Henry J. Mansell

Henry Joseph Mansell (born October 10, 1937) is an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Hartford in Connecticut from 2004 to 2013.

Mansell previously served as bishop of the Diocese of Buffalo in New York State from 1995 to 2003 and as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of New York in New York City from 1992 to 1995.

Henry Mansell was born on October 10, 1937, in the Bronx section of New York City to Henry and Bridget (née Finn) Mansell.^[1] He was baptized at St. Augustine's Church in the Bronx three weeks later. He has a sister, Ann.^[2] Mansell attended Cathedral College in Manhattan from 1951 to 1955. He then entered St. Joseph's Seminary in Yonkers, New York, earning a bachelor's degree in 1959.

Mansell was ordained to the priesthood in Rome at the Basilica of Sacro Cuore di Cristo Re for the Archdiocese of New York by Archbishop Martin O'Connor on December 19, 1962.^[3][4] He earned a Licentiate of Sacred Theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome in 1963, and did postgraduate work at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. until 1965.^[3]

After his return from Washington, the archdiocese assigned Mansell to pastoral positions in at parishes in Harrison, New York and the Bronx, then at Saints John and Paul Parish in Larchmont, New York.^[3] He was appointed director of the Office of Parish Councils on June 9, 1972, and vice chancellor of the archdiocese on July 1, 1985. On March 17, 1986, Mansell was raised by the Vatican to the rank of honorary prelate.^[3] He later became director of priest personnel and chancellor (1988) of the archdiocese.^[3]

On November 24, 1992, Mansell was appointed as an auxiliary bishop of New York and titular bishop of Marazanae by Pope John Paul II. He received his episcopal consecration on January 6, 1993,^[5] from the pope in St. Peter's Square in Rome, with Archbishops Giovanni Re and Justin Rigali serving as co-consecrators. He selected as his episcopal motto, "Blessed be God" (Psalms 68:36).

John Paul II appointed Mansell as the twelfth bishop of Buffalo on April 18, 1995.^[5] He was installed on June 12, 1995, at St. Joseph's Cathedral in Buffalo.^[1]

During his tenure, Mansell visited every parish in the diocese, most of them multiple times. He also promoted Catholic education, and health care and social service institutes within the diocese. Mansell established the Catholic Health, combining the Catholic hospitals, nursing homes, and other health care facilities in the diocese under one administration.^[6] In 1996, Mansell instituted the diocese's vicariate structure, and in 1997 he led the diocese in celebrating its 150th anniversary.^[7] He instituted a televised "Daily Mass" celebrated from a chapel at St. Joseph Cathedral.^[8]

Mansell received honorary doctorates from Niagara University in Lewiston, New York, in May 1996, from St. Bonaventure University in Saint Bonaventure, New York, in August 1996, and from Canisius College in Buffalo in May 1997. In September 2003, New York Governor George Pataki named Mansell to the State Commission on Education Reform.^[8]

In Mansell's farewell letter to the diocese in 2003, he said that, "Buffalo is a very strong diocese," and that its parishes, schools, and social service agencies "guarantee strength...for years to come." In 2006, Buffalo Business First reported that Mansell's successor, Bishop Edward Kmiec, said that some statistics were too optimistic, and that the diocese would have to close some parishes and schools to address declining attendance and enrollment, as well as a $3 million diocesan debt.^[9]

John Paul II appointed Mansell as the fourth archbishop of Hartford on October 20, 2003. He was installed on December 18, 2003.^[1] On June 29, 2004, Mansell received the pallium from John Paul II in Rome.

In 2005, the archdiocese paid $22 million to settle sexual abuse claims brought by 43 people against 14 priests, the majority of cases occurring in the 1960s and 1970s.^[10] Mansell was quoted in a New York Times article stating: "[It is] part of a healing process for the persons whose lives have been severely harmed by the evil of sexual abuse and for the Church itself."^[10]Mansell is a proponent of the Traditional Latin Mass.^[11]

Having reached the mandatory retirement age of 75, Mansell submitted his letter of resignation as archbishop of Hartford to Pope Francis. Mansell was succeeded by Bishop Leonard P. Blair in December 2013.^[12]

• Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Hartford
• Roman Catholic Diocese of Buffalo