Bishop McFadden was "Passionate and Prophetic Voice" for Catholic Schools

Catholic schools and their students lost a singular witness to hope last week with Bishop Joseph McFadden’s passing into eternal life. Through a lifetime of joyful service as a teacher, coach, pastor, bishop, and mentor, Bishop McFadden embodied the Good News and inspired all those who knew him to do the same.

In his ministry in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, the Diocese of Harrisburg, and the USCCB Committee on Catholic Education, Bishop McFadden served as a catalyst for the transformation of K-12 Catholic education throughout the United States. In the face of unprecedented challenge, he was a passionate and prophetic voice for the indispensable role that Catholic schools can and must play as agents of the common good – tirelessly inviting us all to “put out into the deep” to renew these national treasures. He was an architect of and driving force behind the ongoing revitalization of these schools, which remain such powerful agents of evangelization. When the story of these schools is ultimately written, it will surely and prominently feature Bishop McFadden.

On behalf of the Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) at the University Notre Dame family, I extend my prayerful sympathy to Bishop McFadden’s family, the people of Harrisburg, and all those who mourn his passing.

Rev. Timothy R. Scully, CSC
Hackett Family Director of the Institute for Educational Initiatives
Founder, Alliance for Catholic Education