Francis James Harrison
Encyclopedia
Francis James Harrison was an American
prelate
of the Roman Catholic Church
. He served as Bishop of Syracuse
from 1977 to 1987.
, New York
, to Francis and Mary (née Flynn) Harrison. He graduated from St. Lucy Academy, where he was class president
and valedictorian
, in 1929. He attended the University of Notre Dame
in Indiana
, where he played varsity
baseball
, before entering St. Bernard's Seminary
in Rochester
in 1931. He was ordained
to the priesthood
on June 4, 1937. During his priestly ministry, he served as assistant director of Utica
Catholic Charities
; curate
at Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Utica, St. Mary of the Assumption in Binghamton
, and the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Syracuse; and founding pastor
of St. Andrew the Apostle in Syracuse, St. Patrick in Binghamton, and St. James in Syracuse.
On March 1, 1971, Harrison was appointed Auxiliary Bishop
of Syracuse and Titular Bishop
of Aquae in Numidia by Pope Paul VI
. He received his episcopal
consecration
on the following April 22 from Bishop David Frederick Cunningham
, with Bishops Stanislaus Joseph Brzana
and Joseph Lloyd Hogan
serving as co-consecrators
. Following the resignation of Bishop Cunningham, Harrison was named the seventh Bishop of Syracuse
on November 9, 1976. He was installed
at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception on February 6, 1977. He was the first native of Syracuse to head the diocese.
Harrison practiced a collegial
manner of governing, and worked to include laity
and especially women in diocesan affairs. He launched diocesan programs for African American
s, Hispanic
, Native Americans
, and the disabled. He once played a game of golf
with entertainer Bob Hope
, who later recorded a radio
ad for the diocese's first HOPE Appeal, an annual fundraiser Harrison started in 1978. In 1980 he called for the United States
to cease its aid to El Salvador
following the murder of three nun
s, declaring, "As Christians and as Americans, we cannot condone our resources and our tax dollars being used to help any foreign government repress its own people so brutally." He later expressed his opposition to military aid for Nicaragua
.
Shortly before reaching the mandatory retirement age of 75, Harrison resigned as bishop on June 16, 1987. He later died at St. Camillus Health and Rehabilitation Center, aged 91. He is buried at St. Agnes Cemetery in Syracuse.
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 Syracuse
Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse
The Diocese of Syracuse is a Catholic diocese headquartered in Syracuse, New York, USA. The current bishop is the Most Rev. Robert J. Cunningham. The Diocese of Syracuse includes 350,000 Catholics residing in seven counties of Central and South Central New York State...
from 1977 to 1987.
Biography
One of six children, Francis Harrison was born in SyracuseSyracuse, New York
Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, to Francis and Mary (née Flynn) Harrison. He graduated from St. Lucy Academy, where he was class president
Class President
A class president is usually the leader of a student body class, and presides over its class cabinet or organization within a student council, in a grade school class presidents are generally elected by the class, a constituency composed of all students in a grade level.The practice of electing a...
and valedictorian
Valedictorian
Valedictorian is an academic title conferred upon the student who delivers the closing or farewell statement at a graduation ceremony. Usually, the valedictorian is the highest ranked student among those graduating from an educational institution...
, in 1929. He attended the University of Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
in Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
, where he played varsity
Varsity team
In the United States and Canada, varsity sports teams are the principal athletic teams representing a college, university, high school or other secondary school. Such teams compete against the principal athletic teams at other colleges/universities, or in the case of secondary schools, against...
baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
, before entering St. Bernard's Seminary
St. Bernard's School of Theology and Ministry
St. Bernard's School of Theology and Ministry is a Roman Catholic theological school in Rochester, New York. It was founded in 1893 as a seminary, and was one of the first US seminaries to accept laity. It is the official repository for the writings and papers of the noted evangelist and author,...
in Rochester
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
in 1931. He 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....
on June 4, 1937. During his priestly ministry, he served as assistant director of Utica
Utica, New York
Utica is a city in and the county seat of Oneida County, New York, United States. The population was 62,235 at the 2010 census, an increase of 2.6% from the 2000 census....
Catholic Charities
Catholic Charities
Catholic Charities is a network of charities whose aim is "to provide service to people in need, to advocate for justice in social structures, and to call the entire church and other people of good will to do the same." It is one of the largest charities in the United States...
; curate
Curate
A curate is a person who is invested with the care or cure of souls of a parish. In this sense "curate" correctly means a parish priest but in English-speaking countries a curate is an assistant to the parish priest...
at Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Utica, St. Mary of the Assumption in Binghamton
Binghamton, New York
Binghamton is a city in the Southern Tier of New York in the United States. It is near the Pennsylvania border, in a bowl-shaped valley at the confluence of the Susquehanna and Chenango Rivers...
, and the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Syracuse; and founding 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. Andrew the Apostle in Syracuse, St. Patrick in Binghamton, and St. James in Syracuse.
On March 1, 1971, Harrison was appointed 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 Syracuse 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 Aquae in Numidia 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
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....
consecration
Consecration
Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service, usually religious. The word "consecration" literally means "to associate with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different groups...
on the following April 22 from Bishop David Frederick Cunningham
David Frederick Cunningham
David Frederick Cunningham was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Syracuse from 1970 to 1976.-Biography:...
, with Bishops Stanislaus Joseph Brzana
Stanislaus Joseph Brzana
Stanislaus Joseph Brzana was the tenth Roman Catholic Bishop of Ogdensburg .Stanislaus Brzana was born in Buffalo, New York, to Frank and Catherine Brzana. He studied at at St. Bonaventure University, and was ordained to the priesthood on June 7, 1941...
and Joseph Lloyd Hogan
Joseph Lloyd Hogan
Joseph Lloyd Hogan was the seventh Roman Catholic bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester, New York....
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...
. Following the resignation of Bishop Cunningham, Harrison was named the seventh Bishop of Syracuse
Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse
The Diocese of Syracuse is a Catholic diocese headquartered in Syracuse, New York, USA. The current bishop is the Most Rev. Robert J. Cunningham. The Diocese of Syracuse includes 350,000 Catholics residing in seven counties of Central and South Central New York State...
on November 9, 1976. He 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 the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception on February 6, 1977. He was the first native of Syracuse to head the diocese.
Harrison practiced a collegial
Collegiality
Collegiality is the relationship between colleagues.Colleagues are those explicitly united in a common purpose and respecting each other's abilities to work toward that purpose...
manner of governing, and worked to include laity
Laity
In religious organizations, the laity comprises all people who are not in the clergy. A person who is a member of a religious order who is not ordained legitimate clergy is considered as a member of the laity, even though they are members of a religious order .In the past in Christian cultures, the...
and especially women in diocesan affairs. He launched diocesan programs for African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
s, Hispanic
Hispanic and Latino Americans
Hispanic or Latino Americans are Americans with origins in the Hispanic countries of Latin America or in Spain, and in general all persons in the United States who self-identify as Hispanic or Latino.1990 Census of Population and Housing: A self-designated classification for people whose origins...
, 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...
, and the disabled. He once played a game of golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
with entertainer Bob Hope
Bob Hope
Bob Hope, KBE, KCSG, KSS was a British-born American comedian and actor who appeared in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in radio, television and movies. He was also noted for his work with the US Armed Forces and his numerous USO shows entertaining American military personnel...
, who later recorded a radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
ad for the diocese's first HOPE Appeal, an annual fundraiser Harrison started in 1978. In 1980 he called for the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to cease its aid to El Salvador
El Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
following the murder of three nun
Nun
A nun is a woman who has taken vows committing her to live a spiritual life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...
s, declaring, "As Christians and as Americans, we cannot condone our resources and our tax dollars being used to help any foreign government repress its own people so brutally." He later expressed his opposition to military aid for Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
.
Shortly before reaching the mandatory retirement age of 75, Harrison resigned as bishop on June 16, 1987. He later died at St. Camillus Health and Rehabilitation Center, aged 91. He is buried at St. Agnes Cemetery in Syracuse.