William P. Callahan

William Patrick Callahan, OFM Conv. (born June 17, 1950) is an American Catholic prelate serving as Bishop of La Crosse from 2010 to May 2024. He is a member of the Conventual Franciscans.

Callahan previously served as an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. After Archbishop Timothy Dolan was named Archbishop of New York, Callahan was elected the apostolic administrator of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, serving until November 14, 2009.

Biography

Early life and education Callahan was born in Chicago, Illinois, to William and Ellen Callahan. The youngest of four children, he has two sisters, Roberta and JoAnn, and one brother, Jerry. William Callahan attended St. Mary of Perpetual Help Church in Chicago as a child.

Deciding that he wanted to become a priest, Callahan applied to the Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary in Chicago, but was rejected.

In 1969, Callahan was accepted at the novitiate of the Conventual Franciscans (Minorites) in Lake Forest, Illinois. He made his profession to the Minorites on August 11, 1970. Callahan then attended Loyola University Chicago, obtaining a bachelor's degree in radio and television communications in 1973. He then moved to Toronto, Ontario, to study at St. Michael's College at the University of Toronto, where he received a Master of Divinity degree in 1976.

Ordination and ministry Callahan was ordained to the priesthood in Milwaukee at the Basilica of St. Josaphat for the Minorites by Archbishop William Cousins on April 30, 1977.

He returned to Illinois in 1978 to serve as director of vocations for the Minorites for the next six years. He was named associate pastor in 1984 of Holy Family Parish in Peoria, Illinois; he was appointed pastor of that parish in 1987. Following Dolan's appointment as archbishop of the Archdiocese of New York in February 2009, Callahan was elected as the diocesan administrator of Milwaukee on April 20, 2009. He oversaw the daily administration of the archdiocese until Benedict XVI named Bishop Jerome Listecki as the new archbishop in November 2009.

Bishop of La Crosse On June 11, 2010, Callahan was appointed bishop of La Crosse by Benedict XVI, succeeding Listecki. On August 11, 2010, Callahan was installed as bishop. The next day, in defiance of Callahan's order, Altman gave the benediction at the 2021 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Orlando, Florida. In November 2022, Callahan appointed the parochial administrator of St. James as its pastor.

Pope Francis accepted Callahan's resignation from office on March 19, 2024, for health reasons.