Joseph Mark McShea

Joseph Mark McShea (February 22, 1907 – November 28, 1991) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the first bishop of the Diocese of Allentown in Pennsylvania from 1961 to 1983. McShea previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia in Pennsylvania from 1952 to 1961.

Early life and education Joseph McShea was born in Lattimer, Pennsylvania, on February 22, 1907, one of seven children of Roger A. and Jeanette (née Beach) McShea. He received his early education at the parochial school of Transfiguration of Our Lord Parish in Philadelphia. He graduated from West Philadelphia Catholic High School for Boys in 1923, and then began his studies for the priesthood at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia.

In 1926, McShea was sent to continue his studies in Rome at the Pontifical Roman Seminary and the Pontifical Lateran University. He earned a doctorate in theology in 1932. After his ordination, the archdiocese assigned McShea in 1932 to the faculty at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, where he taught Latin, Italian, and history.

Between 1962 and 1965, McShea attended all four sessions of the Second Vatican Council in Rome.

McShea helmed the founding of Holy Family Manor, a nursing and rehabilitation center at the former Eugene Grace mansion in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. He also established Holy Family Villa in Bethlehem, a retirement home for priests. He convened the first diocesan synod in May 1968. In 1969, McShea sued the board of directors of Sacred Heart Hospital to prevent them from merging with Allentown Hospital as Allentown-Sacred Heart Hospital Center. His objective was to maintain the Catholic identity of Sacred Heart.

During his 22-year tenure, McShea oversaw the construction, purchase, and renovation of over 300 church buildings. In 1964, McShea, together with the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales, founded Allentown College in Center Valley, Pennsylvania, in 1967; today, it is DeSales University.

Retirement and legacy On February 3, 1983, Pope John Paul II accepted McShea's resignation as bishop of Allentown.