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 Bishop Connare | | On May 4, 1960, Bishop William G. Connare, a Pittsburgh native, was consecrated and installed as the second bishop of the Diocese of Greensburg during ceremonies at Blessed Sacrament Cathedral.
Bishop Connare was spiritual leader of the diocese for 27-plus years, directing it through the changes of Vatican II and into the latter part of the 1980s.
Early in his tenure, Bishop Connare established The Catholic Accent, which was first published June 1, 1961. The first diocesan synod, from which rules for operation of the diocese were established, was convened under his direction on Dec. 11, 1961. In 1962, he implemented a new fund-raising effort called Diocesan Expansion Day, an annual appeal to provide funds for diocesan facilities. |
Education continued to grow with the 1964 dedications of Geibel High School, Connellsville, and St. Joseph Hall near Greensburg, a minor seminary, and now a retreat center. An early dream of Bishop Lamb’s, a care facility for the elderly, was realized in1964, when Bishop Connare presided at the dedication of St. Anne Home for the Elderly in Greensburg. He blessed Clelian Heights School for Exceptional Children, Greensburg, in 1968.
Bishop Connare attended all four sessions of the Second Vatican Council. He addressed the council on behalf of the United States bishops on the subject of the Divine Office and breviary. Shortly before the close of the council, he prepared the diocese for the major changes in the liturgy by reorganizing its Liturgical Commission and establishing committees to study and facilitate upcoming changes, especially the change of the Mass from Latin to English.
Blessed Sacrament Cathedral in Greensburg was renovated to accommodate the new liturgical requirements of Vatican II, and Bishop Connare acknowledged the cathedral project as one of the most important accomplishments of his tenure.
In September 1975, Bishop Connare was one of eight cardinals and bishops invited to Rome to concelebrate a canonization Mass for Mother Seton with Pope Paul VI. In April 1980, Bishop Connare returned safely to the diocese after a perilous experience at the funeral of Archbishop Oscar Romero in San Salvador where 40 people were killed due to violence at the Mass.
An estimated 10,000 people attended Bishop Connare Day at Idlewild Park on Sept. 1, 1985, to close the celebration of his 25 years as bishop of Greensburg.
His resignation was accepted by Pope John Paul II on Jan. 20, 1987, and he was named apostolic administrator of the diocese until the installation of Bishop Anthony G. Bosco.
Bishop Connare was born on Dec. 11, 1911, in Pittsburgh’s East End. He graduated from Duquesne University Preparatory School and Duquesne University. He attended Saint Vincent Seminary, Latrobe, and was ordained on June 14, 1936, by the late Bishop Hugh C. Boyle of Pittsburgh at Saint Vincent Basilica.
During his early years as a priest, he held a variety of posts, including diocesan director of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, chaplain of the Catholic Interracial Council of Pittsburgh and vicar for religious. He was also a member of the Community Services Committee of the Urban League of Pittsburgh and the Commission on Human Relations.
He died on June 12, 1995, at the age of 83. |