Bishop Norbert F. Gaughan
(1975-1984)
Bishop Norbert F. Gaughan, the only Auxiliary Bishop to serve the Diocese of Greensburg, was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Pittsburgh, November 4, 1945. He was in his first assignment as Parochial Vicar of St. Joseph Parish, Uniontown, when the Diocese of Greensburg was formed. This event made the Pittsburgh native a priest for the new Diocese.
Bishop Gaughan served as Parochial Vicar of Blessed Sacrament Cathedral Parish, Greensburg, then was named Assistant Chancellor, and served as Secretary for the young Diocese. Bishop Gaughan was appointed Chancellor in 1960, and Vicar General in 1970. He was ordained an Auxiliary Bishop, June 26, 1975. He continued to serve in two other administrative roles after his episcopal ordination.
Bishop Gaughan helped then Bishop William G. Connare establish The Catholic Accent in 1961. Both bishops wrote columns for the new diocesan paper. Bishop Gaughan’s column “Ins and Outs,” was nationally syndicated. Bishop Gaughan also served as a monthly columnist for Our Sunday Visitor; was involved in the diocesan television show, “Real to Reel;” and co-hosted a weekly ecumenical program, “Faith and Today’s World,” on WTAE-TV in Pittsburgh.
Bishop Gaughan chaired the U.S. bishops’ communication committee and, during that time, was an outspoken critic of the federal deregulation of radio and television. He was also an honorary president of the Catholic Press Association.
He was appointed the Second Bishop of the Diocese of Gary, Ind., July 9, 1984, and installed October 1, 1984. Bishop Gaughan founded a newspaper for that diocese, the Northwest Indiana Catholic.
Bishop Gaughan was born May 30, 1921, and raised on Pittsburgh’s North Side. He graduated from Pittsburgh Central Catholic High School and Saint Vincent College and Seminary, Latrobe. He later earned a doctorate in philosophy from the University of Pittsburgh, Oakland. He was a lecturer in the philosophy department at the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg for 13 years, and also lectured in the religious studies department at Saint Vincent College.
Bishop Gaughan retired as Bishop of the Gary diocese June 1, 1996, and died October 1, 1999, at the age of 78. He is buried on the grounds of St. Emma Monastery, near Greensburg, where he had lived during his years as Auxiliary Bishop of Greensburg.
