Thomas Joseph Grady
Encyclopedia
Thomas Joseph Grady was an American
prelate
of the Roman Catholic Church
. He was the second Bishop of Orlando
from 1974 to 1989, having previously served as an auxiliary bishop
of the Archdiocese of Chicago
from 1967 to 1974.
, Illinois
, the son of a police captain who twice arrested Al Capone
. He attended Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary
and St. Mary of the Lake Seminary
. On April 23, 1938, he was ordained
to the priesthood
by Cardinal George Mundelein.
Grady studied in Rome
for a year before returning to Chicago, where he earned a Master of Arts
degree in English from Loyola University
in 1944. He taught at Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary and later joined the faculty of St. Mary of the Lake Seminary, serving as procurator. In 1956, he was appointed director of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception
in Washington, D.C.
, the largest Catholic church in the United States. As director, Grady oversaw a period of massive construction for the church, assuming his position just as building resumed after a 20-year hiatus. He worked with builders and architects to oversee the cladding of its interior and exterior with limestone
and marble
, the addition of 26 side chapel
s, the completion of the "Christ in Majesty
" mosaic, and the installation of a massive pipe organ
. Shortly after the 1963 assassination
of President
John F. Kennedy
, he celebrated a Mass
for President Lyndon B. Johnson
using a gold and bejeweled "Texas chalice
."
On June 21, 1967, Grady was appointed Auxiliary Bishop
of Chicago and Titular Bishop
of Vamalla by Pope Paul VI
. He received his episcopal
consecration
on the following August 24 from Cardinal John Cody, with Bishops Cletus F. O'Donnell
and Aloysius John Wycislo
serving as co-consecrators
. As an auxiliary bishop, he served as vicar general
of the archdiocese, started the permanent diaconate
program, and headed the Archdiocesan Liturgy Committee. Following the transfer of Bishop William Donald Borders
to the Archdiocese of Baltimore
, Grady was appointed the second Bishop of Orlando
, Florida
, on November 11, 1974. He was installed on December 16 of that year.
During his 15-year tenure in Orlando, Grady guided the diocese through a period of significant growth. He oversaw the establishment 18 new parishes, a tourism ministry, the San Pedro Spiritual Development Center, and a Mission Office to forge a relationship with a sister diocese in the Dominican Republic
. He expanded ministries to migrants and minorities, founded a scholarship program for African American
students, and helped develop apartment buildings for the elderly. He also wrote a weekly column called "The Bishop's Corner" for the Florida Catholic weekly newspaper.
After reaching the mandatory retirement age of 75, Grady resigned as Bishop on December 12, 1989. He later died from a kidney ailment at him home in Altamonte Springs
, at age 87.
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 was the second Bishop of Orlando
Roman Catholic Diocese of Orlando
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Orlando is a Roman Catholic diocese in Florida. It was established on June 18, 1968. Prior to that the Central Florida area was part of the Diocese of St. Augustine. Today the diocese encompasses nine counties including Orange, Osceola, Seminole, Marion, Lake,...
from 1974 to 1989, having previously served as an 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 the Archdiocese of Chicago
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago
The Archdiocese of Chicago was established as a diocese in 1843 and as an Archdiocese in 1880. It serves more than 2.3 million Catholics in Cook and Lake counties in Northeastern Illinois, a geographic area of 1,411 square miles. The Archdiocese is divided into six vicariates and 31 deaneries...
from 1967 to 1974.
Biography
Thomas Grady was born in ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, the son of a police captain who twice arrested Al Capone
Al Capone
Alphonse Gabriel "Al" Capone was an American gangster who led a Prohibition-era crime syndicate. The Chicago Outfit, which subsequently became known as the "Capones", was dedicated to smuggling and bootlegging liquor, and other illegal activities such as prostitution, in Chicago from the early...
. He attended Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary
Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary
Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary was an American seminary preparatory school administered by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago for young men considering the priesthood...
and St. Mary of the Lake Seminary
University of Saint Mary of the Lake
University of Saint Mary of the Lake, also called Mundelein Seminary, is the principal seminary and school of theology for the formation of priests in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago, governed from Chicago, Illinois in the United States. It is recognized as the first institution of higher...
. On April 23, 1938, 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....
by Cardinal George Mundelein.
Grady studied 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...
for a year before returning to Chicago, where he earned a Master of Arts
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
degree in English from Loyola University
Loyola University Chicago
Loyola University Chicago is a private Jesuit research university located in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1870 under the title St...
in 1944. He taught at Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary and later joined the faculty of St. Mary of the Lake Seminary, serving as procurator. In 1956, he was appointed director of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception
Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception
The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception is a prominent Latin Rite Catholic basilica located in Washington, D.C., honoring the Blessed Virgin Mary as Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, the Patroness of the United States...
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....
, the largest Catholic church in the United States. As director, Grady oversaw a period of massive construction for the church, assuming his position just as building resumed after a 20-year hiatus. He worked with builders and architects to oversee the cladding of its interior and exterior with limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
and marble
Marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
, the addition of 26 side chapel
Chapel
A chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
s, the completion of the "Christ in Majesty
Christ in Majesty
Christ in Majesty, or Christ in Glory, in Latin Majestas Domini, is the Western Christian image of Christ seated on a throne as ruler of the world, always seen frontally in the centre of the composition, and often flanked by other sacred figures, whose membership changes over time and according to...
" mosaic, and the installation of a massive pipe organ
Pipe organ
The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air through pipes selected via a keyboard. Because each organ pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ranks, each of which has a common timbre and volume throughout the keyboard compass...
. Shortly after the 1963 assassination
John F. Kennedy assassination
John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the thirty-fifth President of the United States, was assassinated at 12:30 p.m. Central Standard Time on Friday, November 22, 1963, in Dealey Plaza, Dallas, Texas...
of President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
, he celebrated a 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...
for President Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson , often referred to as LBJ, was the 36th President of the United States after his service as the 37th Vice President of the United States...
using a gold and bejeweled "Texas chalice
Chalice
A chalice is a goblet or footed cup intended to hold a drink. This can also refer to;* Holy Chalice, the vessel which Jesus used at the Last Supper to serve the wine* Chalice , a type of smoking pipe...
."
On June 21, 1967, Grady 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 Chicago 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 Vamalla 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 August 24 from Cardinal John Cody, with Bishops Cletus F. O'Donnell
Cletus F. O'Donnell
Cletus Francis O'Donnell was the second bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Madison, in Madison, Wisconsin.Born in Waukon, Iowa, he was ordained to the priesthood on May 3, 1941, for the Archdiocese of Chicago...
and Aloysius John Wycislo
Aloysius John Wycislo
Aloysius John Wycisło was the 8th bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Green Bay, Wisconsin. He served from 1968 to 1983 after serving as an auxiliary bishop in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago.-Background:...
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...
. As an auxiliary bishop, he served as 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...
of the archdiocese, started the permanent diaconate
Deacon
Deacon is a ministry in the Christian Church that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions...
program, and headed the Archdiocesan Liturgy Committee. Following the transfer of Bishop William Donald Borders
William Donald Borders
William Donald Borders was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He was the 13th Archbishop of Baltimore from 1974 to 1989, having previously served as the first Bishop of Orlando from 1968 to 1974...
to the Archdiocese of Baltimore
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore
The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Baltimore is a particular church of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States. The archdiocese comprises the City of Baltimore as well as Allegany, Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Frederick, Garrett, Harford, Howard, and Washington Counties in Maryland...
, Grady was appointed the second Bishop of Orlando
Roman Catholic Diocese of Orlando
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Orlando is a Roman Catholic diocese in Florida. It was established on June 18, 1968. Prior to that the Central Florida area was part of the Diocese of St. Augustine. Today the diocese encompasses nine counties including Orange, Osceola, Seminole, Marion, Lake,...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, on November 11, 1974. He was installed on December 16 of that year.
During his 15-year tenure in Orlando, Grady guided the diocese through a period of significant growth. He oversaw the establishment 18 new parishes, a tourism ministry, the San Pedro Spiritual Development Center, and a Mission Office to forge a relationship with a sister diocese in the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
. He expanded ministries to migrants and minorities, founded a scholarship program 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...
students, and helped develop apartment buildings for the elderly. He also wrote a weekly column called "The Bishop's Corner" for the Florida Catholic weekly newspaper.
After reaching the mandatory retirement age of 75, Grady resigned as Bishop on December 12, 1989. He later died from a kidney ailment at him home in Altamonte Springs
Altamonte Springs, Florida
Altamonte Springs is a city in Seminole county in the U.S. state of Florida, which had a population of 41,496 at the 2010 census. Located primarily in Seminole County, the city is in the northern suburbs of the Orlando–Kissimmee-Sanford Metropolitan Statistical Area, which the United States...
, at age 87.