James Kendrick Williams

James Kendrick Williams (born September 5, 1936, also known as J. Kendrick Williams) is an American prelate of the Catholic Church who was the Bishop of Lexington, Kentucky, from 1988 to 2002.

His Excellency, The Most Reverend

James Kendrick Williams
Bishop Emeritus of Lexington
ArchdioceseLouisville
DioceseLexington
AppointedJanuary 14, 1988
InstalledMarch 2, 1988
Term endedJune 11, 2002
PredecessorFirst Bishop
SuccessorRonald William Gainer
Orders
OrdinationMay 25, 1963
ConsecrationJune 19, 1984
by William Anthony Hughes, Thomas C. Kelly, and Richard Henry Ackerman
Personal details
Born (1936-09-05) September 5, 1936
Athertonville, Kentucky
Previous post(s)Auxiliary Bishop of Covington (1984–88)
Styles of
James Kendrick Williams
Reference style
Spoken styleYour Excellency
Religious styleBishop

Biography

Williams was born in Athertonville, Kentucky, on September 5, 1936. He attended Old Kentucky Home High School in Bardstown, Kentucky, then went to St. Mary College in St. Mary, Kentucky, and St. Mary School of Theology at South Union, Kentucky.[1]

On May 25, 1963. Williams was ordained a priest for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Louisville at the Cathedral of the Assumption in Louisville, Kentucky by Bishop Charles G. Malone. After his ordination, Williams served as Associate Director of the Archdiocesan Office of Religious Education, the vicar of education for four parishes, President of the Town and Country Apostolic Council, Director of the Rural Office of Religious Education, Director of the Archdiocesan Planning Office, Director of the Clergy Personnel Commission, and associate pastor of several parishes.[1] In 1983, Williams was appointed Pastor of Holy Trinity Parish in Louisville.[1]

Auxiliary Bishop of Covington

On April 15, 1984, Pope John Paul II named Williams as titular bishop of Catula and auxiliary bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Covington. He was consecrated bishop on June 19, 1984 at Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption in Covington by Bishop William A. Hughes.[1]

Bishop of Lexington

On January 14, 1988, John Paul II named Williams as the first bishop of the Diocese of Lexington. he was installed on March 2, 1988.[1]

In 2002, Williams and the Archdiocese of Louisville faced three lawsuits from men who claimed that Williams abused them as minors when he was assigned to the archdiocese. Williams denied all the allegations.[2][3]

  • James W. Bennett of Louisville stated that Williams fondled and kissed him after Mass in 1981 when Bennett was a 12 year old altar boy at the Church of Our Lady in Louisville.
  • David Hall of New Haven, Kentucky, stated that Williams fondled him in 1969 at St. Catherine High School during confession.
  • Thomas C. Probus stated that Williams emotionally abused him by promoting masturbation during counseling at several locations at Holy Trinity parish around 1981. [2]

After the accusations from Kentucky, Williams went on leave as per diocese policy. On June 11, 2002, John Paul II accepted his resignation as bishop of Lexington without giving any reasons for it.[3][4]

On February 14, 2019, the Archdiocese of Louisville revealed that the accusations against Williams had been sent to the Vatican for investigation.[5]

See also

References
  1. "Former Bishops". cdlex. Retrieved 2021-11-13.
  2. "Bishop J. Kendrick Williams [Louisville archdiocese and Covington diocese]". www.bishop-accountability.org. Retrieved 2021-11-13.
  3. Collins, Dan (June 12, 2002). "Kentucky Bishop Resigns". CBS News. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
  4. Walsh, Edward (June 12, 2002). "2 More Bishops Resign in Sex Scandal". Washington Post. Retrieved July 1, 2018.
  5. "Independent investigator issues report on abuse in Louisville Archdiocese". National Catholic Reporter. 2019-02-14. Retrieved 2021-11-13.

Episcopal succession


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.