The First Bishop of the Diocese of Orange in California, USA, Monsignor William Robert Johnson was born Tonopah, Nevada, on November 19, 1918, and was ordained to the priesthood at 25 years of age on May 28, 1944.
At 52 years of age, Johnson was appointed Auxiliary for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, California, by Pope Paul VI, receiving his episcopal consecration with the Titular See of Blera on March 25, 1971, from Cardinal Timothy Manning, assisted by Archbishop Joseph Thomas McGucken and Bishop Alden John Bell.
When the See of Orange was erected, he was named as its First Bishop on March 24, 1976. A passionate battler for social justice, the Bishop began suffering from kidney problems and related illnesses a year before his death, and was confined to a wheelchair. In 1984, Monsignor John Thomas Steinbock was named Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese, and since that time had been filling in for Johnson at various functions.
Admitted to St. Joseph Hospital in Orange after he reported there for his regular dialysis treatment, Johnson died on Monday, July 28, 1986, aged 67, during the night of a bacterial infection, after falling into a coma. He was succeeded in office by Monsignor Norman Francis McFarland.
At 52 years of age, Johnson was appointed Auxiliary for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, California, by Pope Paul VI, receiving his episcopal consecration with the Titular See of Blera on March 25, 1971, from Cardinal Timothy Manning, assisted by Archbishop Joseph Thomas McGucken and Bishop Alden John Bell.
When the See of Orange was erected, he was named as its First Bishop on March 24, 1976. A passionate battler for social justice, the Bishop began suffering from kidney problems and related illnesses a year before his death, and was confined to a wheelchair. In 1984, Monsignor John Thomas Steinbock was named Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese, and since that time had been filling in for Johnson at various functions.
Admitted to St. Joseph Hospital in Orange after he reported there for his regular dialysis treatment, Johnson died on Monday, July 28, 1986, aged 67, during the night of a bacterial infection, after falling into a coma. He was succeeded in office by Monsignor Norman Francis McFarland.
The First Bishop of the Diocese of Orange in California, USA, Monsignor William Robert Johnson was born Tonopah, Nevada, on November 19, 1918, and was ordained to the priesthood at 25 years of age on May 28, 1944.
At 52 years of age, Johnson was appointed Auxiliary for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, California, by Pope Paul VI, receiving his episcopal consecration with the Titular See of Blera on March 25, 1971, from Cardinal Timothy Manning, assisted by Archbishop Joseph Thomas McGucken and Bishop Alden John Bell.
When the See of Orange was erected, he was named as its First Bishop on March 24, 1976. A passionate battler for social justice, the Bishop began suffering from kidney problems and related illnesses a year before his death, and was confined to a wheelchair. In 1984, Monsignor John Thomas Steinbock was named Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese, and since that time had been filling in for Johnson at various functions.
Admitted to St. Joseph Hospital in Orange after he reported there for his regular dialysis treatment, Johnson died on Monday, July 28, 1986, aged 67, during the night of a bacterial infection, after falling into a coma. He was succeeded in office by Monsignor Norman Francis McFarland.
At 52 years of age, Johnson was appointed Auxiliary for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, California, by Pope Paul VI, receiving his episcopal consecration with the Titular See of Blera on March 25, 1971, from Cardinal Timothy Manning, assisted by Archbishop Joseph Thomas McGucken and Bishop Alden John Bell.
When the See of Orange was erected, he was named as its First Bishop on March 24, 1976. A passionate battler for social justice, the Bishop began suffering from kidney problems and related illnesses a year before his death, and was confined to a wheelchair. In 1984, Monsignor John Thomas Steinbock was named Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese, and since that time had been filling in for Johnson at various functions.
Admitted to St. Joseph Hospital in Orange after he reported there for his regular dialysis treatment, Johnson died on Monday, July 28, 1986, aged 67, during the night of a bacterial infection, after falling into a coma. He was succeeded in office by Monsignor Norman Francis McFarland.
Family Members
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
Records on Ancestry
Advertisement
