Edward A McCarthy

Background

Archbishop McCarthy was ordained a priest in 1943 within the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, graduating from Saint Gregory Seminary and Mt. Saint Mary Seminary in Norwood, Ohio. His education included a master's degree in Philosophy from the Athenaeum of Ohio. He earned a Doctor of Canon Law degree, or J.C.D. in 1947 and a Doctor of Sacred Theology degree, or S.T.D. in 1948 while in Rome, Italy at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, Angelicum. His dissertation was entitled Epiky : a theoretical study of the virtue of epiky and its use, along with a historical review of the development of the doctrine on this subject. He also has a high school named after him.

During his service within the Diocese of Cincinnati he served as the secretary to two Archbishops, judge in the marriage tribunal and chairman of numerous diocesan committees.

Episcopacy

McCarthy was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Cincinnati by Pope Paul VI on April 21, 1965. He was consecrated two months later on June 15, 1965 with Cincinnati Archbishop Karl Joseph Alter serving as Principal Consecrator.

After four years as an Auxiliary Bishop of Cincinnati, McCarthy was appointed the first Bishop of the newly created Diocese of Phoenix on August 25, 1969. He was installed as Bishop of Phoenix on December 2 of that year.

On September 17, 1976, McCarthy was appointed the Coadjutor Archbishop of Miami due to the failing health of Archbishop Coleman F. Carroll. Upon Archbishop Carroll's death on July 26, 1977, McCarthy succeeded him as the second Archbishop of Miami.

Archbishop McCarthy would transform and affect almost every aspect of life within the Archdiocese of Miami. Soon after arriving, he would oversee the construction of a Pastoral Center for the diocese and restructure most senior operational divisions. He would establish the Office of Lay Ministry, the Office of Evangelization and the Permanent Diaconate program.

In 1980, he was a key figure in offering support and assistance during the Mariel Boat Lift. A year later, he stood up for the rights of Haitian immigrants who were detained under what would become known as the Wet Foot, Dry Foot policy. In response to these incidents, that same year he oversaw the opening of the Pierre Toussaint Haitian Catholic Center in Miami. However, he was also picketed by Haitian-born Roman Catholic priest Gérard Jean-Juste, who criticized him for not doing more for Haitian refugees and attributed McCarthy's alleged indifference to racism. As punishment, Jean-Juste was forbidden by his church superiors from performing mass in the area.

In 1984, he assisted with the transition of the Archdiocese when the Diocese of Venice and Diocese of Palm Beach were established from annexed counties. A year later, he would call for the first ever Archdiocesan Synod. Lasting until 1988, it was seen as a method to revitalize the faithful within the Archdiocese.

Pope John Paul II visited Miami in 1987. For the first time he was forced to halt his public Mass midway due to a massive thunderstorm. Severe lightning caused the liturgy to be suspended due to safety concerns—an event that had never occurred elsewhere during the Pope's travels. The Pontiff completed the offering of the Mass inside a trailer, as the crowds dispersed, but only after McCarthy pleaded with them to tend to their own safety.

In 1993, Archbishop McCarthy submitted his resignation at the mandatory retirement age of 75. He became officially retired on November 3, 1994. During his tenure, South Florida underwent a population boom. The Archbishop oversaw the development and foundation of many new churches. In his final year, he started the planning on a new parish and high school in western Broward County. The church, authorized in 1994 and founded two months after his retirement in 1995, bore his namesake...Saint Edward. The school would be completed in 1997, with current Archbishop John C. Favalora having the facility named in honor of the man that had made it possible, therefore it was named Archbishop Edward A. McCarthy High School.

Archbishop Edward A. McCarthy died in his sleep on June 7, 2005 at the age of 87.