Deceased: 1999-01-02
Diocese: PHILADELPHIA
Seminary Graduation Year: 1960
Rev. William K. Leahy died on January 2, 1999. He was born May 27, 1935 in Philadelphia to John and Geraldine Leahy. Bill, as he was affectionately known, was a deeply religious man and devout Catholic at the time he entered St. Charles Seminary in 1951 while still a sophomore in high school. He was a brilliant student and shortly after graduating from the seminary he was sent to study scripture in Rome where he was ordained in 1959. This was stiirican Secretariat for the Council. Shortly before the council, he earned his doctorate from at Dominican University in Theology. At the Council he was known as a brilliant translator who was able to transcribe the daily Council speeches from Latin to English the same day. The Council also inspired Leahy’s idealism and became a dedicated believer in the liberal cause of the Church during and after the Council.
The end of the Council was just the beginning for Leahy who developed a working relationship with other progressive theologians. In 1965 he was assigned to St. Charles Seminary in Philadelphia where he was fired in 1966 for teaching his new progressive beliefs that included his support for a married clergy and contraception. He remained a priest for a while and presided over the marriage of a fellow priest in San Diego in 1967.
Leahy’s life thereafter was consumed by his alcoholism, which he overcame in 1975. Shortly after this time, he began reaching out to the poor and the underprivileged. His first position was as a high level administrator at a hospital that he soon quit so he could work directly with the poor. He spent the last years of his life reaching out and ministering to the homeless, addicts, people with AIDS, and gays and lesbians. He was also involved in several progressive organizations such as the Federation of Christian Ministers, where he served a term as president. He also served as president of CORPUS, an organization that advocated for married priests. Lastly, he was active in the organization of Call to Action that called for renewal and was made up of excommunicated Catholics.
The most monumental part of Leahy’s later life was his adopted son David, whom he adopted when he was still teaching at St. Charles Seminary. Leahy was known as a devoted father and grandfather during the last years of his life. William K. Leahy remained in Philadelphia until his death following a minor illness on January 9, 1999
