Joseph A. Galante
Encyclopedia
Joseph Anthony Galante (born July 2, 1938) is an American
prelate
of the Roman Catholic Church
. He currently serves as the Bishop of Camden
, having previously served as Bishop of Beaumont
from 1994 to 1999 and Coadjutor Bishop
of Dallas
from 1999 to 2004.
In a Thursday, September 29, 2011 letter to Catholics in his diocese, he announced that for over a year, he had been suffering from chronic kidney disease, which was now at Stage IV (meaning it is severe, near end-stage) and so would require daily, three-hour-long, home-based dialysis
treatments (to be given six days a week). They can be scheduled and done in such a manner that he can, at least for the time being, continue to serve without significant impairment as Bishop of Camden. The worsening renal disease is a result of his struggle with Type 2 diabetes, which he first received treatment for 11 years ago in 2000.
(where he received his BA
in 1960), and the Pontifical Lateran University
(where he received his doctorate in canon law
in 1968) in Rome
. Galante was ordained
to the priesthood
on May 16, 1964.
Prior to his installation as Bishop of Camden in 2004, he announced that if then-Governor of New Jersey
, Jim McGreevey
, attended the installation Mass
, he would deny him communion
due to his remarriage without having had his first marriage annulled by the Church.
. The massive number of proposed closings has even prompted protests and letter writing campaigns to Archbishop
John J. Myers
, the Archbishop of Newark, New Jersey
and Archbishop
Pietro Sambi
the Apostolic Pro-Nuncio in Washington, D.C.
Shortly after the announcement, the Council of Parishes of Southern New Jersey was formed to fight the closings.
Church of Malaga NJ re-entered the church and began an around-the-clock vigil that has attracted regional and national media attention
involving Italian real estate developer Raffaello Follieri, billionaire investor Ronald Burkle
, former President Bill Clinton
and Hollywood actress Anne Hathaway
. The Post reports that Bishop Galante sold Follieri a private beach house for $400,000 in 2007 and that one of Galante's priests misrepresented himself to potential investors. At the time Follieri was negotiating with the Diocese of Camden and other North American Roman Catholic dioceses to buy churches with Burkle money and sell the properties for later profit. Critics of the bishop have raised questions of the timing of the private house sale and his decision to close and sell dozens of diocesan churches. In October, 2008, Follieri pleaded guilty to charges, and Manhattan
Federal Judge
John Koeltl
imposed a 4 1/2 year prison sentence. The Galante/Follieri beach house was put back on the market in 2008 and sold almost two years later for $310,000. Galante is currently not facing charges in regard to the scandal.
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 currently serves as the Bishop of Camden
Roman Catholic Diocese of Camden
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Camden is a particular church or diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church, located in New Jersey, United States, and presides over Roman Catholic parishes and schools in the six southern New Jersey counties of Atlantic, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland,...
, having previously served as Bishop of Beaumont
Roman Catholic Diocese of Beaumont
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Beaumont is a Roman Catholic diocese covering thirteen counties and portions of two others in Texas. The diocese was founded on September 29, 1966; the first bishop was Most Rev. Vincent Madeley Harris, D.D. St. Anthony Cathedral Basilica serves as the cathedral church...
from 1994 to 1999 and Coadjutor Bishop
Coadjutor bishop
A coadjutor bishop is a bishop in the Roman Catholic or Anglican churches who is designated to assist the diocesan bishop in the administration of the diocese, almost as co-bishop of the diocese...
of Dallas
Roman Catholic Diocese of Dallas
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Dallas is a Roman Catholic diocese in Texas. It was founded on July 15, 1890 by Pope Leo XIII. The diocese's cathedral is the Cathedral Shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe....
from 1999 to 2004.
In a Thursday, September 29, 2011 letter to Catholics in his diocese, he announced that for over a year, he had been suffering from chronic kidney disease, which was now at Stage IV (meaning it is severe, near end-stage) and so would require daily, three-hour-long, home-based dialysis
Dialysis
In medicine, dialysis is a process for removing waste and excess water from the blood, and is primarily used to provide an artificial replacement for lost kidney function in people with renal failure...
treatments (to be given six days a week). They can be scheduled and done in such a manner that he can, at least for the time being, continue to serve without significant impairment as Bishop of Camden. The worsening renal disease is a result of his struggle with Type 2 diabetes, which he first received treatment for 11 years ago in 2000.
Biography
Born in Philadelphia, Galante attended Saint Joseph's Preparatory School in Philadelphia, St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in WynnewoodWynnewood, Pennsylvania
Wynnewood, Pennsylvania is a suburban community located outside of Philadelphia in Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania and Haverford Township, Pennsylvania, United States. Wynnewood was named in 1691 for Dr. Thomas Wynne, William Penn's physician and the first Speaker of the Pennsylvania General...
(where he received his BA
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in 1960), and the Pontifical Lateran University
Pontifical Lateran University
The Pontifical Lateran University is a university by pontifical right based in Rome, Italy. The university also hosts the central session of the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family...
(where he received his doctorate in canon law
Doctor of Canon Law
Doctor of Canon Law is the doctoral-level terminal degree in the studies of canon law of the Roman Catholic Church.It may also be abbreviated I.C.D. or dr.iur.can. , ICDr., D.C.L., D.Cnl., D.D.C., or D.Can.L. . Doctor of both laws are J.U.D...
in 1968) in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. Galante 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 May 16, 1964.
Prior to his installation as Bishop of Camden in 2004, he announced that if then-Governor of New Jersey
Governor of New Jersey
The Office of the Governor of New Jersey is the executive branch for the U.S. state of New Jersey. The office of Governor is an elected position, for which elected officials serve four year terms. While individual politicians may serve as many terms as they can be elected to, Governors cannot be...
, Jim McGreevey
Jim McGreevey
James Edward "Jim" McGreevey is an American Democratic politician. He served as the 52nd Governor of New Jersey from January 15, 2002, until he resigned from office at 11:59 pm on November 15, 2004. His term was set to expire on January 17, 2006...
, attended the installation Mass
Mass (liturgy)
"Mass" is one of the names by which the sacrament of the Eucharist is called in the Roman Catholic Church: others are "Eucharist", the "Lord's Supper", the "Breaking of Bread", the "Eucharistic assembly ", the "memorial of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection", the "Holy Sacrifice", the "Holy and...
, he would deny him communion
Eucharist
The Eucharist , also called Holy Communion, the Sacrament of the Altar, the Blessed Sacrament, the Lord's Supper, and other names, is a Christian sacrament or ordinance...
due to his remarriage without having had his first marriage annulled by the Church.
Church Closing Controversies
On April 2, 2008, Galante unilaterally announced large scale mergers and closings of half of the parishes in the Camden diocese. Thus far, the closures have proved to be very controversial. One of the parishes that will be closed recently completed the building of a handicap accessible rectory for its pastor who suffers from multiple sclerosisMultiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis is an inflammatory disease in which the fatty myelin sheaths around the axons of the brain and spinal cord are damaged, leading to demyelination and scarring as well as a broad spectrum of signs and symptoms...
. The massive number of proposed closings has even prompted protests and letter writing campaigns to Archbishop
Archbishop
An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...
John J. Myers
John J. Myers
-References:...
, the Archbishop of Newark, New Jersey
Newark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
and Archbishop
Archbishop
An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...
Pietro Sambi
Pietro Sambi
Pietro Sambi was an Italian Roman Catholic prelate who served in the Vatican's Secretariat of State. At the time of his death, he was the Titular Archbishop of Bellicastrum and the Apostolic Nuncio to the United States....
the Apostolic Pro-Nuncio in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
Shortly after the announcement, the Council of Parishes of Southern New Jersey was formed to fight the closings.
St Mary's Vigil
In January 2011 parishioners of the closed Save St Mary'sSave St Mary's
The Save St Marys campaign began in 2008 to keep open historic St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church in Malaga, NJ after Joseph Anthony Galante, bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Camden, included it in a list of over sixty parishes slated to merge over the next few years.Church members have been...
Church of Malaga NJ re-entered the church and began an around-the-clock vigil that has attracted regional and national media attention
Involvement in the Vati-Con Scandal
On July 18, 2008 the New York Post reported Galante's involvement in the so-called Vati-Con ScandalVati-Con Scandal
Vati-Con is the nickname given to a scandal involving Italian real estate developer Raffaello Follieri, who is accused of misappropriating a $50 million investment from billionaire Ronald Burkle meant to buy up Roman Catholic churches in the United States....
involving Italian real estate developer Raffaello Follieri, billionaire investor Ronald Burkle
Ronald Burkle
Ronald Wayne Burkle is an American business magnate and investor. A major political fundraiser, he is listed on the Forbes 400, with an estimated net worth of $3.2 billion in 2011.-Life and career:...
, former President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
and Hollywood actress Anne Hathaway
Anne Hathaway (actress)
Anne Jacqueline Hathaway is an American actress. After several stage roles, she appeared in the 1999 television series Get Real. She played Mia Thermopolis in The Princess Diaries...
. The Post reports that Bishop Galante sold Follieri a private beach house for $400,000 in 2007 and that one of Galante's priests misrepresented himself to potential investors. At the time Follieri was negotiating with the Diocese of Camden and other North American Roman Catholic dioceses to buy churches with Burkle money and sell the properties for later profit. Critics of the bishop have raised questions of the timing of the private house sale and his decision to close and sell dozens of diocesan churches. In October, 2008, Follieri pleaded guilty to charges, and Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
Federal Judge
United States federal judge
In the United States, the title of federal judge usually means a judge appointed by the President of the United States and confirmed by the United States Senate in accordance with Article II of the United States Constitution....
John Koeltl
John G. Koeltl
John George Koeltl is a judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York in Manhattan.-Education:Koeltl graduated from Regis High School in New York City in 1963...
imposed a 4 1/2 year prison sentence. The Galante/Follieri beach house was put back on the market in 2008 and sold almost two years later for $310,000. Galante is currently not facing charges in regard to the scandal.