Francis Anthony Quinn (born September 11, 1921, Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...

) is the Roman Catholic bishop

Bishop

A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...

 emeritus

Emeritus

Emeritus is a post-positive adjective that is used to designate a retired professor, bishop, or other professional or as a title. The female equivalent emerita is also sometimes used.-History:...

 of the Diocese of Sacramento

Roman Catholic Diocese of Sacramento

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Sacramento is an ecclesiastical territory or particular church of the Roman Catholic Church in the northern California region of the United States...

. He graduated from St. Joseph’s Seminary and was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of San Francisco

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the northern California region of the United States. It covers the City and County of San Francisco and the Counties of Marin and San Mateo...

 on June 15, 1946. He earned a MA in education from the Catholic University, Washington, D.C. in 1947 and an Ed.D from the University of California, Berkeley in 1962.

Quinn was a teacher at Serra High School, San Mateo, and a counselor at Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory

Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory

Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory, commonly known as SH, SHC, or SHCP is a Catholic school located in the Cathedral Hill neighborhood of San Francisco, California. Founded in 1852, Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory is the oldest Catholic secondary school in San Francisco...

, San Francisco, before becoming an assistant superintendent for the Archdiocese of San Francisco in 1955. He was editor for the San Francisco Monitor in 1962 and was appointed pastor of St. Gabriel’s Church in 1970.

Bishop

Quinn was ordained an auxiliary bishop

Auxiliary 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 San Francisco on June 29, 1978. 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 ...

 named Quinn as the seventh bishop of the Diocese of Sacramento. Quinn was installed on December 18, 1979.

Quinn's service to the Diocese of Sacramento was characterized by compassion, understanding, and the ability to choose good men and women to whom he delegated authority. From 1980-1992, seven new parishes, several missions, two elementary schools and one high school were established. He oversaw a 10-year pastoral plan for the diocese as well as a spiritual renewal program, reorganized the deanery

Deanery

A Deanery is an ecclesiastical entity in both the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of England. A deanery is either the jurisdiction or residence of a Dean.- Catholic usage :...

 structure, initiated a diocesan pastoral council, and celebrated the hundredth anniversary of the diocese.

Quinn inspired and encouraged women to lead in parish governance, educational, liturgical, financial and social ministries. He also activated lay individuals to continue their formation and assume leadership roles in various groups and movements. He supported the launch of an AIDS hospice, and he protested the death penalty on the steps of the Capitol and at prison gates. He also spoke up regarding nuclear disarmament, immigration policies, and many foreign issues.

Bishop Quinn High School

Bishop Quinn High School

Bishop Quinn High School was a small, private Catholic high school in Palo Cedro near Redding, California. The school is named after Bishop Francis Quinn, the diocese's bishop emeritus. The school was designed to serve the Catholic population of Shasta County, California.-History:The school was...

 in Palo Cedro, California

Palo Cedro, California

Palo Cedro is a census-designated place in Shasta County, California, United States. The population was 1,269 at the 2010 census, up from 1,247 at the 2000 census. It is east of Redding, California. The communities of Bella Vista , Millville , Shingletown , Oak Run , Whitmore , and Round...

 is named in his honor. The school has since closed.

Work in Retirement

Quinn retired in 1993. Since his retirement he has worked with the Yaquis in Arizona

Arizona

Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...

. In 2007, Bishop Quinn returned to the Diocese of Sacramento after several years of service to Native Americans

Native Americans in the United States

Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...

 in Tucson, Arizona

Tucson, Arizona

Tucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States. The city is located 118 miles southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The 2010 United States Census puts the city's population at 520,116 with a metropolitan area population at 1,020,200...

. Now residing at Mercy McMahon Terrace, a residence for seniors run by the Sisters of Mercy

Sisters of Mercy

The Religious Order of the Sisters of Mercy is an order of Catholic women founded by Catherine McAuley in Dublin, Ireland, in 1831. , the order has about 10,000 members worldwide, organized into a number of independent congregations....

 in midtown Sacramento, Bishop Quinn continues to serve as an activist for change, particularly in the area of social justice

Social justice

Social justice generally refers to the idea of creating a society or institution that is based on the principles of equality and solidarity, that understands and values human rights, and that recognizes the dignity of every human being. The term and modern concept of "social justice" was coined by...

 and human rights

Human rights

Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...

, especially for the poor and the impoverished. Still beloved by his former parishioners in San Francisco, Sacramento and in all the parts of the world in which he has travelled, Bishop Quinn exemplifies the meaning of Caritas

Charity (virtue)

In Christian theology charity, or love , means an unlimited loving-kindness toward all others.The term should not be confused with the more restricted modern use of the word charity to mean benevolent giving.- Caritas: altruistic love :...

 or his desire to devote his life to charity.

Retirement Prayer

On the issue of retirement, Bishop Quinn wrote the following prayer of reflection:

"Lord, make me thoughtful, but not moody; helpful, but not bossy. With my vast store of wisdom, it seems a pity not use it all, but Thou knowest, Lord, that I want to keep a few friends at this time of life.

"Keep me reasonably joyful; I do not want to be a saint—some of them are so hard to live with—but a gloomy person is one of the crowning works of the devil. Give me the ability to see good things in unexpected places and talents in unexpected people, and give me the grace to tell them so.

"Heavenly Father, we remind ourselves that You Yourself are elderly, not over the hill, but mature.

Many of the great champions of the Old and New testaments were people of maturity: Methuselah, Moses, Noah, Zachary, Anne, Elizabeth, Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea.

George Burns won his first Oscar at 80.

Golda Meir was 71 when she became prime minister of Israel.

George Bernard Shaw was 94 when one of his plays was first produced. At 96, he broke a leg when he fell out of a tree.

Benjamin Franklin had the honor of framing the US. Constitution when he was 81.

Michelangelo was 71 when he painted the Sistine Chapel.

Albert Schweitzer was still performing operations in his African hospital at 81.

Henry Ford and Abraham Lincoln did not realize any success until they were 40 years old.

Winston Churchill became Great Britain's prime minister at age 65. When 70, he addressed crowds on V-E Day.

Casey Stengel didn't retire from the rigorous schedule of managing the New York Mets until he was 75.

Lord, the mature years give us a sense of humor.

When his grandson asked my brother if he watched 'Saturday Night Live,' he answered, 'So far.'

And, Lord, I have a question for you: How come the same foods that widen our waists narrow our arteries?

Lord, you know to be Over the Hill means that we have reached the summit.

Episcopal succession

Sources

• A conversation with Bishop Francis A. Quinn last retrieved February 25, 2007.