J. Kevin Boland
John Kevin Boland (born April 25, 1935) is an Irish-born American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. Boland served as bishop of the Diocese of Savannah in Georgia from 1995 to 2011.
Contents
- 1 Biography
- 1.1 Early life
- 1.2 Priesthood
- 1.3 Bishop of Savannah
- 2 Retirement
- 3 See also
- 4 References
- 5 External links
Biography
Early life
John Kevin Boland was born in Monkstown, County Cork, Ireland in 1935 to John Joseph and Gertrude O’Brien. His brother, Raymond James Boland, was bishop of the Diocese of Kansas City-Saint Joseph in Missouri. John Boland attended Christian Brothers College in Cork and All Hallows Seminary in Dublin.
Priesthood
On June 14, 1959, Boland was ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Savannah by Archbishop John McQuaid of Dublin. In September 1959, Boland arrived in Georgia to *ume the position of *istant pastor at St. Mary on the Hill Parish in Augusta, Georgia. In 1961, he was posted as *ociate pastor at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist Parish in Savannah until 1962. Boland also attended the Catholic University of America part-time for his master's degree between 1962 and 1964.
Boland was appointed pastor in 1967 of St. Michael Parish in Tybee Island, Georgia, staying there until 1968. In 1970, he returned to the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist Parish as rector. Boland moved in 1972 to Blessed Sacrament Parish in Savannah. In 1974, Boland attended the Pontifical North American College in Rome in its Continuing Education program.
In 1983, Boland became pastor of St. Anne Parish in Columbus, Georgia. While there, he attended summer programs for three years at Fordham University in New York City to obtain his master's degree in 1989.
Bishop of Savannah
On February 7, 1995, Pope John Paul II appointed Boland as bishop of Savannah. His episcopal ordination took place on April 18, 1995, at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Savannah.
Boland was a member of the Pastoral Practices Committee of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops USCCB). He served on the board of the Southeast Pastoral Ins*ute in Miami, Florida. He was Region IV representative to the USCCB Administrative Committee and a member of the USCCB Communications Committee. In November 2001 he was named chair of the Committee on Marriage and Family Life. In November 2002, Boland became a member of the USCCB Budget and Finance Committee. Boland is currently a board member of the All Hallows Missionary College Fund and a trustee for Catholic Mutual Group.
In 2003, Boland wrote a letter to the Chicago Province of the Society of Jesus, expressing concerns about Donald J. McGuire, a Jesuit priest known for running youth retreats in Georgia. Boland was forwarding the complaints of a Georgia couple whose son had attended one retreat. The boy told his parents that McGuire showed him adult movieography and shared his bed with him. A few years later, McGuire was convicted of child sexual abuse and sentenced to 25 years in prison. On November 4, 2009, the diocese agreed to a $4.24 million lawsuit settlement with Allan Ranta, a victim of sexual abuse by Wayland Y. Brown, a diocese priest. Boland released this statement:
I am sorry for all the pain and suffering experienced by Mr. Ranta and my prayers go out not only to him, but to all victims of child sexual abuse that each may find the healing they seek.
Retirement
Boland reached the mandatory retirement age of 75 on April 25, 2010, and submitted his resignation to Pope Benedict XVI.
See also
Portals:BiographyCatholicismGeorgia (U.S. state)- Catholic Church hierarchy
- Catholic Church in the United States
- Historical list of the Catholic bishops of the United States
- List of Catholic bishops of the United States
- Lists of patriarchs, archbishops, and bishops
References
External links
- Diocese of Savannah
- Biography of Bishop Boland