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SCRANTON – The Most Reverend John M. Dougherty, D.D., Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus of Scranton, died April 16, 2022, at his family’s home in Scranton. He was born April 29, 1932, in Scranton, the son of the late Edward A. and Irene C. Kern Dougherty. He was installed as the sixth auxiliary bishop of Scranton on March 7, 1995, and served until August 31, 2009, when Pope Benedict XVI accepted his resignation two years after reaching the mandatory retirement age. As a member of Saint Paul Parish, Scranton, Bishop Dougherty attended the parochial grade school and graduated from Saint Paul High School in June 1949. In September of the same year, Bishop Dougherty entered Saint Charles College, Catonsville, Md., where he studied for two years. In the spring of 1951, Bishop Dougherty applied to become a seminary student for the Diocese of Scranton. He began his priestly studies on September 19, 1951, at St. Mary’s Seminary, Baltimore, Md. Bishop Dougherty earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from St. Mary’s in June 1953. Three years later, he received a Master of Arts in Philosophy from the University of Notre Dame. Bishop Dougherty returned to further studies at St. Mary’s where he earned a Licentiate in Sacred Theology in 1957. Bishop Dougherty was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Scranton in the Cathedral of Saint Peter, Scranton, on June 15, 1957, by Bishop Jerome D. Hannan. On June 29, 1957, Bishop Dougherty was appointed assistant pastor of Saint Ann Parish, Tobyhanna, a community he served for more than seven years. In preparation for the opening of St. Pius X Seminary, Dalton, in September 1962, he was named Professor of Ascetical Theology by Bishop Hannan on March 28, 1962. Bishop Dougherty was given an additional responsibility in September 1964, which brought him to his first post in the Chancery. He was appointed Director of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith by Bishop Hannan. On May 19, 1968, Pope Paul VI named Bishop Dougherty a Chaplain of His Holiness with the title of Monsignor. In the same year, he was appointed Vicar for Religious by Bishop J. Carroll McCormick. Four years later, Bishop McCormick appointed him Assistant Chancellor of the Diocese. A further responsibility was placed on Bishop Dougherty when he assumed the duties of the Diocesan Pro-Life Director in February 1976. The following year, on September 6, 1977, Bishop Dougherty was appointed Chancellor of the Diocese of Scranton by Bishop McCormick. He was named a Prelate of Honor on November 2, 1978, by Pope John Paul II. On June 7, 1984, the day of Bishop James C. Timlin’s installation as the Eighth Bishop of Scranton, Bishop Dougherty was appointed Vicar General, Moderator of the Curia and Diocesan Consultor. Bishop Dougherty was named pastor of Saint Patrick Parish, Scranton, on September 4, 1985. The parish community included the churches of Saint Patrick, Holy Cross, Saint John the Baptist and Immaculate Heart of Mary. Pope John Paul II named Bishop Dougherty the Titular Bishop of Sufetula and Auxiliary to the Bishop of Scranton on February 7, 1995. His episcopal ordination took place on March 7, 1995, in the Cathedral of Saint Peter, Scranton, with Bishop James C. Timlin serving as consecrator. At the time of his Episcopal Appointment, Cardinal John O’Connor, seventh Bishop of the Diocese of Scranton, lauded Bishop Dougherty’s wisdom, pastoral concern, deep spirituality and profound respect for every human person, saying no one was more respected or admired by the priests, deacons, religious and people of Scranton. On June 30, 1995, Bishop Dougherty was appointed Rector of Villa Saint Joseph, Dunmore, a position he held for nearly nine years. On March 1, 2004, Bishop Joseph F. Martino gave him significant additional collaborative responsibility in the daily administration of the Diocese by naming him Vicar for Administration, a newly created central administrative post at the time. Bishop Dougherty continued his service to the Diocese through appointments on the Council of Priests and Board of Consultors between 2005 and 2010. Even after retirement, as Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus, Bishop Dougherty served in residence at Christ the King Parish in Archbald prior to Bishop Joseph C. Bambera appointing him to serve as Administrator, pro tem, at Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary Parish in Jermyn in June 2019. Since his ordination to the priesthood in 1957 and the various pastoral, teaching and administrative positions within the Diocese, Bishop Dougherty also was a member of the American Catholic Historical Association and was elected by Catholic Distance University in Hamilton, Va., to serve on its board of trustees. Details of funeral arrangements are pending and will be communicated once finalized. A memorial page is available on a special section of the Diocese of Scranton website at dioceseofscranton.org. This page will also have the latest information on funeral arrangements. |
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