Vincent J. McCauley

Vincent Joseph McCauley, CSC (March 8, 1906 – November 1, 1982) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. A member of the Congregation of Holy Cross, he was the first Bishop of Fort Portal, having served as the ordinary of the diocese from 1961 to 1972. Later, he served as executive director of the Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa from 1972 to 1979. A Servant of God, his cause for beatification was introduced in the Congregation for the Causes of Saints in August 2006.

Early life McCauley, the eldest of six children, was born in Council Bluffs, Iowa, to Charles McCauley and Mary Wickham. His father was a wire chief for American Telephone & Telegraph in Omaha, Nebraska, and his mother took care of the home. The family prayed the rosary daily. Active in St. Francis Xavier Parish in Council Bluffs, his father was a member of the Knights of Columbus, and his mother was active in the altar guild and various prayer circles. These groups later assisted McCauley during his missionary efforts during troubled periods of the Great Depression and World War II.

McCauley attended Creighton Preparatory School, where he excelled in sports, especially baseball, playing semi-professional baseball in Omaha to earn extra money. He graduated in 1924 and entered at Creighton University's College of Arts and Letters as part of the class of 1928, but in November 1924 left Council Bluffs to join the Congregation of Holy Cross.

Work in the United States: 1946–1958 In June 1945, McCauley began as assistant superior of the Foreign Mission Seminary in Washington, D.C., where he had studied. In 1946, he was appointed superior and rector, a post he held for six years.