James D. Conley

Last updated
His Excellency, The Most Reverend

James Douglas Conley
Bishop of Lincoln
Diocese Diocese of Lincoln
AppointedSeptember 14, 2012
InstalledNovember 20, 2012
Predecessor Fabian Bruskewitz
Orders
OrdinationMay 18, 1985
by  Eugene John Gerber
ConsecrationMay 30, 2008
by  Charles J. Chaput, Michael Owen Jackels, Paul Stagg Coakley
Personal details
Born (1955-03-19) March 19, 1955 (age 69)
Kansas City, Missouri, US
Denomination Roman Catholic
Previous post(s)
Alma mater University of Kansas
Mount St. Mary's Seminary
Alphonsian Academy
MottoCor ad cor loquitur
(Heart speaks to heart)
Styles of
James Douglas Conley
Coat of arms of James Douglas Conley.svg
Reference style His Excellency
Spoken style Your Excellency
Religious style Bishop
Ordination history of
James D. Conley
History
Priestly ordination
Ordained by Eugene Gerber
DateMay 18, 1985
Episcopal consecration
Principal consecrator Charles Chaput
Co-consecrators Michael Jackels
Paul Coakley
DateMay 30, 2008
Place Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, Denver, Colorado

James Douglas Conley (born March 19, 1955) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who has been serving as bishop of the Diocese of Lincoln in Nebraska since 2012. He served as an auxiliary bishop in the Archdiocese of Denver in Colorado from 2008 to 2012.

Contents

Biography

Early life

Raised in a Presbyterian family, James Conley was born on March 19, 1955, in Kansas City, Missouri, to Carl and Betty Conley. He has one sister by adoption, Susan. Conley is of Wea Native American descent through his paternal grandmother's family. The family moved to Denver, Colorado, in 1957 and to Arvada, Colorado, in 1959. [1] [2] [3]

Conley attended Hoskinson Cottage School in Arvada before moving to Overland Park, Kansas, at age eight. Conley graduated from Shawnee Mission West High School in Shawnee Mission, Kansas, in 1973, and then entered the University of Kansas (KU) in Lawrence, Kansas. Due to his Native American heritage, the Federal Bureau of Indian Affairs paid for a portion of his college education. Conley studied in KU's Integrated Humanities Program, whose courses on Greek and Roman classics led him to convert to Catholicism during his junior year of college on December 6, 1975. [1] [3]

Conley obtained a bachelor's degree in English Literature from KU in 1977, and then worked in construction in Kansas City, Kansas, before traveling through Europe. He considered a monastic vocation while staying at the Abbey of Notre Dame de Fontgombault in Fontgombault, France. [1]

Conley returned to Kansas in 1978, and worked on a friend's farm near Courtland, Kansas. In 1980, he decided to pursue a vocation to the priesthood and entered St. Pius X Seminary in Erlanger, Kentucky. Conley later studied at Mount St. Mary's Seminary in Emmitsburg, Maryland, where he earned a Master of Divinity degree in 1985. [1]

Priesthood

Conley was ordained a priest at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Wichita by Bishop Eugene Gerber for the Diocese of Wichita on May 18, 1985. [4] After his 1984 ordination, the diocese assigned Conley as associate pastor at St. Patrick Parish in Wichita

In 1989, Conley went to Rome to attend the Alphonsian Academy of the Pontifical Lateran University. He received a Licentiate in Moral Theology in 1991. [3] After his return to Kansas in 1991, Conley was appointed as chaplain of the Newman Center at Wichita State University in Wichita, Kansas, and diocesan director of the Respect Life Office. [5] His parents converted to Catholicism in 1991; Conley administered the sacraments of baptism and confirmation to them. [1]

In 1996, the Vatican appointed Conley to the Congregation for Bishops in Rome. [1] He was also named as chaplain at the University of Dallas' Rome campus. He left his chaplain position in 1997 to serve as adjunct instructor of theology at the Rome Campus of Christendom College's Rome campus. [1] He was raised to the rank of chaplain of his holiness by Pope John Paul II on February 9, 2001. [1]

Returning to Wichita in 2006 after ten years in Rome, Conley was named pastor of Blessed Sacrament Church in Wichita. [3]

Auxiliary Bishop of Denver

On April 10, 2008, Conley was appointed as an auxiliary bishop of Denver and titular bishop of Cissa by Pope Benedict XVI. [4] He was consecrated on May 30, 2008, by Archbishop Charles Chaput, with Bishop Michael Jackels and Archbishop Paul S. Coakley serving as co-consecrators, at the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception. [4] His episcopal motto, "Cor Ad Cor Loquitur (Latin: "Heart Speaks To Heart"), is taken from the motto of Cardinal John Newman. [1]

Speaking on the Affordable Care Act for expanded health insurance coverage that was proposed by the Obama Administration in November 2009, Conley stated that Catholic bishops:

"have a few simple but important priorities. First, everyone should have access to basic health care, including immigrants...Second, reform should respect the dignity of every person, from conception to natural death... Third, real healthcare reform needs to include explicit, ironclad conscience protections for medical professionals and institutions so that they cannot be forced to violate their moral convictions. Fourth—and this is so obvious it sometimes goes unstated—any reform must be economically realistic and financially sustainable." [6]

In September 2011, when the Vatican appointed Chaput as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, Conley was named apostolic administrator of the Archdiocese of Denver. He fulfilled this responsibility until July 2012, when the Vatican named Bishop Samuel Aquila as the new archbishop of Denver. [4]

Bishop of Lincoln

On September 14, 2012, Pope Benedict XVI appointed Conley as bishop of Lincoln, succeeding Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz. Conley was installed on November 20, 2012, at the Cathedral of the Risen Christ in Lincoln. [7] [8]

In 2003, the diocese had participated in the first audit of implementation of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young PeopleHowever, Bruskewitz later declined to participate in later audits, claiming that he was awaiting refinements to the audit process. [9] In 2015, Conley announced that the diocese would now fully participate in the charter audits. [10]

On December 13, 2019, Conley announced that he was taking a medical leave of absence to treat depression, anxiety, insomnia, and tinnitus. The Vatican appointed Archbishop George Lucas was appointed to serve as apostolic administrator of the diocese during Conley’s leave of absence. [11] Conley returned to active service on November 13, 2020. [12]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Louis</span> Latin Catholic ecclesiastical jurisdiction in Missouri, USA

The Archdiocese of St. Louis is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church that covers the City of St. Louis and the Missouri counties of Franklin, Jefferson, Lincoln, Perry, Saint Charles, Saint Francois, Ste. Genevieve, St. Louis, Warren, and Washington. It is the metropolitan see of the ecclesiastical province containing three suffragan sees: Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau, the Diocese of Jefferson City, and the Diocese of Kansas City-Saint Joseph. It is led by Archbishop, Mitchell Thomas Rozanski, formerly the Bishop of Springfield in Massachusetts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Justin Rigali</span> American Catholic cardinal

Justin Francis Rigali is an American cardinal of the Catholic Church. He was the eighth Archbishop of Philadelphia, having previously served as Archbishop of St. Louis from 1994 to 2003, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 2003. Following a sex abuse probe into the Catholic Church, Cardinal Rigali resigned in 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles J. Chaput</span> American prelate of the Catholic Church

Charles Joseph Chaput OFMCap is an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He was the ninth archbishop of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia in Pennsylvania, serving from 2011 until 2020. He previously served as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Denver in Colorado (1997–2011) and bishop of the Diocese of Rapid City in South Dakota (1988–1997). Chaput was the first archbishop of Philadelphia in 100 years who was not named a cardinal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Denver</span> Latin Catholic jurisdiction in the United States

The Archdiocese of Denver is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction, or diocese, of the Catholic Church in northern Colorado in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Stafford</span> Catholic cardinal

James Francis Stafford is an American cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as major penitentiary of the Apostolic Penitentiary from 2003 to 2009.

The Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA is a Latin Church jurisdiction of the Catholic Church for men and women serving in the United States Armed Forces and their dependents.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fabian Bruskewitz</span> Catholic bishop

Fabian Wendelin Bruskewitz is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as bishop of the Diocese of Lincoln in Nebraska, from 1992 to 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas</span> Roman Catholic archdiocese in Kansas, USA

The Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas is a Latin Church ecclesiastical province, or archdiocese, of the Catholic Church in eastern Kansas in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Diocese of Dodge City</span> Diocese of the Catholic Church

The Diocese of Dodge City is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in southwestern Kansas in the United States. Pope Pius XII created the diocese on May 19, 1951.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Diocese of Wichita</span> Diocese of the Catholic Church

The Diocese of Wichita is a Latin Catholic ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the Catholic Church in Kansas in the United States. It is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Diocese of Grand Island</span> Latin Catholic ecclesiastical jurisdiction in Nebraska, USA

The Diocese of Grand Island is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the Catholic Church in northwestern and central Nebraska in the United States. It is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Omaha.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Diocese of Lincoln</span> Diocese of the Catholic Church in USA

The Diocese of Lincoln is a Latin Church diocese in Nebraska, United States, and comprises the majority of the eastern and central portions of the state south of the Platte River. It is a suffragan see to the archdiocese of Omaha. The episcopal see is in Lincoln, Nebraska. Bishop James D. Conley is the current ordinary of the Diocese. The Cathedral of the Risen Christ is the cathedral parish of the diocese.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Owen Jackels</span> Roman Catholic priest, bishop, and archbishop

Mons. Michael Owen Jackels is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He was the metropolitan archbishop of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Dubuque from 2013 to 2023. He previously served as the bishop of the Diocese of Wichita in Kansas. Jackels was consecrated bishop on April 4, 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Stagg Coakley</span> Prelate of the Roman Catholic Church

Paul Stagg Coakley is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He has been serving as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City since 2010

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timothy C. Senior</span> American Catholic prelate (born 1960)

Timothy Christian Senior is an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He was an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia in Pennsylvania from 2009 to 2023, as well as rector and later chancellor of St. Charles Borromeo Seminary. In 2023 Pope Francis named him bishop of the Diocese of Harrisburg in Pennsylvania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Urban John Vehr</span> 20th-century American Catholic archbishop

Urban John Vehr was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Denver from 1931 to 1941. In 1941, he became the first archbishop of the new Archdiocese of Denver, serving in that post until 1967.

David Monas Maloney was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Wichita in Kansas from 1967 to 1982. He previously served as an auxiliary bishop of what was then the Diocese of Denver in Colorado from 1960 to 1967.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Vincent Casey</span> American prelate

James Vincent Casey was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Lincoln, Nebraska (1957–1967) and Archbishop of Denver, Colorado (1967–1986).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nelson J. Pérez</span> American prelate

Nelson Jesus Pérez is an American prelate of the Catholic Church who serves as the 10th Archbishop of Philadelphia, having been appointed by Pope Francis in January 2020. He previously served as Bishop of Cleveland from 2017 to 2020 and as an auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Rockville Centre from 2012 to 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Massa</span> American prelate

James Massa is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He has been serving as an auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Brooklyn in New York City since 2015 and as rector of St. Joseph Seminary in Yonkers, New York.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Biography of Most Rev. James D. Conley, S.T.L." Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Denver . Archived from the original on 2009-04-27.
  2. ↑ "Pope Names Denver Auxiliary Bishop Conley To Head Lincoln, Nebraska Diocese, Accepts Resignation Of Bishop Bruskewitz". US Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved 2024-03-17.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Biography". Catholic Diocese of Lincoln. Retrieved 2024-03-17.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Bishop James Douglas Conley [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 2024-03-17.
  5. ↑ "Pope Names Bishops For Des Moines, Little Rock Dioceses, Auxiliaries For San Antonio, Denver, San Francisco Archdioceses". United States Conference of Catholic Bishops .
  6. ↑ Conley, James (2009-11-06). "A Healthcare Problem Washington May Have Missed". First Things.
  7. ↑ "Bishop Conley appointed to lead Diocese of Lincoln". Catholic News Agency. September 14, 2012. Retrieved September 14, 2012.
  8. ↑ Andersen, Erin (November 29, 2012). "Diocese of Lincoln installs James Conley as ninth bishop". Journal Star. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
  9. ↑ Jones, Kevin J. (September 11, 2015). "For Diocese of Lincoln, Audit Will Strengthen Its Effective Child-Protection". National Catholic Register. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
  10. ↑ "Lincoln diocese to end holdout and participate in sex abuse audit". Omaha World-Herald. 2015-09-19. Retrieved 2024-03-17.
  11. ↑ "Press release and letter from Bishop Conley 12-13-19". Catholic Diocese of Lincoln. 13 December 2019. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  12. ↑ Asher, Julie (November 16, 2020). "Bishop Conley resumes leadership of Lincoln Diocese after medical leave". National Catholic Reporter. Catholic News Service. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
Catholic Church titles
Preceded by Bishop of Lincoln
2012–present		Incumbent
Preceded by Titular Bishop of Cissa
2008–2012		Succeeded by
Gonzalo Alonso Calzada Guerrero
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.