Archives and Records
Bishop Gerald Shaughnessy
Most Reverend Gerald Shaughnessy, S.M., S.T.D.
Consecrated Bishop of Seattle, September 19, 1933
Died Ascension Thursday, May 18, 1950
Gerald Shaughnessy was consecrated the fourth Bishop of Seattle on September 19, 1933.
Bishop Shaughnessy was an excellent administrator, a master of organization and efficiency. His fastidious attention to detail kept the diocese financially stable during the Depression and after. Despite the ever-present shortage of resources, Shaughnessy persevered, caring for the sacramental needs of the Christian faithful by actively seeking priests and religious, by encouraging vocations in the founding of the Serra Club and by active recruitment of clergy from Europe and other parts of the United States. He also helped to provide much needed aid by supporting the St. Vincent de Paul Society and the creation of Catholic Charities. The Bishop continued to guide the diocese through the difficulties of World War II. Shaughnessy’s episcopacy was marked by his support of the war effort and his statements against discrimination towards Japanese Americans.
In November 1945, Bishop Shaughnessy suffered a cerebral hemorrhage while returning from the annual meeting of the American Bishops at Washington, D.C. He never fully recovered from this incident and after several years of forced inactivity, died on May 18, 1950.
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