Joseph Patrick Hurley

Joseph Patrick Hurley (January 21, 1894 – October 30, 1967) was an American Catholic prelate who served as bishop of St. Augustine in Florida from 1940 until his death in 1967.

Hurley also served as a Vatican diplomat in Asia during the 1920s and 1930s, and as regent ad interim in Yugoslavia between 1945 and 1949. He was awarded the personal title of archbishop in 1949.

Biography

Early life Joseph Hurley was born on January 21, 1894, in Cleveland, Ohio, one of nine children of Michael and Anna (née Durkin) Hurley. His parents were both Irish immigrants; Michael was from County Mayo, and Anna from Sligo. Hurley received his early education at Holy Name School from 1901 to 1909, and then attended St. Ignatius High School in Cleveland until 1912. His first assignment was as an assistant pastor at St. Columba's Parish in Youngstown, Ohio, where he remained for four years. During his work at the Secretariat of State, he acted as a liaison between the Vatican and the American Catholic hierarchy. He played an influential role in shaping the Vatican's policy towards Reverend Charles Coughlin, a controversial Michigan priest and radio personality. Others believed the appointment was a punishment; Hurley had become a critic of the wartime policy of the Vatican, believing that Pius XII was overly fearful about communism and not fearful enough about Nazism. Returning to the United States, Hurley was installed as bishop of St. Augustine on November 26, 1940. Hurley aligned himself with the U.S. Department of State and began to act under the direction of government officials. These remarks drew sharp criticism from Archbishop Francis Beckman, who subsequently denounced the "dictatorship pseudo-officially canonized by a brother cleric."

After the American entry into World War II, Hurley in 1943 became the only American bishop to demand Catholics to speak out against the extermination of the Jews taking place in the Nazi concentration camps, claiming that "the very basis of the Roman Catholic faith" compelled Catholics to challenge the "orgies of extermination" being perpetrated against the Jews. He also opposed the idea that the United States should ally with Germany to oppose the Soviet Union. He thus became the first American to be raised to the equivalent rank of a nuncio. However, Hurley's relationship with Pius XII became strained after Hurley expressed his opposition to both the Vatican's policy towards Tito and the removal of Stepinac from his post in Croatia.

In September 1965, Hurley started the construction of the Great Cross at the Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche in St. Augustine. A 208 foot stainless steel structure, it was erected to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the founding of the Mission Nombre de Dios in that city. That same month, Hurley traveled to Rome to attend the Synod of Bishops. However, illness forced his return to Florida.

Death Joseph Hurley died at Mercy Medical Center in Orlando, Florida, on October 30, 1967, at age 73.