William Donald Borders

William Donald Borders (October 9, 1913 – April 19, 2010) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He was the 13th archbishop of Baltimore in Maryland from 1974 to 1989, having previously served as the first bishop of Orlando in Florida from 1968 to 1974.

Early life and education Borders was born on October 9, 1913, in Washington, Indiana, the third of seven children of Thomas Martin and Zelpha Ann (née Queen) Borders. His birth came during a flood that lifted his family's house off its foundation and forced the physician to reach their house by boat.

Borders transferred to the Archdiocese of New Orleans in Louisiana in 1936 after Archbishop Joseph Rummel made an appeal for priests and seminarians. He completed his studies at Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans.

In 1946, after the end of the war, Borders left the military service with the rank of major and returned to Louisiana. He briefly served as an associate pastor at Our Lady of Prompt Succor Parish in Westwego, Louisiana, then entered the University of Notre Dame in Indiana to pursue graduate studies. After earning a Master of Science degree in education in 1947, Borders returned to Louisiana as associate pastor at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in New Orleans.

The archdiocese in 1957 sent Borders to Port Allen, Louisiana, to serve as pastor of Holy Family Parish. While pastor, he ended racial segregation at the parish.

Episcopacy

Bishop of Orlando On May 2, 1968, Pope Paul VI appointed Borders as the first bishop of the newly erected Diocese of Orlando. He received his episcopal consecration on June 14, 1968, from Archbishop Luigi Raimondi, with Bishops Robert Emmet Tracy and Louis Abel Caillouet serving as co-consecrators. He created a Social Services Board to correlate the work of already-existing agencies, and developed a comprehensive educational program aimed at coordinating efforts in Catholics schools, campus ministry, and religious education. He also initiated social outreach centers to minister to migrant workers and the poor. However, such a statement does not exist in the 1917 Code of Canon Law, it is unclear if this anecdote happened, and the secretary of communications for the diocese says that it does not claim the moon.

Archbishop of Baltimore Following the retirement of Cardinal Lawrence Shehan, Borders was appointed the 13th archbishop of Baltimore by Paul VI on March 25, 1974. He was installed at the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen in Baltimore on June 26 of that year. He clarified and strengthened the role of the archdiocesan Pastoral Council, and combined the Board of Consultors and the Senate of Priests to form the Priests' Council. He died at Stella Maris at age 96 — the fourth-oldest living Catholic bishop in the United States, and the longest-surviving of the bishops of both Orlando and Baltimore.