Timothy A. McDonnell

Timothy Anthony McDonnell (December 23, 1937 – March 4, 2026) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts from 2004 to 2014 and as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of New York from 2001 to 2004.

Biography

Early life and education Timothy McDonnell was born on December 23, 1937, in New York City to John J. and Margaret (née Looney) McDonnell, both from County Cork, Ireland. The eldest of two children, he had a younger brother, John McDonnell, who was a member of the Marist Brothers and served as vice-provincial of the United States Province. Their father was a dockworker for Standard Oil Corporation in Brooklyn and later owned a gas station in the Bronx.

He attended parochial schools in the Bronx and was inspired by his great-uncle to pursue a vocation to the priesthood.

After his ordination, McDonnell served as an associate pastor at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Ardsley, New York, and as a teacher at Maria Regina High School in Hartsdale, New York until 1969. McDonnell earned a Master of Education in pastoral counseling degree from Iona College in New Rochelle, New York, in 1970.

In addition to his duties as an auxiliary bishop, McDonnell served as vicar general of the archdiocese from 2002 to 2004.

Bishop of Springfield in Massachusetts On March 9, 2004, John Paul II named McDonnell as the eighth bishop of the Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts. He was installed on April 1, 2004, at St. Michael's Cathedral in Springfield.

In May 2004, McDonnell liquidated a fund designed to help priests accused of sexual misconduct. The fund had been set up by then Bishop Thomas Dupré in late 2003. The existence of the fund had provoked conflict between McDonnell and one of his parish priests, James Scahill. Scahill had been withholding part of the parish collection to protest continued diocese support of Reverend Richard Lavigne, who had been convicted of child molestation in 1992. During a heated exchange at a council meeting in May 2004, McDonnell accused Scahill of calling him a "Vatican lackey". When Scahill denied it, McDonnell said that he was worse than Lavigne and dismissed him from the meeting.

A few days after his installation, McDonnell had met with a mediator about settling several sexual abuse lawsuits against the diocese. In July 2004, the diocese announced a $7 million settlement with 46 victims of child sexual abuse, many of whom had been molested by Levigne. By September, 2004, McDonnell and Scahill had reconciled their differences and performed mass together at Scahill's church. During the service, McDonnell apologized to Scahill for his remarks from the May 2004 council meeting.

In 2006, McDonnell signed a letter with the other Catholic bishops of Massachusetts urging support for a proposed amendment to the Massachusetts Constitution to ban same sex marriage.

Retirement and death On June 19, 2014, Pope Francis accepted McDonnell's letter of resignation as bishop of Springfield in Massachusetts.