The Rev. Charles John McCloskey III (1953 – 2023)[1] was a Catholic priest of the Prelature of Opus Dei and member of the Priestly Society of the Holy Cross. He was the former director of the Catholic Information Center of the Catholic Archdiocese of Washington.[2] He worked on Wall Street at Citibank and Merrill Lynch for a number of years before becoming a priest. He was ordained in 1981 by Cardinal Roger Etchegaray.
Biography edit
McCloskey grew up in Bethesda, MD. He attended St. Jane de Chantal Elementary School, class of 1967, St. John's College High School, class of 1971. He graduated in Economics from Columbia University, class of 1975, and University of Navarra (Spain) in 1982.
He was ordained a priest for the Prelature of the Holy Cross and Opus Dei at the Shrine of Torreciudad (Spain) in 1981. On February 23, 2023, McCloskey passed away from complications related to advanced Alzheimer's disease.[3]
Conversions edit
McCloskey was known for his pastoral writings[4][5] and for having helped convert a number of people to Catholicism, including Newt Gingrich,[6] Sam Brownback, Lawrence Kudlow, Robert Novak, and Bernard Nathanson, an anti-abortion activist who was converted from being a pro-choice NARAL Pro-Choice America founder in his earlier years as a doctor, where he performed abortions.[7]
Sexual misconduct edit
In November, 2002, the Prelature of Opus Dei received a complaint from an adult woman accusing Father McCloskey of sexual misconduct while he was serving as the director of the Catholic Information Center in Washington, DC. Following an investigation, Opus Dei found the accusation to be credible, and Father McCloskey was removed as director of the Catholic Information Center.[8] Restrictions were placed on his pastoral assignments, and a settlement was reached with the woman in question in 2005.[9]
Education edit
- BA (1975) in Economics, Columbia University
- Sacred Theology, Pontifical University of the Holy Cross
- Doctorate in Sacred Theology (STD), University of Navarra
Books edit
- (2010) The Essential Belloc - A Prophet for Our Times, ISBN 978-1-935302-36-0[10]
References edit
- ^ "Charles McCloskey Obituary (2023) - Washington, DC - The Washington Post". Legacy.com. Retrieved 2023-02-26.
- ^ Oppenheimer, Mark (2015-06-12). "An Opus Dei Priest With a Magnetic Touch". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-05-10.
- ^ P.A, Cole Funeral Services. "Obituary for Fr. Charles John McCloskey III | Cole Funeral Services P.A." Obituary for Fr. Charles John McCloskey III | Cole Funeral Services P.A. Retrieved 2023-05-10.
- ^ "The Catholic Thing: Fr. C. John McCloskey III".
- ^ "About Fr. McCloskey". www.catholicity.com. Retrieved 2023-05-10.
- ^ RealClearReligion, "Father C. John, Fisher of Men", By Mark Judge, July 25, 2011.
- ^ New York Magazine: "The Convert" By Steve Fishman May 21, 2005
- ^ "Statements Regarding Fr. C. John McCloskey". Opus Dei. Retrieved 2023-02-26.
- ^ "Statements Regarding Fr. C. John McCloskey". Opus Dei. Retrieved 2023-02-26.
- ^ TAN Books, "The Essential Belloc", TAN Books, publication_date. 2-Sept-2010.