Walter A. Hurley

Walter Hurley was born in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada, to Charles and Anne (née Ball) Hurley. One of six children, he has four sisters, Elizabeth, Eileen, Charlene, and Annette; and one brother, Gerald. He attended St. Dunstan Grade School in Fredericton, and St. Anne High School in Church Point, Nova Scotia. In 1955, he moved to the United States, settling in Detroit, Michigan. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Sacred Heart Seminary in 1961, and a Master's in Divinity from the now-defunct St. John's Provincial Seminary in 1965.

Hurley was ordained to the priesthood of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Detroit by future-cardinal John Dearden on June 5, 1965, serving with the following appointments:

• Pastoral vicar at St. Dorothy Parish in Warren (1965-1969)
• Vicar for the Warren-Centerline Vicariate (1969-1972)
• pastor of St. Cyprian Parish in Riverview (1972–76)
• Pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Roseville (1976-1979)
• Pastor of St. Lucy Parish in St. Clair Shores (1979-1982)

Archbishop Edmund Cardinal Szoka then sent Hurley to further his studies at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., from where he obtained a Licentiate of Canon Law in 1984. Upon returning to the archdiocese, he served in three more appointments:

• Judicial vicar of the metropolitan tribunal (1984-1989)
• Diocesan moderator of the Curia (1986-1990)
• Pastor of Our Lady of Sorrows Parish in Farmington (1990-2003)

In 1994, Pope John Paul II named him an Honorary Prelate of His Holiness, giving him the title of monsignor. That year, he also became a member of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem.

Hurley served as Adam Cardinal Maida's delegate for Clergy Misconduct from 1988 to 1995 and again from 2002 to 2005, and as the cardinal's delegate and project manager for the construction of what is now the Saint John Paul II National Shrine in Washington, DC from 1995 to 2001.

Auxiliary Bishop of Detroit

On July 7, 2003, Pope John Paul II appointed Hurley as the 22nd Auxiliary Bishop of Detroit and Titular Bishop of Chunavia. Cardinal Maida performed his episcopal consecration on the August 12, 2003, with Cardinal Szoka and Bishop Walter Schoenherr serving as co-consecrators. At that time, Hurley selected "Serve With Gladness" (from Psalm 100:2) as his episcopal motto, which he kept for his entire episcopacy. As an auxiliary bishop, he was responsible for the Northwest Region of the Archdiocese, which encompasses Oakland and Lapeer Counties.

Bishop of Grand Rapids

On June 21, 2005, upon the death of Bishop Kevin Michael Britt, Pope Benedict XVI named Hurley as the 11th bishop of the Diocese of Grand Rapids, and he was installed on August 4, 2005. As bishop, Hurley was the spiritual leader of the over 175,000 Catholics in West Michigan. As required, Hurley submitted his resignation from the episcopal ordinate on his 75th birthday (May 30, 2012), but it was not accepted until April 18, 2013 when Pope Francis appointed David John Walkowiak as the new Bishop of Grand Rapids. During the period between his resignation and Walkowiak's installation, Hurley served as Apostolic Administrator of the diocese, and was present for his successor's consecration and installation on June 18, 2013 at the Cathedral of Saint Andrew, assisting, among 19 other bishops, Detroit Archbishop Allen Vigneron as co-consecrator.