Leo Thomas Maher

Leo Thomas Maher (July 1, 1915 – February 23, 1991) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Santa Rosa in California (1962–1969) and as bishop of the Diocese of San Diego in California (1969–1990).

Biography

Early life Leo Maher was born on July 1, 1915, in Mount Union, Iowa, the fifth of nine children of Thomas Joseph Maher (1862–1941) and Mary Agnes Teberg (1886–1946). His father was a native of Shankill, County Kilkenny, Ireland.

As a child, he moved to California where he lived with his uncle, Rev. Edward J. Maher, pastor of St. Patrick Church in Oakland. From 1927 to 1929, Leo Maher attended St. Patrick Elementary School in Oakland. In 1929 He began his studies for the priesthood at St. Joseph High School and St. Joseph's College, both in Mountain View, California.

Maher's first assignment was as a curate at Holy Name of Jesus Parish in San Francisco, where he remained for one year before serving at the Cathedral of St. Mary (1944–1947). He also elevated three missions to parish status and oversaw major renovations of four existing parish churches. He attended all four sessions of the Second Vatican Council in Rome between 1962 and 1965. In 1976, Maher created the first diocesan Pastoral Council. That same year, he suspended from ministry Reverend Victor Salandini, a San Diego priest and ally of labor organizer César Chávez. Saladini had worn a serape with the black eagle of the United Farm Workers instead of proper vestments during church functions and had used corn tortillas instead of sacramental bread during his masses. In 1980, Maher issued a public condemnation of the Ku Klux Klan, saying that knowingly voting for a racist or a Klan member may constitute a sin. According to Maher, her position placed her in "complete contradiction to the moral teachings of the Catholic Church."

Retirement and legacy Pope John Paul II accepted Maher's resignation as bishop of San Diego on July 10, 1990. That same year, he underwent two operations for a malignant brain tumor. Leo Maher died at his residence in Mission Hills, San Diego, on February 23, 1991, at age 75.