William Medley

William Francis Medley (born September 17, 1952) is an American Catholic prelate serving as Bishop of Owensboro in Kentucky since 2010. He was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Louisville in 1982.

Biography

Early life and education Medley was born on September 17, 1952, in Loretto, Kentucky, to James Werner and Dorothy (née Hayden) Medley. Following his graduation from St. Thomas Seminary High School in Louisville, he studied at Bellarmine College in Louisville. Medley received a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy and psychology from Bellarmine.

Medley then entered the Saint Meinrad School of Theology in Indiana, where he received a Master of Divinity degree. From 1974 to 1978, he served as a social worker for the Kentucky Department of Human Resources. He then served as associate pastor at St. Pius X Parish and as chaplain at Assumption High School in Louisville. In 1985, Medley became associate pastor at the Cathedral of the Assumption Parish in Louisville.

In 1988, Medley was named administrator of St. Benedict Parish, St. Charles Borromeo Parish, and Holy Cross Parish, all merged to form St. Martin de Porres Parish in 1990.

Medley was named pastor of Mother of Good Counsel Parish in Louisville in 2005, and of Transfiguration of Our Lord Parish in Goshen, Kentucky, in 2007. On October 9, 2018, Medley released a list of 27 priests from the diocese with 66 sexual abuse claims since 1937.

In June 2019, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) filed a formal complaint against Medley. SNAP claimed that while serving as personnel director for the Diocese of Louisville, Medley facilitated the transfer of a priest credibly accused of sexual misconduct to a parish where the number of children was expected to be fewer in number. In response, the diocese of Owensboro released this statement:“Bishop William F. Medley has previously met with Mr. Montgomery and is aware of the concerns raised regarding his position as clergy personnel director from 1989-1993 in the Archdiocese of Louisville. At this time Bishop Medley has not received any directives from the Papal Nuncio in regards to this matter. At last week’s meeting of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), the bishops adopted new protocols for reporting concerns such as these. Bishop Medley awaits further direction.”