Thomas Joseph McDonough (December 5, 1911 – August 4, 1998) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as an auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of St. Augustine in Florida (1947–1957), as auxiliary bishop and bishop of the Diocese of Savannah in Georgia (1957–1967) and as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Louisville in Kentucky (1967–1981).
Pope John XXIII appointed McDonough as an auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Savannah on January 2, 1957. He succeeded Bishop Gerald O'Hara as the tenth bishop of Savannah on March 2, 1960.[3] McDonough attended the Second Vatican Council in Rome from 1962 to 1965 during the American Civil Rights Movement. He signed the "Pentecost Statement" of the bishops of the Atlanta Province, condemning racial discrimination as contrary to Christian principles.[4]
Archbishop of Louisville
Pope Paul VI appointed McDonough as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Louisville on March 1, 1967.[1] A self-described "Vatican II bishop," McDonough implemented the Second Vatican Council's reforms and guided the archdiocese through an intensive period of activity and change.[5] His tenure saw advances in liturgical renewal, ecumenism, and lay involvement.[6]
Retirement
On September 29, 1981, Pope John Paul II accepted McDonough's resignation as Archbishop of Louisville.[7] Thomas McDonough died on August 4, 1998, in Darby, Pennsylvania, at age 86.[8] He is buried at Calvary Cemetery in Louisville.[9]
Viewpoints
Roe v. Wade
On January 22, 1973, when the U.S. Supreme Court issued the Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion, McDonough issued a statement calling the day "Blue Monday" and saying that it was
"...overtly a violation of individual rights. It comes at a time too when efforts have been made to close down the war inVietnam and to save the lives of all the people who have been endangered by that war. Now we hear the highest court in the land has declared an assault upon the life of the unborn child."[10]
