Edward D. Head

Edward Dennis Head (August 5, 1919 – March 29, 2005) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as the 11th bishop of the Diocese of Buffalo in New York State from 1973 to 1995. He previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of New York in New York City from 1970 to 1973.

Early life

Edward Head was born on August 5, 1919, in White Plains, New York, and was raised in the South Bronx neighborhood of New York City. His parents were Charles and Nellie Head, immigrants from England and Ireland, respectively. Head had two brothers, Charles and Daniel.

Both Head attended Catholic parochial schools in New York, then earned a mathematics degree from Columbia University in Manhattan. He entered St. Joseph's Seminary in Yonkers, New York, in 1939. Head earned a master's degree from the New York School of Social Work in Manhattan in 1948. Head served, among other assignments, as executive director of Catholic Charities in the archdiocese.

Fundraising for Catholic Charities strongly increased under Head's leadership, including the year of his retirement.

Retirement and later life Pope John Paul II accepted Head's petition to retire as bishop of Buffalo in April 1995. Bishop Edward Kmiec was quoted in a March 30, 2005, Buffalo News article:

This is a day of tremendous sadness for the family of the Diocese of Buffalo. Bishop Head had a tremendous impact on the faith lives of Catholics in the eight counties of Western New York.

Head is buried in the crypt of St. Joseph Cathedral in Buffalo. He was the first bishop of Buffalo to have retired in Buffalo. The Bishop Edward D. Head Residence for retired clergy in Lackawanna, New York, is named after him