Mahony, Roger Michael (1936-…), was appointed a cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church by Pope John Paul II in 1991. Mahony served as archbishop of Los Angeles from 1985 to 2011.
Mahony was born on Feb. 27, 1936, in Hollywood, California. He was ordained a priest in 1962. In 1964, he received a master’s degree in social work from the Catholic University of America. Also in 1964, Mahony became the administrator of St. Genevieve’s Parish in Fresno, California. He was named pastor in 1967. From 1968 to 1973, Mahony held several administrative positions in the diocese of Fresno. He served as rector of St. John’s Cathedral in Fresno from 1973 to 1980. Mahony was chancellor of the diocese of Fresno from 1970 to 1977. He served as auxiliary bishop and vicar-general of that diocese from 1975 to 1980.
From 1980 to 1985, Mahony served as bishop of the diocese of Stockton, California. In 1985, Pope John Paul II appointed him archbishop of Los Angeles, the largest Catholic archdiocese in the United States. Mahony retired from that post in 2011. In 2013, Mahony’s successor stripped him of his public duties for shielding priests accused of sexually abusing children in the 1980’s.
