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John Joyce Russell (December 1, 1897 – March 17, 1993) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church, serving as bishop of the Diocese of Richmond in Virginia from 1958 to 1973. He previously served as bishop of the Diocese of Charleston in South Carolina from 1950 to 1958.

Biography

Early life

John Russell was born on December 1, 1897, in Baltimore, Maryland, to John and Mary (née Joyce) Russell. John Russell attended Calvert Hall College High School and Loyola High School, both in Towson, Maryland.

From 1912 to 1917, he studied at St. Charles College in Ellicott City, Maryland. Russell earned his Master of Arts degree from St. Mary's Seminary in Baltimore in 1919, and a Doctor of Sacred Theology degree from the Pontifical Urbaniana University in Rome in 1923. Russell was a schoolmate of the seminarian Francis J. Parater, now a servant of god.

Priesthood

John Russell was ordained to the priesthood in Rome by Bishop William Russell, his relative, for the Archdiocese of Baltimore on July 8, 1923. Following his return to Baltimore, John Russell served as a curate at St. Martin Parish in Baltimore from 1923 to 1937. He also served as diocesan director of Catholic Big Brothers and of the Holy Name Societies from 1927 to 1946). From 1929 to 1946, he was diocesan director of the Catholic Evidence Guild.

Russell served as pastor of St. Ursula Paris in Baltimore from 1937 to 1946, and was named a domestic prelate by the Vatican in 1945. Russell then served as pastor of St. Patrick Parish in Washington, D.C. from 1946 to 1948 and as diocesan director of Catholic Charities (1946–1950). From 1948 to 1950, he was pastor of the Church of the Nativity.

Bishop of Charleston

On January 28, 1950, Russell was appointed bishop of Charleston by Pope Pius XII. He received his episcopal consecration on March 14, 1950, from Archbishop Amleto Cicognani, with Archbishop Patrick O'Boyle and Bishop John Michael McNamara serving as co-consecrators.

Bishop of Richmond

Russell was named the as the tenth bishop of Richmond by Pius XII on July 3, 1958; he was installed on September 30, 1958. From 1962 to 1965, Russell attended the Second Vatican Council in Rome. In implementing the Council's reforms, Russell established a diocesan Commission on Ecumenical Affairs in 1963, and a diocesan pastoral council and a council of priests in 1966. A champion of civil rights, he had the parents of prospective students for Richmond's Catholic schools be interviewed for signs of racism.

Death and legacy

Russell's resignation as bishop of Richmond was accepted by Pope Paul VI on April 28, 1973. John Russell died on March 17, 1993, at St. Joseph's Home in Richmond at age 95.

References

1. "Servant of God, Francis J. Parater". Retrieved 2024-05-17.
2. ^ "Bishop John Joyce Russell [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
3. St. Patrick Catholic Church: Our History Retrieved 2012-03-02.
4. Church of the Nativity; accessed July 12, 2020.
5. The Catholic Diocese of Richmond. History of the Diocese of Richmond Archived 2009-01-05 at the Wayback Machine
6. Bumpy Road in Richmond, TIME Magazine, February 28, 1972.
7. The Catholic Virginian. Little Sisters of the Poor welcome international superior to Richmond September 11, 2006

External links

• Catholic-Hierarchy
• Catholic Diocese of Richmond

v t e Roman Catholic Diocese of Richmond
Bishops	Ordinaries Patrick Kelly Richard Vincent Whelan John McGill James Gibbons John Joseph Keane Augustine Van de Vyver Denis J. O'Connell Andrew James Louis Brennan Peter Leo Ireton John Joyce Russell Walter Francis Sullivan Francis X. DiLorenzo Barry Christopher Knestout Auxiliary bishops Joseph Howard Hodges Ernest Leo Unterkoefler James Louis Flaherty David Edward Foley
Churches	Cathedral Cathedral of the Sacred Heart Basilica Basilica of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception, Norfolk Basilica of St. Andrew, Roanoke Parishes St. Vincent de Paul Church, Newport News Church of the Sacred Heart, Petersburg St. Paul's Church, Portsmouth Church of the Sacred Heart, Richmond St. Peter's Church, Richmond St. Bede's Church, Williamsburg St. Stephen, Martyr, Chesapeake
Education	High schools Benedictine College Preparatory, Richmond Blessed Sacrament Huguenot, Powhatan Catholic High School, Virginia Beach Holy Cross Regional Catholic School, Lynchburg Peninsula Catholic High School, Newport News Roanoke Catholic School, Roanoke Saint Gertrude High School, Richmond Walsingham Academy, Williamsburg
Priests	Francis Janssens Vincent Stanislaus Waters
Miscellany	Francis J. Parater
Catholicism portal

v t e Roman Catholic Diocese of Charleston
Bishops	Ordinaries John England Ignatius A. Reynolds Patrick Neeson Lynch Henry P. Northrop William Thomas Russell Emmet M. Walsh John Joyce Russell Paul John Hallinan Francis Frederick Reh Ernest Leo Unterkoefler David B. Thompson Robert Joseph Baker Robert E. Guglielmone Jacques E. Fabre
Churches	Cathedral Cathedral of St. John the Baptist Abbey Mepkin Abbey Parishes St. Mary Help of Christians Church, Aiken St. Andrew's Church, Barnwell St. Mary of the Annunciation Church, Charleston St. Peter's Church, Columbia Former cathedral Cathedral of Saint John and Saint Finbar, Charleston
Education	High schools Bishop England High School, Charleston Cardinal Newman High School, Forest Acres St. Francis Xavier High School, Sumter St. John Paul II Catholic School, Okatie St. Joseph's Catholic School, Greenville
Priests	John Barry Joseph Bernardin John James Joseph Monaghan John Moore
Miscellany	The Catholic Miscellany
Catholicism portal

• 1897 births
• 1993 deaths
• 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States
• Participants in the Second Vatican Council
• Pontifical Urban University alumni
• Religious leaders from Baltimore
• Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore
• Roman Catholic bishops of Richmond
• Roman Catholic bishops of Charleston
• St. Mary's Seminary and University alumni