Joseph Aloysius Durick

Joseph Aloysius Durick (October 13, 1914 – June 26, 1994) was a U.S. Roman Catholic bishop and civil rights advocate. He publicly opposed the Vietnam War and the death penalty, which led to criticism from conservative circles. Durick also directed efforts at ecumenical cooperation with Tennessee state's Protestant and Jewish communities, as well as introducing Project Equality.[1] He had the image of an amiable country vicar, so much so that the newspapers called him "the happy priest." [2]

Joseph Aloysius Durick
Born
Joseph Aloysius Durick

October 13, 1914
Dayton, Tennessee, US
DiedJune 26, 1994
Bessemer, Alabama, US
NationalityAmerican
Other namesBishop Durick
EducationDoctor of Divinity
Alma materSt. Mary's Seminary and University
Known forone of the eight Alabama clergymen who wrote "A Call for Unity"

Early life

Born in Dayton, Tennessee, he was the seventh of twelve children. He grew up in Bessemer, Alabama, during the height of anti-Catholic violence in that state.

Education

After deciding not to pursue a music career, Durick began studies for the priesthood. He studied at St. Bernard College in Cullman, Alabama, as a seminarian for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Mobile and graduated in 1933. Three years later he completed course work in Philosophy at St. Mary's Seminary and University in Baltimore, and later received a Theological degree at Pontifical Urbaniana University, also known as Collegio Urbano di Propaganda Fide sul Gianicolo, the Pontifical Seminary for Missionary Priests in Rome, where he was later ordained.[3]

Priesthood

Ordained on March 23, 1940, Durick became the assistant director of Catholic missions in North Alabama; by 1943 he was the director.

On December 30, 1954, he was appointed auxiliary bishop of Mobile-Birmingham, Alabama, and titular bishop of Cerbali. His Episcopal Motto was "The love of Christ impels us" (Caritas Christi urget nos).

April 12, 1963 Durick signed his name alongside seven other religious leaders on the open public letter urging African-Americans to withdraw their support of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., to which Dr. King responded in his April 16 "Letter from Birmingham Jail".

At age 40 he was one of the youngest bishops in the U.S. On December 11, 1963, he was promoted to coadjutor bishop of Nashville, Tennessee by Pope Paul VI with right of succession to Bishop William Lawrence Adrian.

Durick was inspired to lead the Catholic Church in Tennessee into a new era by the reforms initiated by Pope John XXIII in the Second Vatican Council. To help present his reforms, Durick consulted with Catholic laymen, as well as a number of journalists including John Popham, John Seigenthaler, Joe Sweat, and Father Owen Campion.

Originally a conformist cleric, Durick and seven other colleagues wrote the letter "A Call For Unity", calling on King and "outsiders" during the Birmingham protests of 1963 to stop and let the courts work toward integration. King responded with his "Letter from Birmingham Jail", voicing disappointment in the white clergy, who should be "among our strongest allies". This, and the message he got from Vatican II, led Durick to become a strong voice for civil rights in the segregated South, for which he was called a heretic and a communist by his tradition-bound congregation. In 1968–69 especially, he faced serious opposition in the form of boycotts of his public appearances.

He succeeded as bishop of Nashville on September 10, 1969, and resigned April 2, 1975, devoting himself fully to prison ministry. After six years of ministering to prisoners in various locations he was forced to semi-retire due to a severe heart problem and had to go through surgery.

Death

Joseph Durick died at the age of 79 at his home in Bessemer, Alabama, on a Sunday. According to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Nashville, Durick died of cancer.

References
  1. "The Most Reverend Joseph Aloysius Durick, D.D." Roman Catholic Diocese of Nashville, Tennessee. Archived from the original on February 16, 2012. Retrieved 28 February 2011.
  2. "Bishop Joseph Durick, 79, Civil Rights Advocate". The New York Times Company. June 28, 1994. Retrieved April 28, 2015.
  3. Johnathan S. Bass (December 25, 2009). "Joseph Aloysius Durick T.E." The Tennessee Historical Society. Retrieved 28 February 2011.
  • S. Jonathan Bass (2001). Blessed are the Peacemakers. Louisiana State University Press.

Episcopal succession
Catholic Church titles
Preceded by
William Lawrence Adrian		 Bishop of Nashville
1969–1975		 Succeeded by
James Daniel Niedergeses
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