. Peter School in Cambridge
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
and graduated from Boston College High School
Boston College High School
Founded in 1863, Boston College High School is an all-male Jesuit Roman Catholic college preparatory secondary school with historical ties to Boston College. It has an enrollment in grades 7-12 of approximately 1,500 students and is located on a campus on Morrissey Boulevard in the Dorchester...
in 1945. He studied at St. John's Seminary
St. John's Seminary (Massachusetts)
Saint John's Seminary, located in the Brighton neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, is a Catholic major seminary sponsored by the Archdiocese of Boston....
in Brighton from 1945 to 1949, and then furthered his studied at the Pontifical North American College
Pontifical North American College
The Pontifical North American College is a Roman Catholic educational institution in Rome, Italy educating seminarians for the dioceses in the United States and providing a residence for American priests studying in Rome. It was founded in 1859 by Blessed Pope Pius IX and was granted pontifical...
in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, where Cronin was ordained
Holy Orders
The term Holy Orders is used by many Christian churches to refer to ordination or to those individuals ordained for a special role or ministry....
to the priesthood
Priesthood (Catholic Church)
The ministerial orders of the Catholic Church include the orders of bishops, deacons and presbyters, which in Latin is sacerdos. The ordained priesthood and common priesthood are different in function and essence....
by Archbishop Luigi Traglia on December 20, 1952. He then earned a Licentiate of Sacred Theology
Licentiate of Sacred Theology
Licentiate of Sacred Theology is the title of the second cycle of studies of a Faculty of Theology offered by a pontifical universities or ecclesiastical faculties of sacred theology. An Ecclesiastical Faculty offers three cycles of study: Baccalaureate or fundamentals, Licentiate or specialized,...
(1953) and Doctorate of Sacred Theology (1956) from the Pontifical Gregorian University
Pontifical Gregorian University
The Pontifical Gregorian University is a pontifical university located in Rome, Italy.Heir of the Roman College founded by Saint Ignatius of Loyola over 460 years ago, the Gregorian University was the first university founded by the Jesuits...
.
Cronin did pastoral
Parish (Catholic Church)
In the Roman Catholic Church, a parish is the lowest ecclesiastical geographical subdivision: from ecclesiastical province to diocese to deanery to parish.-Requirements:A parish needs two things under common law to become a parish...
work in Salisbury
Salisbury, Massachusetts
Salisbury is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 7,827 at the 2000 census. The community is a popular summer resort beach town situated on the Atlantic Ocean north of Boston on the New Hampshire border....
, Lynn
Lynn, Massachusetts
Lynn is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 89,050 at the 2000 census. An old industrial center, Lynn is home to Lynn Beach and Lynn Heritage State Park and is about north of downtown Boston.-17th century:...
, and Waltham
Waltham, Massachusetts
Waltham is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, was an early center for the labor movement, and major contributor to the American Industrial Revolution. The original home of the Boston Manufacturing Company, the city was a prototype for 19th century industrial city planning,...
before becoming an attaché
Attaché
Attaché is a French term in diplomacy referring to a person who is assigned to the diplomatic or administrative staff of a higher placed person or another service or agency...
of the Apostolic Internunciature
Nuncio
Nuncio is an ecclesiastical diplomatic title, derived from the ancient Latin word, Nuntius, meaning "envoy." This article addresses this title as well as derived similar titles, all within the structure of the Roman Catholic Church...
to Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
in 1957. He was made an attaché of the Vatican Secretariat of State in 1961, and a Papal Chamberlain
Monsignor
Monsignor, pl. monsignori, is the form of address for those members of the clergy of the Catholic Church holding certain ecclesiastical honorific titles. Monsignor is the apocopic form of the Italian monsignore, from the French mon seigneur, meaning "my lord"...
in 1962.
Episcopal career
On June 10, 1968, Cronin was appointed Auxiliary BishopAuxiliary bishop
An auxiliary bishop, in the Roman Catholic Church, is an additional bishop assigned to a diocese because the diocesan bishop is unable to perform his functions, the diocese is so extensive that it requires more than one bishop to administer, or the diocese is attached to a royal or imperial office...
of Boston
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the New England region of the United States. It comprises several counties of the state of Massachusetts...
and Titular Bishop
Titular bishop
A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese.By definition a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop the tradition of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches is that he be ordained for a specific place...
of Egnatia by Pope Paul VI
Pope Paul VI
Paul VI , born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding Pope John XXIII, who had convened the Second Vatican Council, he decided to continue it...
. He received his episcopal consecration
Bishop (Catholic Church)
In the Catholic Church, a bishop is an ordained minister who holds the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders and is responsible for teaching the Catholic faith and ruling the Church....
on the following September 12 from Richard Cardinal Cushing, with Bishops Jeremiah Minihan
Jeremiah Francis Minihan
Jeremiah Francis Minihan was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Boston from 1954 until his death in 1973.-Biography:...
and Thomas Riley
Thomas Joseph Riley
Thomas Joseph Riley was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Boston from 1959 to 1976.-Biography:...
serving as co-consecrators
Consecrator
Consecrator is a term used in the Roman Catholic Church to designate a bishop who ordains a priest to the episcopal state. The term is often used in Eastern Rite Churches and in Anglican communities. The term "Principal Consecrator" is used to designate the primary bishop who ordains a new bishop...
, at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross
Cathedral of the Holy Cross
The Cathedral of the Holy Cross is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston and the largest Roman Catholic church in New England....
. He selected as his episcopal motto
Motto
A motto is a phrase meant to formally summarize the general motivation or intention of a social group or organization. A motto may be in any language, but Latin is the most used. The local language is usual in the mottoes of governments...
: "Ad Oboediendum Fidei", meaning, "For Obedience of Faith" . As an auxiliary bishop, he served as pastor
Pastor
The word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....
of St. Raphael Church in Medford
Medford, Massachusetts
Medford is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, in the United States, on the Mystic River, five miles northwest of downtown Boston. In the 2010 U.S. Census, Medford's population was 56,173...
.
Cronin was later named the fifth Bishop of Fall River
Roman Catholic Diocese of Fall River
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Fall River is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the New England region of the United States. It is led by the prelature of a bishop administering the diocese from the mother church St...
on October 30, 1970. He succeeded James Louis Connolly
James Louis Connolly
James Louis Connolly was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Fall River from 1951 to 1970.-Biography:...
, and was installed
Enthronement
An enthronement is a ceremony of inauguration, involving a person—usually a monarch or religious leader—being formally seated for the first time upon their throne. This ritual is generally distinguished from a coronation because there is no crown or other regalia that is physically...
at St. Mary of the Assumption Cathedral
St. Mary's Cathedral and Rectory
The Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption, colloquially simply known as Saint Mary's Cathedral, is a historic church on 327 Second Street, in Fall River, Massachusetts. It is the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fall River. The cathedral, built in 1852, was added to the National...
on December 16, 1970. In 1975 he denounced U.S. Senator
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
Ted Kennedy
Ted Kennedy
Edward Moore "Ted" Kennedy was a United States Senator from Massachusetts and a member of the Democratic Party. Serving almost 47 years, he was the second most senior member of the Senate when he died and is the fourth-longest-serving senator in United States history...
(D
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
-MA
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
) when Kennedy declared that he would not vote to outlaw abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
although he did not personally support it.
On December 10, 1991, Cronin was appointed the third Archbishop of Hartford
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Hartford
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Hartford is a particular church of the Latin Rite in Hartford, Litchfield and New Haven counties in Connecticut. The archdiocese includes about 700,000 Catholics, more than 500 priests, 216 parishes and almost 300 deacons. This is roughly one-half the population of...
, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
, by Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
. He succeeded the late John Francis Whealon, and was installed at the Cathedral of St. Joseph on January 28, 1992. He received the pallium
Pallium
The pallium is an ecclesiastical vestment in the Roman Catholic Church, originally peculiar to the Pope, but for many centuries bestowed by him on metropolitans and primates as a symbol of the jurisdiction delegated to them by the Holy See. In that context it has always remained unambiguously...
, a vestment
Vestment
Vestments are liturgical garments and articles associated primarily with the Christian religion, especially among Latin Rite and other Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, Anglicans, and Lutherans...
worn by metropolitan bishop
Metropolitan bishop
In Christian churches with episcopal polity, the rank of metropolitan bishop, or simply metropolitan, pertains to the diocesan bishop or archbishop of a metropolis; that is, the chief city of a historical Roman province, ecclesiastical province, or regional capital.Before the establishment of...
s, from John Paul II at St. Peter's Basilica
St. Peter's Basilica
The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter , officially known in Italian as ' and commonly known as Saint Peter's Basilica, is a Late Renaissance church located within the Vatican City. Saint Peter's Basilica has the largest interior of any Christian church in the world...
on the following June 29. Upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 75, he retired as Archbishop on October 20, 2003. He now resides at St. Thomas Seminary
St. Thomas Seminary
St. Thomas Seminary, located in Bloomfield, Connecticut, was a minor seminary for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Hartford. The current rector is the Rev. Msgr. Gerard G. Schmitz.-History:...
in Bloomfield, CT.
During his time as bishop of Hartford, the diocese agreed to pay $22 million to settle 43 cases of sexual abuse of children by priests from the 1960s to about 1985.
Views
Considered theologically conservativeConservative Christianity
Conservative Christianity is a term applied to a number of groups or movements seen as giving priority to traditional Christian beliefs and practices...
, Cronin is opposed to the ordination of women
Ordination of women
Ordination in general religious usage is the process by which a person is consecrated . The ordination of women is a regular practice among some major religious groups, as it was of several religions of antiquity...
, homosexuality
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
, and abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
. He once stated, "The dominion of human life is in the hands of God. The gift of life starts from the time of conception and ends at the time of natural death."