William Joseph Condon Explained

Church:Roman Catholic Church
Bishop Of:Bishop of Great Falls
Birth Place:Colton, Washington US
Birth Date:7 April 1895
Type:bishop
See:Great Falls
Ordination:October 14, 1917
Appointed:August 5, 1939
Consecration:October 18, 1939
Buried:Mount Olivet Cemetery, Great Falls, Montana, US
Education:Gonzaga University
Predecessor:Edwin Vincent O'Hara
Successor:Eldon Bernard Schuster
Honorific Prefix:His Excellency, The Most Reverend

William Joseph Condon (April 7, 1895  - August 17, 1967) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Great Falls in Montana from 1939 until his death in 1967.

Biography

Early life

William Condon was born on April 7, 1895, in Colton, Washington, to Patrick and Mary Elizabeth (née Kavanaugh) Condon.[1] He graduated from St. Patrick's Seminary in Menlo Park, California, in 1917.

Priesthood

Condon was ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Spokane on October 14, 1917.[2] He then served as a curate at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Spokane, Washington.

Condon served as pastor of St. Joseph's Parish in Waterville, Washington, for four years. From 1923 to 1929, he was rector of Our Lady of Lourdes Cathedral. While serving as pastor of St. Augustine's Parish in Spokane between 1929 and 1939, he was also secretary to Bishop Charles White (1928-1932), and chancellor (1927-1939) and vicar general (1933-1939) of the diocese.

Bishop of Great Falls

On August 5, 1939, Condon was appointed the third bishop of the Diocese of Great Falls by Pope Pius XII. He received his episcopal consecration on October 18, 1939, from Bishop Charles White, with Bishops Joseph Francis McGrath and Edward Kelly serving as co-consecrators. He was installed in St. Ann's Cathedral on October 26, 1939. Condon led the diocese for twenty-seven years, the longest-serving bishop of the diocese. Between 1962 and 1965, he attended the Second Vatican Council in Rome.

William Condon died on August 16, 1967, at age 72, and is buried at Mount Olivet Cemetery in Great Falls.

Notes and References

  1. Book: Curtis, Georgina Pell. The American Catholic Who's Who. XIV. 1961. Walter Romig. Grosse Pointe, Michigan.
  2. News: Catholic-Hierarchy.org. Bishop William Joseph Condon.