Nicholas C. Dattilo
Encyclopedia
Nicholas Carmen Dattilo (March 8, 1932—March 5, 2004) was an American
prelate
of the Roman Catholic Church
. He served as Bishop of Harrisburg
, Pennsylvania
, from 1990 until his death in 2004.
, Pennsylvania
, to Frank and Emma (née Nocera) Dattilo. After studying at St. Vincent Seminary
in Latrobe
and St. Charles Borromeo Seminary
in Overbrook, he was ordained
to the priesthood
on May 31, 1958. He then served as a parochial vicar
at St. Patrick Church in Canonsburg
until 1971, also briefly serving at St. Colman Church in Turtle Creek
. He was pastor
of Madonna del Castello Church in Swissvale
from 1971 to 1981, and of St. Vitus Church in New Castle
from 1981 to 1985. In 1985, he was named Secretary for Clergy and Pastoral Life for the Pittsburgh Diocese
, later becoming its vicar general
.
On November 21, 1989, Dattilo was appointed the eighth Bishop of Harrisburg
by Pope John Paul II
. He received his episcopal consecration
on January 26, 1990 from Archbishop Anthony Bevilacqua, with Bishops William Henry Keeler
and Donald William Wuerl serving as co-consecrators
, at St. Patrick's Cathedral
. As head of the Harrisburg Diocese
, he was the spiritual leader of the Catholics in South Central Pennsylvania
. Shortly after Dattilo's consecration, a three-year Consultations Process was begun to assess the needs and resources of the local Church in preparation for the next century. This resulted in a major reorganization of parishes
and missions
, because of populations shifts within the fifteen counties of the Diocese. During his tenure, the overall number of parishes was reduced from 120 to 89, resulting in 23 appeals and years of protests.
In 1998 Dattilo established the Ecclesial Lay Ministry Program, a three-year formation program to prepare trained lay
leaders, and directed that the needs of Catholic school
s be studied. Following the closure of Villa Vianney, he approved construction for a new residence for retired priests in 1999. He also finalized plans for a diocesan conference center, with the groundbreaking ceremony being held in October 1999.
Dattilo was hospitalized in February 2004 for kidney failure
, diabetes
and heart and respiratory
problems. He later died at Holy Spirit Hospital in Camp Hill
, three days before his 72nd birthday. His funeral Mass
was at Good Shepherd Church in Camp Hill, as St. Patrick's Cathedral was undergoing renovations.
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 Harrisburg
Roman Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg covers 15 counties of South Central Pennsylvania: Adams, Columbia, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Juniata, Lancaster, Lebanon, Mifflin, Montour, Northumberland, Perry, Snyder, Union and York. The seat of the bishop is in St...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, from 1990 until his death in 2004.
Biography
The oldest of six children, Nicholas Dattilo was born in MahoningtownMahoningtown, Pennsylvania
Mahoningtown is a neighborhood in the southwestern part of the city of New Castle, Pennsylvania, United States. Though it is named for the nearby Mahoning River, the city actually sits on the banks of the Shenango River. The two rivers merge and become the Beaver River just south of the...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, to Frank and Emma (née Nocera) Dattilo. After studying at St. Vincent Seminary
Saint Vincent Seminary
Saint Vincent Seminary is the fourth oldest Roman Catholic seminary in the United States and is located in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, forty miles southeast of Pittsburgh....
in Latrobe
Latrobe, Pennsylvania
Latrobe is a city in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania in the United States, approximately southeast of Pittsburgh.The city population was 7,634 as of the 2000 census . It is located near the Pennsylvania's scenic Chestnut Ridge. Latrobe was incorporated as a borough in 1854, and as a city in 1999...
and St. Charles Borromeo Seminary
St. Charles Borromeo Seminary
St. Charles Borromeo Seminary is the seminary of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Named for Charles Borromeo, it is located in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania,...
in Overbrook, 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 May 31, 1958. He then served as a parochial vicar
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 St. Patrick Church in Canonsburg
Canonsburg, Pennsylvania
Canonsburg is a borough in Washington County, Pennsylvania, southwest of Pittsburgh. Canonsburg was laid out by Colonel John Canon in 1789 and incorporated in 1802....
until 1971, also briefly serving at St. Colman Church in Turtle Creek
Turtle Creek, Pennsylvania
Turtle Creek is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, southeast of Pittsburgh. The population was 5,349 at the 2010 census. George Westinghouse gave life to the place by constructing a manufacturing plant nearby. Turtle Creek takes its name from a small stream that flows into the...
. He was 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 Madonna del Castello Church in Swissvale
Swissvale, Pennsylvania
Swissvale is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, east of downtown Pittsburgh. Named for a farmstead owned by abolitionist and early feminist Jane Swisshelm, during the industrial age it was the site of the Union Switch and Signal Company of George Westinghouse. The population was 8,983 at...
from 1971 to 1981, and of St. Vitus Church in New Castle
New Castle, Pennsylvania
New Castle is a city in Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, United States, northwest of Pittsburgh and near the Pennsylvania-Ohio border just east of Youngstown, Ohio; in 1910, the total population was 36,280; in 1920, 44,938; and in 1940, 47,638. The population has fallen to 26,309 according to the...
from 1981 to 1985. In 1985, he was named Secretary for Clergy and Pastoral Life for the Pittsburgh Diocese
Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh is a Roman Catholic diocese. It was established in Western Pennsylvania on August 11, 1843. The diocese includes 211 parishes in the counties of Allegheny, Beaver, Butler, Greene, Lawrence, and Washington, an area of with a Catholic population of 719,801...
, later becoming its vicar general
Vicar general
A vicar general is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar general exercises the bishop's ordinary executive power over the entire diocese and, thus, is the highest official in a diocese or other particular...
.
On November 21, 1989, Dattilo was appointed the eighth Bishop of Harrisburg
Roman Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg covers 15 counties of South Central Pennsylvania: Adams, Columbia, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Juniata, Lancaster, Lebanon, Mifflin, Montour, Northumberland, Perry, Snyder, Union and York. The seat of the bishop is in St...
by Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
. He received his episcopal consecration
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....
on January 26, 1990 from Archbishop Anthony Bevilacqua, with Bishops William Henry Keeler
William Henry Keeler
William Henry Keeler is an American Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Baltimore from 1989 to 2007 and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1994....
and Donald William Wuerl 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...
, at St. Patrick's Cathedral
Cathedral of Saint Patrick in Harrisburg
The Cathedral of Saint Patrick in Harrisburg is a cathedral of the Catholic Church in the United States. It is the motherchurch of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg and is the seat of its prelate bishop. The cathedral was built from 1904 to 1907, is Italian Renaissance in style and capped...
. As head of the Harrisburg Diocese
Roman Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg covers 15 counties of South Central Pennsylvania: Adams, Columbia, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Juniata, Lancaster, Lebanon, Mifflin, Montour, Northumberland, Perry, Snyder, Union and York. The seat of the bishop is in St...
, he was the spiritual leader of the Catholics in South Central Pennsylvania
South Central Pennsylvania
South Central Pennsylvania is a region of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania that includes the fourteen counties of Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Huntingdon, Juniata, Lancaster, Lebanon, Mifflin, Northumberland, Perry, Schuylkill, Snyder, and York....
. Shortly after Dattilo's consecration, a three-year Consultations Process was begun to assess the needs and resources of the local Church in preparation for the next century. This resulted in a major reorganization of parishes
Parish (Catholic Church)
In the Roman Catholic Church, a parish is the lowest ecclesiastical geographical subdivision: from ecclesiastical province to diocese to deanery to parish.-Requirements:A parish needs two things under common law to become a parish...
and missions
Mission (Christian)
Christian missionary activities often involve sending individuals and groups , to foreign countries and to places in their own homeland. This has frequently involved not only evangelization , but also humanitarian work, especially among the poor and disadvantaged...
, because of populations shifts within the fifteen counties of the Diocese. During his tenure, the overall number of parishes was reduced from 120 to 89, resulting in 23 appeals and years of protests.
In 1998 Dattilo established the Ecclesial Lay Ministry Program, a three-year formation program to prepare trained lay
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...
leaders, and directed that the needs of Catholic school
Catholic school
Catholic schools are maintained parochial schools or education ministries of the Catholic Church. the Church operates the world's largest non-governmental school system...
s be studied. Following the closure of Villa Vianney, he approved construction for a new residence for retired priests in 1999. He also finalized plans for a diocesan conference center, with the groundbreaking ceremony being held in October 1999.
Dattilo was hospitalized in February 2004 for kidney failure
Renal failure
Renal failure or kidney failure describes a medical condition in which the kidneys fail to adequately filter toxins and waste products from the blood...
, diabetes
Diabetes mellitus
Diabetes mellitus, often simply referred to as diabetes, is a group of metabolic diseases in which a person has high blood sugar, either because the body does not produce enough insulin, or because cells do not respond to the insulin that is produced...
and heart and respiratory
Respiratory system
The respiratory system is the anatomical system of an organism that introduces respiratory gases to the interior and performs gas exchange. In humans and other mammals, the anatomical features of the respiratory system include airways, lungs, and the respiratory muscles...
problems. He later died at Holy Spirit Hospital in Camp Hill
Camp Hill, Pennsylvania
Camp Hill is a borough in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, 2 miles southwest of Harrisburg. It is part of the Harrisburg–Carlisle Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 7,636 at the 2000 census...
, three days before his 72nd birthday. His funeral Mass
Requiem
A Requiem or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead or Mass of the dead , is a Mass celebrated for the repose of the soul or souls of one or more deceased persons, using a particular form of the Roman Missal...
was at Good Shepherd Church in Camp Hill, as St. Patrick's Cathedral was undergoing renovations.