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Noted homilist, educator, mentor to many, ‘a true pastor’
archived from: 2010-03-08
by: Patricia Bartos

Bishop McDowell is recalled for contributions to the local and national church

“We have lost a priest and bishop of deep faith and a generous heart who used his God-given gifts for the good of the church that have blessed us in so many different ways,” Bishop David Zubik said in announcing the death Feb. 25 of retired Aux. Bishop John B. McDowell.

Bishop McDowell, who oversaw the Catholic school system in the diocese for many decades and built a national reputation for his work, died in UPMC Passavant Hospital in McCandless Township at the age of 88.

He had been a bishop for 43 years, a priest for 64 years, and remained active throughout his retirement years, completing his latest book, “The Lost Cause,” on the difficulty of winning government support for Catholic schools, just weeks before his death.

“Bishop McDowell was a giant of the church,” Bishop Zubik said of his work in Catholic education, and “a priest, bishop, friend and adviser who loved the Church of Pittsburgh, loved his fellow priests and lovingly served the faithful for so many years as a pastor.”

One of Bishop McDowell’s favorite duties as a bishop was officiating at confirmations, and he continued that work well into retirement, pausing to calculate at one point that he had conferred the sacrament on some 130,000 children over the years.

Bishop McDowell was a prolific writer, mostly articles on education, but he also produced a series of biographies on the bishops of Pittsburgh. He completed the last in that series, his autobiography, two years ago.

The bishop was a historian and scholar, and had a lifelong fascination with church history. He was a noted homilist, known for his quick wit and ready laugh.

He was also a pastor, leading Epiphany Parish in Pittsburgh’s Uptown neighborhood for 27 years, from 1969 until his retirement in 1996.

On the national level, he provided input on education issues for the Catholic bishops and was instrumental in drafting their 1972 landmark document on catechesis, “To Teach as Jesus Did.”

His own motto, chosen when he was named a bishop in 1966, was “To Do and To Teach.”

Within the diocese, Bishop McDowell served as assistant superintendent of schools, superintendent of schools and vicar for education. In 1995, during his golden jubilee year as a priest, a newly consolidated elementary school was named in his honor — the Bishop John B. McDowell Regional School in Baldwin.

“Bishop McDowell has made extraordinary contributions to the work of Catholic education at the diocesan and national levels,” said Father Kris Stubna, diocesan secretary for Catholic education.

“As superintendent of schools and vicar for education, the bishop guided a system of schools that educated more than 120,000 students, the peak of Catholic school enrollment locally,” he said.

“His vision and leadership provided the solid and lasting foundations we continue to build on today.”

Retired Aux. Bishop William Winter said Bishop McDowell’s most outstanding trait was that he was “always a priest.” He praised Bishop McDowell’s total dedication “to the work of the church” throughout his life, regardless of whether he was serving in a parish role or overseeing Catholic education.

“He really was a true pastor,” Bishop Winter said.

Bishop McDowell was born July 17, 1921, in New Castle. He attended St. Lawrence O’Toole School in Pittsburgh’s Garfield neighborhood and Central Catholic High School, St. Vincent College and Seminary, and earned a doctorate in education and philosophy from Catholic University of America.

Duquesne University awarded him an honorary doctorate of literature in 1962.

Bishop McDowell was ordained Nov. 4, 1945, and served as associate pastor at St. Irenaeus in Oakmont. He was named assistant superintendent of schools in 1952, superintendent in 1955, and vicar for education in 1970. He also served a term as head of the National Catholic Educational Association.

He was appointed a papal chamberlain in 1956, a domestic prelate in 1964 and was ordained as auxiliary bishop at St. Paul Cathedral on Sept. 8, 1966.

The bishop also played key roles in the Parish Share Program and the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh Foundation and served on many civic boards. At one point he served on 42 different boards.

He also headed the diocese’s 150th anniversary celebration in 1992.

Bishop McDowell was always a friend to and advocate for his fellow priests, Father Ron Lengwin, diocesan spokesman, said.

“Throughout his priestly and episcopal ministry, Bishop McDowell was an excellent teacher in the classroom, in the pulpit and in many leadership roles in our local church and in the church at the national level.

“In that role he has been a mentor to many priests who will be forever grateful to him, including myself,” Father Lengwin said. “He was able to inspire and motivate people to do their best. In his great love for the church, he would do anything within his power to help any priest who asked for his assistance.”

In an interview several years ago, Bishop McDowell said that in his priestly life, “the biggest excitement was in preaching and administering the sacraments.

“I love preaching,” he said, “and I’ve always felt a sense of spiritual joy in administering all of the sacraments. I never get tired of it. It’s kept my priesthood alive.” In his autobiography, he wrote that his was a happy life — he was always busy, always learning, and sharing his life with friends and colleagues.

“I have been one of the luckiest persons in the world,” he said in summing up his life in the book.

The bishop is survived by a sister-in-law, Agnes McDowell; two nieces, Maura Malinowski and Judy Daniels; and a nephew, Bernard McDowell.

Coverage of Bishop McDowell’s funeral Mass will be in the March 12 issue of the Pittsburgh Catholic.

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