Joseph P. McFadden was born in Philadelphia on May 22, 1947, the son of Thomas and Ellen (Griffin) McFadden. He lived with his parents and brother, John, and his two sisters, Jane and Ellen, in West Philadelphia and was baptized at Saint Rose of Lima Parish.
Most Reverend Joseph P. McFadden
“Mary the Model – Jesus the Center”
Most Reverend Joseph P. McFadden
Tenth Bishop of Harrisburg
2010-2013
He attended Our Lady of Lourdes elementary school from 1953-1961. He attended Saint Thomas More High School for Boys from 1961 to 1965. While in high school, he was a member of the Student Council, the Newspaper, the J.V. and Varsity Basketball teams and a member of the National Honor Society. He was also the Class Valedictorian. Following high school, he matriculated to Saint Joseph University majoring in Political Science. He graduated in 1969 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Politics. While at St. Joseph, he played on the Freshmen Basketball Team and then embarked on a career of coaching basketball during his remaining years in college, first as the Freshman Coach at St. Thomas More High School and then as the Junior Varsity Coach at West Catholic High School for Boys.
On graduating from Saint Joseph University, Bishop McFadden was hired to teach at West Catholic Boys High School. While teaching, he also coached the J. V. Baseball Team, the J.V. and Varsity Basketball Teams becoming the Head Coach in 1973 and was Moderator of the Student Council. In 1972 he was appointed the Director of Athletics for West Catholic and served on the Board of Directors for the Philadelphia Catholic League.
In 1976 Bishop McFadden entered Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary to study for the priesthood and was ordained a Deacon in 1980 and assigned to Our Lady of Fatima Parish, Secane. On May 16, 1981 he was ordained a Priest in the Cathedral Basilica of SS. Peter and Paul by His Eminence John Cardinal Krol. Bishop McFadden received a Master of Divinity Degree on completion of his studies at Saint Charles Seminary graduating Summa Cum Laude.
In June of 1981, he was assigned the Parochial Vicar at St. Laurence Parish, Highland Park. In 1982 he was appointed Administrative Secretary to Cardinal Krol and held that position from 1982 to 1993. On May 29, 1991, he was named an Honorary Prelate to His Holiness, Pope John Paul II, with the title of Monsignor.
In 1993, Bishop McFadden was named by Cardinal Bevilacqua to be the first President of Cardinal O’Hara High School, Springfield, PA. During his tenure as President, the school’s enrollment increased from 1540 students to 2000 students and he helped to initiate the innovative computer “Laptops for Learning” program in the school.
In 2001, Bishop McFadden was appointed Pastor of St Joseph Parish, Downingtown, where he ministered until his appointment as Auxiliary Bishop of Philadelphia in June 2004. Bishop McFadden was ordained to the Episcopacy by Cardinal Justin Rigali in the Cathedral Basilica of SS. Peter and Paul on July 28, 2004.
On June 22, 2010 Pope Benedict XVI named Bishop McFadden the Tenth Bishop of Harrisburg. He was installed in St. Patrick Cathedral on August 18, 2010. On that date, he began his ministry as Bishop of Harrisburg.
Bishop McFadden died on May 2, 2013.
With the See of Harrisburg being vacant (sede vacante), Reverend Robert M. Gillelan, Jr. was elected Diocesan Administrator for the Diocese of Harrisburg by the College of Consultors. The function of a Diocesan Administrator ceases when the new Bishop, appointed by the Pope, has taken canonical possession of the Diocese (cf. canon 430 §1).
- President, Pennsylvania Catholic Conference, 2010 – 2013
- Member, Board of Trustees, Saint Vincent Seminary, 2010- 2013
- Chair, United States Conference of Bishops’ Committee on Education, 2011- 2013
- Council of Priests
- Priests’ Personnel Board
- Archdiocesan Advisory Board for Renewal
- Chairman, Subcommittee for Clergy Renewal
- Diocesan Priests Continuing Formation Committee
- Archdiocesan Admissions Board for St. Charles Seminary
- Personal Spiritual Director for Seminarians
- Members, Tenth Synod of Archdiocese of Philadelphia
- Diocesan Priests’ Compensation and Benefits Committee
- Chairman, Pastor’s Committee for Elementary Schools
- Mentor, Pastoral Leadership Institute of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia
- Member, Pastoral Formation Sub-Committee of the Strategic Plan Committee,
St. Charles Borromeo Seminary - Member, USCCB Committee on Education
- Member, USCCB Task Force Committee on Faith Formation and Sacramental Preparation
- Advisor, Bishops’ Committee for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs (CEIA)
- Member, Episcopal Board of Advisors for the Cause for the Beatification of Archbishop Fulton John Sheen
- Member, Episcopal Advisory Board for Catholic Athletes for Christ
- Member, Board of Directors of the Heritage of Faith~Vision of Hope Campaign
- St. Thomas More Golden Bear Award – St. Thomas More Alumni Association, 1992
- Friendly Sons of Saint Patrick of Delaware County Man of the Year Award, 2001
- Honorary Member, Roman Catholic High School Hall of Fame, 2002
- Cardinal O’Hara High School Hall of Fame, 2004
- Inducted into Ring of Honor – St. Patrick’s Day Parade – 2007
- Named one of the 75 Greatest Living Philadelphians in celebration of the Philadelphia Eagles 75th Anniversary season – 2007
- Doctor of Humane Letters, Honoris Causa – Neumann College – 2008
- Grand Marshall – Springfield Township St. Patrick’s Day Parade – 2008
- Recipient of First “Shamrock Award” presented by Alumni of Saint Thomas More and West Catholic High Schools – 2009
Argent, on a cross gules a shamrock of the field, on a chief sable a crescent between two roundels argent, impaling Azure, a cross gyronny Or and argent between in dexter chief a rose Or and in sinister base a fleur-de-lis argent.
In designing the shield — the central element in what is formally called the heraldic achievement — a bishop has an opportunity to depict symbolically various aspects of his own life and heritage, and to highlight particular facets of Catholic faith and devotion that are important to him. Every coat of arms also includes external elements that identify the rank of the bearer. The formal description of a coat of arms, known as the blazon, uses a technical language, derived from medieval French and English terms, which allows the appearance and position of each element in the achievement to be recorded precisely.
In designing the shield — the central element in what is formally called the heraldic achievement — a bishop has an opportunity to depict symbolically various aspects of his own life and heritage, and to highlight particular facets of Catholic faith and devotion that are important to him. Every coat of arms also includes external elements that identify the rank of the bearer. The formal description of a coat of arms, known as the blazon, uses a technical language, derived from medieval French and English terms, which allows the appearance and position of each element in the achievement to be recorded precisely.
A diocesan bishop shows his commitment to the flock he shepherds by combining his personal coat of arms with that of the diocese, in a technique known as impaling. The shield is divided in half along the pale or central vertical line. The arms of the diocese appear on the dexter side — that is, on the side of the shield to the viewer’s left, which would cover the right side (in Latin, dextera) of the person carrying the shield. The arms of the bishop are on the sinister side — the bearer’s left, the viewer’s right.
The most prominent feature of the arms of the Diocese of Harrisburg is a cross, the central symbol of the Christian faith, painted red (gules). The cross is charged with a shamrock, a familiar attribute of Saint Patrick, the patron of the diocesan Cathedral. The black stripe at the top of the shield (a chief sable) bears charges that allude to two men instrumental in the settlement of the Harrisburg area. William Penn, first Proprietor of Pennsylvania, bore as his coat of arms Argent, on a fess sable three plates: that is, a white shield with a black horizontal stripe in the middle, which was marked with three white circles. John Harris—whose family first settled the area along the Susquehanna River in 1712, and gave their name to Harris’ Ferry (later renamed Harrisburg)—used a black shield charged with three white crescents (Sable, three crescents argent). The crescent moon is also a symbol of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, whom Saint John beheld in a vision as “a woman . . . with the moon under her feet” (Revelation 12:1).
Bishop McFadden adopted his personal coat of arms upon his ordination as a Bishop on July 28, 2004. The design includes several elements expressive of his faith and his devotion to the saints.
Like the arms of the Diocese, the Bishop’s coat of arms is also centered on the Cross of Christ. Here the cross is painted in an alternating pattern of gold and silver (gyronny Or and argent). These tinctures, used in the depiction of the crossed keys of Saint Peter, and in the flag of the Holy See, express the Bishop’s commitment always to be faithful to the Holy Father.
In the spaces created by the arms of the cross are symbols representing the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph. The golden rose in the top left section (dexter chief) alludes to the apparitions of the Blessed Mother as Our Lady of Knock in 1879. The fleur-de-lis in the bottom right section (sinister base) is a stylized lily, a traditional attribute recognizing the purity of Saint Joseph, the husband of Mary, the Bishop’s baptismal patron.
The shield is ensigned with a scroll bearing the motto, “Mary the Model — Jesus the Center”, and with other external elements that identify the bearer as a Bishop. A gold processional cross appears behind the shield; Bishop McFadden has chosen a Celtic Cross design to refer to his Irish heritage. The galero or “pilgrim’s hat” is used heraldically in various colors and with specific numbers of tassels to indicate the rank of a bearer of a coat of arms. A bishop uses a green galero with three rows of green tassels.
