James T. McHugh

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His Excellency, The Most Reverend

James Thomas McHugh
Bishop of Rockville Centre
SeeDiocese of Rockville Centre
InstalledJanuary 4, 2000
Term endedDecember 10, 2000
PredecessorJohn R. McGann
SuccessorWilliam Murphy
Other postsAuxiliary Bishop of Newark (1988–1989)
Bishop of Camden (1989–1998)
Coadjutor Bishop of Rockville Centre (1998–2000)
Orders
OrdinationMay 25, 1957
by Thomas Aloysius Boland
ConsecrationJanuary 25, 1988
by Theodore McCarrick
Personal details
Born(1932-01-03)January 3, 1932
Orange, New Jersey, US
DiedDecember 10, 2000(2000-12-10) (aged 68)
Rockville Centre, New York, US
DenominationRoman Catholic Church
EducationSeton Hall University
Immaculate Conception Seminary
Fordham University
Catholic University of America
Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum)
MottoQuid retribuam Domino
(What shall I return to the Lord)

James Thomas McHugh (January 3, 1932 – December 10, 2000) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church who served as bishop of Diocese of Rockville Centre in New York during the year 2000.

McHugh previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Newark in New Jersey from 1987 to 1989, as bishop of the Diocese of Camden in New Jersey from 1989 to 1998 and as coadjutor bishop of Rockville Centre from 1998 to early 2000.

Biography

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Early life

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McHugh was born on January 3, 1932, in Orange, New Jersey, to James T. and Caroline (née Scavone) McHugh.[1] He received his early education at the parochial school of St. Venantius Parish, and attended Our Lady of the Valley High School, both in Orange.[2] He enrolled at Seton Hall University in South Orange, New Jersey, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in classical languages.[1] McHugh then began his studies for the priesthood at Immaculate Conception Seminary in Darlington, New Jersey, receiving a Master of Divinity degree.[2]

Priesthood

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On May 25, 1957, McHugh was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Newark at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Newark, New Jersey by Archbishop Thomas Aloysius Boland.[3] After his ordination, the archdiocese assigned McHugh as a curate at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish in Newark. He was later transferred to Holy Trinity Parish in Fort Lee, New Jersey.[1] He served as a member of the Archdiocesan Family Life Committee from 1962 to 1965.[2]

In addition to his pastoral duties, McHugh did graduate work in sociology at Fordham University in New York City from 1963 to 1965.[1] He served as moderator of the Bergen County Catholic Physicians' Guild (1964–1965) and of the Bergen County Catholic Nurses' Council (1963–1965).[2] He continued his studies in sociology at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., from 1965 to 1967.[2] In 1965, McHugh joined the staff of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, where he served as director of the Family Life Bureau (1965–1975), director of the National Right to Life Committee (1967), and of the Office of Pro-Life Activities (1972–1978).[1][4] While in that position he caused controversy when, in response to US President Richard Nixon's July 1969 proposal of federal funding of artificial contraception as a means of population control, McHugh said Nixon's message was "a positive and constructive approach to the problem."[5] The Vatican named McHugh as a papal chamberlain in 1971 and as an honorary prelate in 1986.[1]

McHugh was a visiting lecturer in theology at Princeton Theological Seminary (1974), Immaculate Conception Seminary (1976–81), and American College of Louvain in Belgium (1976).[2] He became director of the Diocesan Development Program for Natural Family Planning in 1981.[1] From 1978 to 1981, he studied moral theology with a concentration in medical ethics at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum) in Rome where he earned a doctorate in theology.[1] He then served as a visiting lecturer at the Pontifical Lateran University in 1982.[2] He served as special assistant at the World Synod of Bishops on "The Christian Family in the Contemporary World" in 1980, and was appointed to the delegation of the Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See to the United Nations in 1983.[2] He was appointed archdiocesan vicar for Parish and Family Life in 1986.[2]

Auxiliary Bishop of Newark

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On November 20, 1987, McHugh was appointed as an auxiliary bishop of Newark and titular bishop of Morosbisdus by Pope John Paul II.[3] He received his episcopal consecration on January 25, 1988, from Archbishop Theodore Edgar McCarrick, with Archbishop Peter Leo Gerety and Bishop Walter William Curtis serving as co-consecrators, at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart.[3] He selected as his episcopal motto: Quid retribuam Domino, meaning, "What shall I return to the Lord" (Psalms 116:12).[6]

Bishop of Camden

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Following the retirement of Bishop George Guilfoyle, McHugh was named the fifth bishop of Camden on May 13, 1989, by John Paul II.[3] His installation took place at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception on June 20, 1989.[3] During his nine-year tenure, he undertook a major reorganization of the diocese's administrative structure and authorized the relocation of the diocesan headquarters to downtown Camden.[7] He presided over a diocesan synod in September 1992.[7] McHugh created a $63 million Catholic Education Endowment Fund for schools and religious education programs, a five-point plan to reinvigorate Catholic high schools, and led a campaign to support legislation for school vouchers in the New Jersey State Legislature.[2]

McHugh served as a delegate at United Nations-sponsored conferences on the environment (1992 in Rio de Janeiro) and on population and development (1994 in Cairo).[2]

Coadjutor Bishop and Bishop of Rockville Centre

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McHugh was appointed coadjutor bishop of Rockville Centre by John Paul II on December 7, 1998, effective February 22, 1999. He succeeded to the office of diocesan bishop by right of succession on January 4, 2000.[3]

Death and legacy

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McHugh died on December 10, 2000, in Rockville Centre, New York, at age 68.[3]

In November 2020, a Vatican investigation into the case of defrocked former cardinal Theodore McCarrick identified McHugh as one of three bishops who "provided inaccurate and incomplete information to the Holy See regarding McCarrick’s sexual conduct with young adults" when McCarrick was a candidate for archbishop of Washington in 2000.[8][9]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "Bishop McHugh's Biography". Roman Catholic Diocese of Rockville Centre. Archived from the original on 2009-02-17.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Previous Bishops". Blessed Pope John XXIII Parish. Archived from the original on 2011-10-08.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g "Bishop James Thomas McHugh [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 2025-09-28.
  4. ^ Karrer, R. N. (2011). "The National Right to Life Committee: its founding, its history, and the emergence of the pro-life movement prior to Roe v. Wade". Cathol Hist Rev. 97 (3): 527–57. doi:10.1353/cat.2011.0098. PMID 22069796. S2CID 9890064.
  5. ^ The Editor (September 1969). Leap into What?. Triumph. {{cite book}}: |last1= has generic name (help)
  6. ^ "Bishop McHugh's Coat of Arms Explained". Roman Catholic Diocese of Rockville Centre. Archived from the original on 2019-04-15. Retrieved 2010-06-01.
  7. ^ a b "Bishop James T. McHugh". Roman Catholic Diocese of Camden.
  8. ^ Brockhaus, Hannah (November 10, 2020). "McCarrick Report: Vatican details McCarrick's career and decades of sexual misconduct". Catholic News Agency. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
  9. ^ Fraze, Barb (November 13, 2020). "N.J. bishops' letters helped pave way for McCarrick, led to lack of trust". Crux. Catholic News Service. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
Catholic Church titles
Preceded by Bishop of Rockville Centre
2000–2000 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Bishop of Camden
1989–1998 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
–
 Auxiliary Bishop of Newark, New Jersey
1987–1989 		Succeeded by
–