SCRANTON — The Most Reverend John M. Dougherty, D.D., Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus of Scranton, died Saturday at his family’s home in Scranton, diocesan officials said.
He was 89.
“Bishop Dougherty’s passing brings to a close a rare example of priestly ministry and service so generously shared for 65 years as a priest and 27 years as a bishop,” Bishop Joseph C. Bambera said.
“While Bishop Dougherty’s retirement was accepted a year before my appointment as Bishop of Scranton, his willingness to continue to be of service to the faithful of our Diocese never diminished throughout his almost 90 years,” Bambera added.
Scranton native
Dougherty was born April 29, 1932, in Scranton, the son of the late Edward A. and Irene C. Kern Dougherty.
He was installed as the sixth auxiliary bishop of Scranton on March 7, 1995, and served until Aug. 31, 2009, when Pope Benedict XVI accepted his resignation two years after reaching the mandatory retirement age.
As a member of Saint Paul Parish, Scranton, Bishop Dougherty attended the parochial grade school and graduated from Saint Paul High School in June 1949.
In September of the same year, Dougherty entered Saint Charles College, Catonsville, Md., where he studied for two years. In the spring of 1951, Dougherty applied to become a seminary student for the Diocese of Scranton.
He began his priestly studies on Sept. 19, 1951, at St. Mary’s Seminary, Baltimore, Md. Dougherty earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from St. Mary’s in June 1953. Three years later, he received a Master of Arts in philosophy from the University of Notre Dame. Dougherty returned to further studies at St. Mary’s, where he earned a Licentiate in Sacred Theology in 1957.
Ordained in 1957
Dougherty was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Scranton in the Cathedral of Saint Peter, Scranton, on June 15, 1957, by Bishop Jerome D. Hannan.
On June 29, 1957, Dougherty was appointed assistant pastor of Saint Ann Parish, Tobyhanna, a community he served for more than seven years. In preparation for the opening of St. Pius X Seminary, Dalton, in September 1962, he was named Professor of Ascetical Theology by Bishop Hannan on March 28, 1962.
Dougherty was given an additional responsibility in September 1964, which brought him to his first post in the Chancery. He was appointed Director of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith by Bishop Hannan.
On May 19, 1968, Pope Paul VI named Bishop Dougherty a Chaplain of His Holiness with the title of Monsignor. In the same year, he was appointed Vicar for Religious by Bishop J. Carroll McCormick. Four years later, McCormick appointed him Assistant Chancellor of the Diocese.
A further responsibility was placed on Dougherty when he assumed the duties of the Diocesan Pro-Life Director in February 1976.
The following year, on September 6, 1977, Bishop Dougherty was appointed Chancellor of the Diocese of Scranton by McCormick.
He was named a Prelate of Honor on November 2, 1978, by Pope John Paul II. On June 7, 1984, the day of Bishop James C. Timlin’s installation as the Eighth Bishop of Scranton, Dougherty was appointed Vicar General, Moderator of the Curia and Diocesan Consultor.
Dougherty was named pastor of Saint Patrick Parish, Scranton, on September 4, 1985. The parish community included the churches of Saint Patrick, Holy Cross, Saint John the Baptist and Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Pope John Paul II named Dougherty the Titular Bishop of Sufetula and Auxiliary to the Bishop of Scranton on February 7, 1995. His episcopal ordination took place on March 7, 1995, with Timlin serving as consecrator.
On June 30, 1995, Dougherty was appointed Rector of Villa Saint Joseph, Dunmore, a position he held for nearly nine years. On March 1, 2004, Bishop Joseph F. Martino gave him significant additional collaborative responsibility in the daily administration of the Diocese by naming him Vicar for Administration, a newly created central administrative post at the time.
Continued service
Dougherty continued his service to the Diocese through appointments on the Council of Priests and Board of Consultors between 2005 and 2010.
Even after retirement, as Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus, Dougherty served in residence at Christ the King Parish in Archbald prior to Bishop Joseph C. Bambera appointing him to serve as Administrator, pro tem, at Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary Parish in Jermyn in June 2019.
Details of funeral arrangements are pending and will be communicated once finalized. A memorial page is available on a special section of the Diocese of Scranton website at dioceseofscranton.org.