Leonard Paul Blair

His Excellency, The Most Reverend Leonard Paul Blair
Archbishop of Hartford
Archdiocese	Hartford
Appointed	October 29, 2013
Installed	December 16, 2013
Predecessor	Henry J. Mansell
Orders
Ordination	June 26, 1976 by John Francis Dearden
Consecration	August 24, 1999 by Adam Maida, Edmund Szoka, and Dale Joseph Melczek
Personal details
Birth name	Leonard Paul Blair
Born	(1949-04-12) April 12, 1949 Detroit, Michigan
Nationality	American
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Previous post	Bishop of Toledo (2003-2013) Auxiliary bishop of Detroit (1999-2003)
Motto	PASCE OVES MEAS (FEED MY SHEEP)

Styles of Leonard Paul Blair
Reference style	His Excellency The Most Reverend
Spoken style	Your Excellency
Religious style	Archbishop

Leonard Paul Blair (born April 12, 1949) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church serving as the thirteenth bishop and fifth and current archbishop of the Archdiocese of Hartford, Connecticut. He was installed as the Archbishop of Hartford on December 16, 2013.

Biography

Leonard Blair was born in Detroit, Michigan, and there studied at Sacred Heart Seminary, from where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in History. He then furthered his studies in Rome, where he earned a baccalaureate and licentiate in theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University, and a doctorate in theology from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum).^[1]

Blair was ordained to the priesthood on June 26, 1976, and then served as vicar general and chancellor of the Archdiocese of Detroit. He taught theology at Sacred Heart Seminary, where he was dean of studies as well. Blair was personal secretary to Edmund Cardinal Szoka and an official of the Prefecture for the Economic Affairs of the Holy See from 1994 to 1997, whence he was named pastor of St. Paul Church in Grosse Point Farms.

On July 8, 1999, Blair was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Detroit and Titular Bishop of Voncariana. He received his episcopal consecration on the following August 24 from Adam Cardinal Maida, with Cardinal Szoka and Bishop Dale Melczek serving as co-consecrators. Blair was later named Bishop of Toledo, Ohio, on October 7, 2003. He was installed as the fifth Archbishop of Hartford on December 16, 2013.

In 2009, he delivered the findings of an initial doctrinal assessment report to the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) on the U.S. Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR), which had been requested and begun in 2008; he issued a subsequent letter in 2010. In April 2012, the CDF issued a formal document ordering an up to five-year-long visitation of the Conference, to be chaired by Seattle's Archbishop J. Peter Sartain, with Bishop Blair and the Bishop of Springfield, Illinois, Thomas J. Paprocki, as members.^[2]

In July 2011, Blair advised parishes and Catholic schools in the Diocese of Toledo against raising funds for the Susan G. Komen Foundation, citing concerns that funds contributed to the global anti-cancer foundation may go towards funding embryonic stem-cell research. Blair stated, "As best we can determine, at present the Komen Foundation does not fund cancer research that employs embryonic stem cells. However, their policy does not exclude that possibility. They are open to embryonic stem cell research, and may very well fund such research in the future." ^[3] Bishop Blair's statement also made reference to Komen's relationship with Planned Parenthood, the largest provider of abortions in the United States of America. Because of these factors, Bishop Blair, in conjunction with the Catholic bishops of Ohio, urged Catholic faithful, both corporate and individually, to consider alternate organizations when supporting anti-breast cancer research.

Footnotes

External links

• Catholic-Hierarchy
• Diocese of Toledo
• Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Hartford
• Roman Catholic Diocese of Toledo

Episcopal succession

Archdiocese of Hartford
Ordinaries	Bishops William Tyler Bernard O'Reilly Francis Patrick McFarland Thomas Galberry, O.S.A. Lawrence S. McMahon Michael Tierney John J. Nilan Maurice F. McAuliffe Archishops Henry J. O'Brien John Francis Whealon Daniel Anthony Cronin Henry J. Mansell Leonard P. Blair
Auxiliary bishops	Joseph Francis Donnelly John Francis Hackett Paul Loverde Christie Macaluso John Gregory Murray Henry Joseph O'Brien Peter A. Rosazza
Churches	Cathedral Cathedral of St. Joseph, Hartford Basilica Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, Waterbury Parishes St. Joseph Church, Ansonia St. Stanislaus Church, Bristol St. Michael the Archangel Church, Derby St. Adalbert Church, Enfield SS. Cyril and Methodius Church, Hartford St. Stanislaus Church, Meriden Holy Cross Church, New Britain Sacred Heart Church, New Britain St. Stanislaus Church, New Haven St. Mary Church, Newington Church of the Immaculate Conception, Norfolk Immaculate Conception Church, Southington St. Joseph Church, Suffield St. Casimir Church, Terryville St. Mary Church, Torrington St. Hedwig Church, Union City SS. Peter and Paul Church, Wallingford St. Stanislaus Kostka Church, Waterbury
Education	Seminaries St. Thomas Seminary, Bloomfield High Schools Academy of Our Lady of Mercy, Lauralton Hall, Milford Canterbury School, New Milford East Catholic High School, Manchester Holy Cross High School, Waterbury Northwest Catholic High School, West Hartford Notre Dame High School, West Haven Sacred Heart Academy, Hamden Sacred Heart High School, Waterbury St. Paul Catholic High School, Bristol
Priests	Peter Leo Gerety Francis Patrick Keough
Catholicism portal

Diocese of Toledo
Bishops	Ordinaries Joseph Schrembs Samuel Stritch Karl Joseph Alter George John Rehring John Anthony Donovan James Robert Hoffman Leonard Paul Blair Daniel Edward Thomas Auxiliaries Albert Henry Ottenweller Robert William Donnelly
Churches	Cathedral Our Lady, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary Cathedral Basilica Basilica and National Shrine of Our Lady of Consolation Parishes Sacred Heart of Jesus Church, Bethlehem St. Michael's Ridge Church, Defiance St. John's Church, Delphos St. John the Baptist Church, Glandorf St. Peter's Church, Mansfield St. Augustine's Church, Napoleon All Saints Church, New Riegel Holy Angels Church, Sandusky St. Mary's Church, Sandusky Saints Peter and Paul Church, Sandusky Most Pure Heart Of Mary Church, Shelby St. Ann Church, Toledo St. Patrick's Church, Toledo
Higher Education	Colleges & Universities Lourdes University Mercy College of Ohio Former College Mary Manse College
Priests	Augustus John Schwertner
Catholicism portal

Archdiocese of Detroit
Ordinaries of the Archdiocese of Detroit Bishops Frederick Rese Caspar Borgess John Samuel Foley Michael Gallagher Coadjutor bishop Peter Paul Lefevere Archbishops Edward Aloysius Mooney John Francis Dearden Edmund Szoka Adam Maida Allen Henry Vigneron Catholicism portal
Churches in the Archdiocese of Detroit Cathedral Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament Parishes Detroit Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church Most Holy Redeemer Church Our Lady of the Rosary Church Sacred Heart Church St. Albertus Church Ste. Anne de Detroit Church St. Catherine of Siena Church St. Charles Borromeo Church St. Josaphat's Church St. Joseph Church St. Mary Church St. Patrick Church Saints Peter and Paul Church St. Stanislaus Bishop and Martyr Church Sweetest Heart of Mary Church Monroe County St. Mary's Church, Monroe St. Michael's Church, Monroe Wayne County St. Paul Church, Grosse Pointe Farms St. Florian Church, Hamtramck Our Lady of the Scapular Parish, Wyandotte Former St. Boniface Church, Detroit St. Theresa of Avila Church, Detroit St. Thomas the Apostle's Church, Detroit Shrine National Shrine of the Little Flower, Royal Oak
Education in the Archdiocese of Detroit Higher education Madonna University Marygrove College University of Detroit Mercy Seminaries Sacred Heart Major Seminary SS. Cyril and Methodius Seminary High schools Macomb County De La Salle Collegiate High School, Warren Regina High School, Warren Austin Catholic High School, Ray Township Monroe County St. Mary Catholic Central High School, Monroe Oakland County Academy of the Sacred Heart High School, Bloomfield Hills Bishop Foley Catholic High School, Madison Heights Brother Rice High School, Bloomfield Hills Detroit Catholic Central High School, Novi Everest Academy and High School, Independence Township Marian High School, Bloomfield Hills Mercy High School, Farmington Hills Notre Dame Preparatory, Pontiac Our Lady of the Lakes High School, Waterford Shrine Catholic High School, Royal Oak St. Mary's Preparatory, Orchard Lake Village St. Catherine of Siena Academy, Wixom St. Clair County Cardinal Mooney Catholic High School, Marine City Wayne County Cabrini High School, Allen Park Detroit Cristo Rey High School, Detroit Divine Child High School, Dearborn Gabriel Richard Catholic High School, Riverview Ladywood High School, Livonia Loyola High School, Detroit University of Detroit Jesuit High School and Academy, Detroit Former Higher education Duns Scotus College Maryglade College High schools Girls Catholic Central High School, Detroit Holy Redeemer High School, Detroit Notre Dame High School, Harper Woods Sacred Heart High School, Roseville Our Lady of Mount Carmel High School, Wyandotte
Clergy of the Archdiocese of Detroit Auxiliary bishops Moses Anderson Allen James Babcock Leonard Paul Blair Earl Alfred Boyea, Jr. Joseph M. Breitenbeck Kevin Michael Britt Michael J. Byrnes Arturo Cepeda Patrick R. Cooney Henry Edmund Donnelly John Anthony Donovan Daniel E. Flores Thomas Gumbleton Donald Hanchon Bernard Joseph Harrington Walter A. Hurley Joseph Leopold Imesch Edward D. Kelly Arthur Henry Krawczak Dale Joseph Melczek John Clayton Nienstedt Joseph C. Plagens John M. Quinn Francis R. Reiss Walter Joseph Schoenherr Allen Henry Vigneron Stephen Stanislaus Woznicki Alexander M. Zaleski Priests Alexander Joseph Brunett Solanus Casey Charles Coughlin Francis Kelley Camillus Paul Maes Jeffrey Marc Monforton William Murphy John A. Trese Kenneth Edward Untener
Catholicism portal Detroit portal