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Archbishops of
Baltimore
William Cardinal Keeler
Current Archbishop of Baltimore
William Henry Keeler was born March 4, 1931 in San Antonio, Texas,
the son of Thomas L. Keeler and Margaret T. (Conway) Keeler. He was
raised in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, where he attended St. Mary School and
Lebanon Catholic High School. He received a B.A. from St.
Charles Seminary, Overbrook, Philadelphia, in 1952 and a Licentiate in
Sacred Theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome in
1956.
Ordained a priest on July 17, 1955, in the Church of the Holy
Apostles Rome by Archbishop (and future Cardinal) Luigi Traglia, the
young cleric became assistant pastor at Our Lady of Good Counsel
Church, Marysville, and secretary of the diocesan Tribunal
(1956-1958). He was then assigned to study Canon Law at the Pontifical
Gregorian University in Rome. In 1961, he received his doctorate in
Canon Law and was reappointed by Bishop George L. Leech as assistant
pastor of Our Lady of Good Counsel Church and defender of the bond of
the diocesan Tribunal. In 1964, be was named pastor of the Marysville
parish.
As secretary to Bishop Leech during the Second Vatican Council
meetings in Rome (1962-1965), he was appointed peritus or
"special advisor" to the Council by Pope John XXIII. During
the Council, he also served on the staff of the Council Digest, a
daily communication service sponsored by the United States Bishops.
In 1965, he was appointed to serve as Vice Chancellor of the
Harrisburg Diocese and, in time, Chancellor (l969) and later Vicar
General. He held the latter position when he was appointed Auxiliary
Bishop of Harrisburg and Titular Bishop of Ulcinium (Dulcigno) by Pope
John Paul II on July 24, 1979. His episcopal ordination occurred on
September 21, 1979, at St Patrick Cathedral, Harrisburg.
On September 3, 1983, he was elected Administrator of the Diocese
of Harrisburg by the College of Consultors. Pope John Paul II
appointed him Bishop of Harrisburg on November 10, 1983, and he was
installed as Bishop on January 4, 1984, by His Eminence John Cardinal
Krol, Archbishop of Philadelphia.
He was appointed Archbishop of Baltimore by Pope John Paul II on
April 11, 1989, and was formally installed as 14th Archbishop of the
nation's oldest See on May 23 in ceremonies at the Cathedral of Mary
Our Queen.
See an explanation of his crest by clicking on it.
An influential participant in a wide range of national and
international issues, Keeler was elected President of the National
Conference of Catholic Bishops (NCCB) and the United States Catholic
Conference in November, 1992.
As part of his work with the NCCB, Cardinal Keeler has developed a
reputation for effectively building interfaith bonds. He is
particularly noted for his work in fostering an effective
Catholic-Jewish dialogue and is the Episcopal Moderator,
Catholic-Jewish Relations of the National Conference of Catholic
Bishops.
As chairman of the NCCB's Committee for Ecumenical and
Interreligious Affairs from 1984 to November 1987, he helped arrange
the Pope's meetings with Jewish leaders in Miami and with Protestant
leaders in Columbia S.C., during the 1987 papal visit.
The Archbishop was appointed to the Pontifical Council for
Promoting Christian Unity in the summer of 1994, and to the
Congregation for the Oriental Churches in November, 1994. He was
elected to the College of Cardinals by Pope John Paul II on November
26, 1994. The Consistory ceremony took place in the Pope Paul VI
Audience Hall, Vatican City State.
The Cardinal currently serves on the Pontifical Council for
Promoting Christian Unity and the Congregation for the Oriental
Churches.
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