Charles Pasquale Greco

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Charles Pasquale Greco
Bishop of Alexandria in Louisiana
ChurchRoman Catholic Church
DioceseAlexandria in Louisiana
PredecessorDaniel Francis Desmond
SuccessorLawrence Preston Joseph Graves
Orders
OrdinationJuly 25, 1918
by John Shaw
ConsecrationFebruary 25, 1947
by Joseph Rummel
Personal details
Born(1894-10-29)October 29, 1894
DiedJanuary 20, 1987(1987-01-20) (aged 92)
EducationSt. Joseph Seminary
American College at Louvain

Charles Pasquale Greco (October 29, 1894 – January 20, 1987) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Alexandria in Louisiana from 1946 to 1973.

Greco also served as the supreme chaplain of the Knights of Columbus from 1961 to 1987.[1][2]

Biography[edit]

Early life[edit]

Charles Greco was born on October 29, 1894, in Rodney, Mississippi, to Italian immigrants, Frank and Carmela (née Testa) Greco.[3] [4] He attended St. Joseph Seminary in Covington, Louisiana, before studying at the American College at Louvain in Belgium and the University of Fribourg in Switzerland.[3]

Greco was ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of New Orleans by Archbishop John Shaw on July 25, 1918.[5] Greco served as vicar general of the archdiocese and pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in New Orleans.[3]

Bishop of Alexandria[edit]

On January 15, 1946, Greco was appointed the sixth bishop of the Diocese of Alexandria by Pope Pius XII.[5] He received his episcopal consecration on February 25, 1946, from Archbishop Joseph Rummel, with Bishops Richard Gerow and Thomas Toolen serving as co-consecrators.[5]

During his tenure, Greco established 33 parishes, over 125 churches and chapels, 100 convents and rectories, and 7 health-care facilities.[6] In 1954, he also founded St. Mary's Residential Training School in Clarks, Louisiana, and Holy Angels Residential Facility for Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities in Shreveport, Louisiana.[6] He attended all four sessions of the Second Vatican Council in Rome between 1962 and 1965. Greco was also the supreme chaplain of the Knights of Columbus.

Retirement and legacy[edit]

On May 10, 1973, Pope Paul VI accepted Greco's resignation as bishop of Alexandria.[5] Charles Greco died on January 20, 1987, at age 92. Greco is honored with a statue of himself standing between two children at St. Mary's Residential Training School in Alexandria.[7]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Bishop Charles P. Greco" (PDF). Louisiana Ladies Auxiliary Association. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 27, 2015. Retrieved March 4, 2018.
  2. ^ Kauffman, Christopher J. (1982). Faith and Fraternalism: The History of the Knights of Columbus, 1882–1982. Harper and Row. p. 394. ISBN 978-0-06-014940-6.
  3. ^ a b c Curtis, Georgina Pell (1961). The American Catholic Who's Who. Vol. XIV. Grosse Pointe, Michigan: Walter Romig.
  4. ^ Find a Grave.
  5. ^ a b c d "Bishop Charles Pasquale Greco". Catholic-Hierarchy.org.[self-published source]
  6. ^ a b "Bishop Charles P. Greco". Knights of Columbus Assembly 2161. Archived from the original on 2008-05-13.
  7. ^ "St. Mary's Residential Training School History". stmarys-rts.org. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved June 7, 2014.
Catholic Church titles
Preceded by Bishop of Alexandria in Louisiana
1946—1973
Succeeded by