Andrew Joseph McDonald

Andrew Joseph McDonald (October 24, 1923 – April 1, 2014) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Little Rock in Arkansas from 1972 to 2000.

Biography

Early life The second youngest of 12 children, McDonald was born on October 24, 1923, in Savannah, Georgia, to James Bernard and Theresa (née McGrael) McDonald. After graduating from Marist School for Boys in Brookhaven, Georgia, he studied at St. Charles College in Catonsville, Maryland. McDonald then attended St. Mary's Seminary in Baltimore, Maryland, obtaining a Licentiate of Sacred Theology (1948). He then attended Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. McDonald completed his studies in Rome at the Pontifical Lateran University, earning a Doctor of Canon Law in 1951.

Upon his return to the South Carolina, the diocese named McDonald as chancellor, as an official of the Marriage Tribunal, and as curate of a parish in Port Wentworth, Georgia. McDonald opposed the U.S. Supreme Court's 1973 legalization of abortion rights for women in Roe v. Wade; he later established an anti-abortion office in the diocesan curia and led the March for Life each January in Little Rock. In 1982, McDonald invited Mother Teresa to open a home for single mothers in Little Rock.

A dedicated ecumenist, McDonald reached out to other denominations in Arkansas throughout his tenure, and once assisted in promoting a Billy Graham crusade at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock in 1989. In 1990, McDonald condemned the execution of John Swindler by the State of Arkansas. Swindler had been convicted of murdering a police officer in Fort Smith. McDonald became known for his affable personality, his involvement with the laity, and his personal interest in those Catholics under his jurisdiction.

Retirement and legacy On January 4, 2000, Pope John Paul II accepted McDonald's resignation as bishop of Little Rock. Afterwards, McDonald lived outside of Chicago, Illinois, where he served as chaplain for the Little Sisters of the Poor. McDonald died in Palatine, Illinois, on April 1, 2014, at age 90.