John Dougherty

John Martin Dougherty (born 29 April 1932) is a retired American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as the Auxiliary Bishop of Scranton, Pennsylvania from 1995 until his resignation was accepted by Pope Benedict XVI on August 31, 2009.

John Dougherty was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, to Edward and Irene (née Kern) Dougherty. After graduating from St. Paul High School in 1949, he studied at St. Charles College in Catonsville, Maryland (1949-1951) and at St. Mary's Seminary in Baltimore (1951-1953), from where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1953. He earned a Master of Arts in Philosophy from the University of Notre Dame in Indiana in 1956, and a Licentiate of Sacred Theology from St. Mary's in Baltimore in 1957.

On 15 June 1957, Dougherty was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Jerome D. Hannan at St. Peter's Cathedral. He then served as assistant pastor at the Church of St. Ann in Tobyhanna until 1962, when he became professor of ascetical theology at St. Pius X Seminary in Dalton. In addition to his professorship, he became director of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith in 1964. In 1968 Dougherty was raised to the rank of Chaplain of His Holiness by Pope Paul VI and named Vicar for Religious by Bishop J. Carroll McCormick.

Dougherty was appointed assistant chancellor of the Diocese in 1972, also assuming the duties of Pro-Life Director in 1976. He became chancellor of the Diocese in 1977 and a Honorary Prelate of His Holiness in 1978. In 1984 he was named vicar general and moderator of the curia. He received his first pastorate in 1984, being named to St. Patrick's Parish in West Scranton.

On 7 February 1995, Dougherty was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Scranton and Titular Bishop of Sufetula by Pope John Paul II. He received his episcopal consecration on the following 7 March from Bishop James C. Timlin, with Bishops McCormick and Francis X. DiLorenzo serving as co-consecrators, at St. Peter's Cathedral. As an auxiliary bishop, he served as rector of Villa Saint Joseph in Dunmore (1995-2004) and Vicar for Administration (2004-present). In April 2009 he joined Bishop Joseph F. Martino in expressing his opposition to the University of Notre Dame's decision to have U.S. President Barack Obama deliver its commencement speech and receive an honorary degree, given the "numerous, repeated and extensive anti-life positions" Obama has taken.

Upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 75, Dougherty submitted his letter of resignation to Pope Benedict XVI in April 2007. The Holy See accepted his resignation on August 31, 2009.

He continues to serve as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Catholic Distance University. Bishop Dougherty is presently in residence @ Christ the King Parish in Archbald, Pa. He celebrates the Holy Mass and hears confessions regularly.