1Honoring the life and service of Bishop Joseph McFadden and
2expressing condolences on his death.

3WHEREAS, Bishop Joseph P. McFadden was born in Philadelphia
4on May 22, 1947, to Thomas and Ellen McFadden; and

5WHEREAS, After graduating from Thomas More High School for
6Boys in 1965 as class valedictorian, Bishop McFadden attended
7Saint Joseph University where he majored in political science
8and graduated in 1969; and

9WHEREAS, Throughout high school and college, Bishop McFadden
10was active on the basketball team, first as a player and then,
11by the end of his time at Saint Joseph University, as a coach
12for his former high school; and

13WHEREAS, In 1976, Bishop McFadden entered Saint Charles

1Borromeo Seminary, where he earned his master's of divinity
2degree and graduated summa cum laude, and in 1981 he was
3ordained a priest assigned to the Parochial Vicar at St.
4Laurence Parish in Highland Park; and

5WHEREAS, In 1993, then Monsignor McFadden was named by
6Cardinal Bevilacqua to be the first president of Cardinal O'Hara
7High School in Springfield and, during his tenure, the school's
8enrollment increased from 1,540 to 2,000 and he helped to
9initiate the innovative "Laptops for Learning" program; and

10WHEREAS, In 2001, then Monsignor McFadden was appointed
11pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Downingtown, where he ministered
12until 2004; and

13WHEREAS, In 2004, he was ordained to the Episcopacy by
14Cardinal Justin Rigali and became the auxiliary bishop of the
15Archdiocese of Philadelphia, where his duties included oversight
16of Catholic education; and

17WHEREAS, On August 18, 2010, Bishop McFadden became the 10th
18bishop of the Diocese of Harrisburg, which includes 15 counties
19in central Pennsylvania and includes more than 244,000 members;
20and

21WHEREAS, Bishop McFadden served as honorary chaplain on St.
22Patrick's Day for the House of Representatives for over ten
23years; and

24WHEREAS, On Thursday, May 2, 2013, Bishop McFadden was
25attending a meeting of the Catholic Bishops of Pennsylvania in
26Philadelphia when he became ill and died at a hospital; and

27WHEREAS, His sudden death came as a shock to those who knew
28him and knew of him, and his passing is an immeasurable loss to
29the Diocese of Harrisburg; therefore be it

30RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives honor the life

1and service of Bishop Joseph P. McFadden and extend condolences
2on his death.