John R. Gaydos

infobox bishopstyles
name=John Gaydos
dipstyle=The Most Reverend
offstyle=Your Excellency
relstyle=Monsignor
deathstyle=not applicabe |

John Raymond Gaydos (born August 14, 1943) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He is the third and current Bishop of Jefferson City.

Biography

John Gaydos was born in St. Louis, Missouri, to George and Carrie (née Lee) Gaydos. He graduated from St. Agnes School in 1957, and then attended St. Louis Preparatory Seminary from 1957 to 1961, whence he entered [http://www.kenrick.edu/cgc/ Cardinal Glennon College] . After graduating in 1965, Gaydos went to Rome to study at the Pontifical North American College and Pontifical Gregorian University, from where he obtained his Bachelor's degree in Dogmatic Theology in 1969. During his studies in Rome, he was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Francis Reh on December 20, 1968, in St. Peter's Basilica.

Upon his return to the United States, he served as associate pastor of [http://www.stjoemanchester.org/ St. Joseph Parish] in Manchester until 1974, and of St. Cecilia Parish in St. Louis until 1977. Gaydos was the secretary of John Cardinal Carberry and Vice-Chancellor of St. Louis from 1977 to 1981, and then secretary to Archbishop John May and full Chancellor until 1990. He became pastor of [http://www.sgmparish.org/ St. Gerard Majella Parish] in Kirkwood in 1990, and vicar general of St. Louis on February 14, 1996.

On June 25, 1997, Gaydos was appointed the third Bishop of Jefferson City by Pope John Paul II. He received his episcopal consecration on the following August 27 from Archbishop Justin Rigali, with Bishop Michael McAuliffe and Archbishop Oscar Lipscomb serving as co-consecrators.

The Bishop has received criticism for not objecting to the nomination of Fr. Anthony O'Connell, who had once sexually abused a seminarian and led the Diocese of Jefferson City to pay a private settlement of $1.2 million in 1996, as Bishop of Palm Beach, Florida, in 1999 [New York Times. [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A0CE3D9133FF933A15757C0A9649C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all SCANDALS IN THE CHURCH: THE HIERARCHY; Bishops Replace Head of Sexual Abuse Panel and Name New Members] April 20, 2002] .

Within the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Gaydos served as Chairman of the [http://www.usccb.org/plm/ Committee on Priestly Life and Ministry] , and currently sits on the "Ad Hoc" Committee on Sexual Abuse, Administrative Committee, and [http://www.usccb.org/comm/ Committee for Communications] .

References

External links

* [http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bgaydos.html Catholic-Hierarchy]
* [http://www.usccb.org/comm/archives/2002/02-170.shtml#gaydos United States Conference of Catholic Bishops]
* [http://www.mocatholic.org/AboutUs/BoardofDirectors.htm Missouri Catholic Conference]