Alden John Bell

Most Reverend Alden J. Bell, DD
Bishop of Sacramento
Church	Catholic Church
See	Sacramento
In Office	March 30, 1962—July 11, 1979
Predecessor	Joseph Thomas McGucken
Successor	Francis Anthony Quinn
Orders
Ordination	May 14, 1932
Consecration	June 4, 1956
Personal details
Born	July 11, 1904(1904-07-11) Peterborough, Ontario, Canada
Died	August 28, 1982(1982-08-28) (aged 78) Sacramento, California
Previous post	Auxiliary Bishop of Los Angeles (1956-1962)

Alden John Bell (July 11, 1904 - August 28, 1982) was a 20th century bishop of the Catholic Church in the United States. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Sacramento in the state of California from 1962-1979. While preparing for a trip to see Pope John Paul II in Chicago, Illinois, Bell was stabbed in his own office several times by a knife-wielding assailant.^[1][2][3]

Early life and pastoral assignments

Alden John Bell was born in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada. He did his undergraduate education at Saint Patrick's Seminary^[4] in Menlo Park, California and graduate studies at Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.^[1] While at this seminary in 1927, Bell was one of three novitiates who were assigned to St. Elizabeth Catholic Church in Altadena, California.^[4] He was ordained a Catholic priest for the Diocese of Los Angeles-San Diego on May 14, 1932.^[5] In 1935, then Father Bell persuaded the Sisters of the Holy Child Jesus to teach at the Sacred Heart Mission.^[4]

Episcopacy

Diocese of Los Angeles

On April 11, 1956 Pope Pius XII named him Titular Bishop of Rhodopolis and Auxiliary Bishop of Los Angeles. He was consecrated a bishop on June 4, 1956 by Cardinal James Francis McIntyre at St. Vibiana's Cathedral.^[6] The co-consecrators were Bishops Joseph Thomas McGucken of Sacramento and Timothy Manning, an auxiliary bishop of Los Angeles.

On November 10, 1956, Bell blessed La Salle High School two months after it opened.^[7]

On March 9, 1957 Bell consecrated the high altar at St. Kevin Church in Los Angeles.^[8]

On October 26, 1957, Bell presided over the gymnasium dedication at Junípero Serra High School in Gardena, California.^[9]

Diocese of Sacramento

On March 30, 1962 Pope Blessed John XXIII named Bishop Bell as the sixth bishop of Sacramento.^[5] He received episcopal consecration in the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament on May 15, 1962.

Diocesan accomplishments

During the 1960s, Bell learned that a brass locomotive bell, donated by a retired Southern Pacific Railroad parishioner, was going to be installed in All Hallows Church in Sacramento.^[10] The church had been built without a bell in 1960 with a large campanile.^[10] Bell instructed then Pastor Cornelius O'Connor not to place the bell in the tower. O'Connor declined to buy a new bell and declared that his parish would have no bells.^[10]

On September 17, 1963, Bell dedicated Jesuit High School to the Jesuit North American Martyrs.^[11] In May, 1982, Bell returned to this school to dedicate its library to Reverend Joseph J. King, S.J..^[11]

On April 2, 1965, Bell dedicated the fourth rebuilding of St. Joseph Church in Redding, California.^[12] The original church was constructed near some railroad tracks and moved to the site of the second church.^[12] Both the second and third St. Joseph's churches were burnt down in fires.^[12]

On June 7, 1965, Bell dedicated the Holy Family Parish's new church which replaced the Camp Kohler chapel which was purchased from the Army.^[13] In 1970 he approved Monsignor Vito Mistretta's request to employ a lay staff at Holy Family.^[14]

In 1969, as the ordinary, Bell approved within the see of Sacramento Our Lady of Guadalupe Church as a "national shrine".^[15] This shrine is known as the Sanctuary of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe or as Santuario Nacional de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe.^[16] This was accomplished after the construction of its new church because at that time it had become the largest "Spanish speaking" Mexican parish.^[15]

In 1973, Bell dedicated St. Joseph Parish's new church in Elk Grove, California.^[17] The old church had been sold in December 1972.^[17]

On May 6, 1974 Bell was the Principal Consecrator of Bishop John Stephen Cummins.^[18] Cummins had appointed as the diocesan auxiliary bishop on February 26, 1974.^[18]

In 1977, Bell supervised the purchase and installation of a schlicker organ from Buffalo, New York for the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament.^[19] While it had nine ranks of pipes, but the organ proved to be inadequate for the cathedral's musical liturgies.^[19]

In May 1977, Bell gave $20,000, which had been a World War II relief fund for Slovaks, to the Byzantine Eparch of Parma, Emil Mihalik.^[20] The eparch said the money would be used to build a church in Sacramento.^[20]

Ecumenical Councils

From 1962-1965 Bishop Bell attended all four sessions of the Second Vatican Council. He was responsible for implementing the reforms that resulted from the Council in the diocese. Many parishes began parish councils at this time, and he encouraged the emergence of lay ministry in the diocese.

At the same time, he needed to respond to the needs of a growing diocese. Solano County was added to the diocese. He also focused on the development of high schools throughout the diocese. He initiated a fund drive to ease costs, build new schools, expand religious education programs and build a home for the aged.^[21]

The 17 years he spent as bishop of the diocese, which grew to nearly 250,000 members during his tenure,^[2] was a period of turbulence. Issues from outside the diocese also affected day to day life: the Vietnam War, the civil rights movement and legislative matters on abortion. Within the diocese, his positive actions to aid Catholic education, improve interaction with the Latino community and renovate the interior of the cathedral were undermined by divisions, school closures, and world tensions.^[21]

Pope John Paul II accepted Bell's resignation on July 11, 1979 at the age of 75, making him the Bishop Emeritus of Sacramento.

Assassination attempt

In October 1979, Bell was attacked and cut several times by a knife-wielding assailant while off-duty in the then cathedral's chancery which is two blocks north of the state capitol.^{[1][2][3][22]} He was stabbed twice before his secretary, Jean Tamaki, found William Luthin attacking the bishop with a "dagger-like" knife.^[2] Tamaki pulled Luthin away by his shirt because he was of "medium or small build." Bell had been in his office preparing for a trip to see Pope John Paul II in Chicago, Illinois.^[2] Luthin surrendered himself at a hospital and was found not guilty by reason of insanity.^[1] Police arrested Luthin as a suspect because he told nurses, "Call somebody. I stabbed a priest."^[2] A knife was found on the office couch and its receipt from a nearby store.^[2] Bell was held overnight at Mercy General Hospital^[2] with hand and rib wounds.^[3][22] Luthin had seen the bishop earlier that day and "reportedly" complained about being excommunicated.^[22] The bishop's trip to meet the pope was canceled.^[3]

Death

Bell died of cancer of the esophagus on August 28, 1982.^[2]

Quotes

- Then Governor Ronald Reagan's 1970 letter to Bell answering his request on "the tragic situation of Catholic school finances in California."^[23]

- From a May 1976 letter written by Bell that was read all diocosesan Masses concerning the deaths of 27 high school choir members and their champerone.^[24]

- Bishop Francis Quinn on the subject of Bell's 1982 death.^[1]

- Reverend James C. Kidder, the bishop's secretary for 12 years, on the subject of Bell's 1982 death.^[1]

Episcopal succession

Sources

• Roman Catholic Diocese of Sacramento website
• Bell biodata at Catholic Hierarchy website

References