Quick Facts
Biography
John Jeremiah McRaith (born December 6, 1934) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Owensboro from 1982 to 2009.
Biography
John McRaith was born in Hutchinson, Minnesota. He attended St. John's Preparatory School in Collegeville, and both Loras College and St. Bernard Seminary in Dubuque, Iowa.
He was ordained a priest for the Diocese of New Ulm on February 21, 1960. He served as chancellor and vicar general of the Diocese, and as executive director of the National Catholic Rural Life Conference from 1971 to 1978.
On October 23, 1982, McRaith was appointed the third Bishop of Owensboro, Kentucky, by Pope John Paul II. He received his episcopal consecration on the following December 15 from Archbishop Thomas Kelly, O.P., with Bishops Henry Soenneker and Raymond Lucker serving as co-consecrators.
McRaith resigned for health reasons on January 5, 2009, after a 26-year-long period as ordinary of the Diocese of Owensboro. He explained, "I do not have a life-threatening illness, but my doctors have advised me to slow down."
Episcopal succession
| Catholic Church titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Henry Joseph Soenneker | Bishop of Owensboro 1982–2009 | Succeeded by William Frances Medley |