[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 102 (Friday, July 20, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1383]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            BISHOP TIMLIN CELEBRATES 50 YEARS IN PRIESTHOOD

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. PAUL E. KANJORSKI

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 19, 2001

  Mr. KANJORSKI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call the attention of the 
House of Representatives to the 50th anniversary of the ordination to 
the priesthood of Bishop James C. Timlin of the Catholic Diocese of 
Scranton, Pennsylvania, which includes much of my Congressional 
District. Bishop Timlin is an institution in Northeastern Pennsylvania, 
known not only for his spiritual guidance but also for his leadership 
in a broad range of social issues.
  Bishop Timlin, the eighth bishop of Scranton and the first native-
born son of the diocese to become its bishop, celebrated his 50th 
anniversary on July 16. On September 21, he will celebrate the 25th 
anniversary of his elevation to the rank of bishop.
  He was born in 1927 in the High Works section of Scranton to the late 
James C. and Helen Norton Timlin. He attended St. John the Evangelist 
and Holy Rosary schools in Scranton and graduated from Holy Rosary High 
School and St. Charles College in Catonsville, Md.
  Those who knew him in childhood sensed he was on the path to the 
priesthood, as his face bore a radiant expression while he served Mass 
and he had already joined the Future Priest Club by the time he entered 
eighth grade at Holy Rosary. He attended St. Mary's Seminary in 
Baltimore before completing his studies for the priesthood at the North 
American College in Rome.
  Bishop Timlin was ordained in 1951 in Rome by the Most Rev. Martin J. 
O'Connor, D.D., then-Rector of North American College, who ordained him 
a year early because of the speed with which he managed his studies. He 
continued studies in Theology there before returning to the diocese 
where in 1952 he was appointed assistant pastor at St. John the 
Evangelist Parish, Pittston.
  On June 12, 1953, he became assistant pastor of St. Peter's Cathedral 
Parish, Scranton, where he served until September 12, 1966, when he was 
named assistant chancellor of the diocese and secretary to Bishop J. 
Carroll McCormick, D.D., the sixth Bishop of Scranton.
  Other papal honors and diocesan appointments followed as he was named 
Chaplain to His Holiness, Pope Paul VI, on August 3, 1967, Chancellor 
of the diocese on December 15, 1971, and Prelate of Honor of His 
Holiness on April 23, 1972.
  Earlier in his ministry, Bishop Timlin served as chairman of the 
Diocesan Liturgical Commission and the Priests' Education Committee, as 
well as librarian and secretary at St. Pius X Seminary, Dalton. In 
1972, he was appointed to the Diocesan Board of Consultors, and three 
years later, was elected President of the Board of Directors of The 
Catholic Light.
  He was named Auxiliary Bishop of Scranton on August 3, 1976. He was 
ordained in St. Peter's Cathedral on September 21, when he also became 
Vicar General of the diocese. In September, 1979, he became pastor of 
the Church of the Nativity of Our Lord, Scranton.
  In the summer of 1983, Cardinal John J. O'Connor, the seventh Bishop 
of Scranton, appointed him chairman of the Board of Advisors for St. 
Pius X Seminary, and chairman of the Preparatory Commission for the 
Diocesan Synod. Following the Cardinal's transfer to the Archdiocese of 
New York in March, 1984, Bishop Timlin was elected Diocesan 
Administrator by the Diocesan Board of Consultors. His Holiness, Pope 
John Paul II, appointed him the eighth Bishop of Scranton on April 24, 
1984, and his installation followed on June 7.
  Bishop Timlin has served two terms as a member of the National 
Conference of Catholic Bishops' Administrative Board and the National 
Advisory Council. He also served as a member of the Board of the North 
American College, as well as a consultor on the Liturgy Committee.
  He is presently a consultant to the NCCB's Ecumenical and Migration 
committees. He is well known for his commitment to ecumenism. To give 
just two examples, he led the Jewish Federation United Jewish 
Campaign's Super Sunday Telethon in 1984 and accepted an invitation to 
the Polish National Catholic Church's 100th anniversary banquet in 
1997, where he addressed the crowd, sharing their joy and seeking to 
restore unity between them.
  He has also served a five-year term as Episcopal Moderator of the 
National Association of Holy Name Societies. A long-time licensed 
pilot, the bishop is the Episcopal Moderator of the National 
Association of Catholic Airport Chaplains.
  When he was appointed bishop, he chose the motto ``Fides Spes 
Caritas,'' faith, hope, love. I think also serves as a fine summary of 
Bishop Timlin's life and work.
  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to call to the attention of the House of 
Representatives the long and dedicated service of Bishop James C. 
Timlin and to wish him all the best as he continues to serve 
Northeastern Pennsylvania.

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