A Brief Biography of Cardinal William Joseph Levada (Class of 1954)
Cardinal Levada Perfect of Doctrine of the Faith Roman Curia
Born in Long Beach, California, on June 15, 1936 to parents Joseph Levada Jr. and Lorraine Nunez Levada, raised with his sister Dolores in a middle-class family, Cardinal William Joseph Levada began serving in the Roman Curia as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in May, 2005, and was elevated to Cardinal on March 24, 2006. He is the highest ranking American Catholic.
William Levada attended St. Anthony Elementary School from 1941-1947 and graduated from St. Mary Elementary School in Houston, Texas. Moving back to Long Beach with his family, “Bill” became a student at St. Anthony College Preparatory High School in 1950 and graduated with the Class of 1954.
After graduating, Levada entered St. John’s Seminary College in Camarillo to study for the priesthood and graduated in 1958. Later in 1958, he was sent to pursue his seminary formation in Rome at the North American College, and took his graduate theological studies at the Pontifical Gregorian University, receiving a doctorate in sacred theology magna cum laude.
Following ordination to the priesthood in St. Peter's Basilica on December 20, 1961, he taught theology at St. John's Seminary School of Theology, located in Camarillo part of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. During these six years he also served as the first Director of Continuing Education for the Clergy in the Archdiocese.
In 1976, Levada was sent to the Vatican on a fateful assignment, appointed as an official with the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. For a half-dozen years, he worked at the church’s doctrinal hearth, which was eventually lead by then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI. Those years in Rome were formative, and helped prepare Levada to work with people across the globe.
Returning to California in 1982 from his Vatican post, Levada – by then a monsignor – became executive director of the California Catholic Conference of Bishops, based in Sacramento. He was named Auxiliary Bishop for the Diocese of Los Angeles in 1983 and was ordained with the title Titular Bishop of Capri on May 12, 1983.
, four years later, appointed Archbishop of Portland, Oregon.
In 1982, he was assigned to be Executive Director of the California Catholic Conference of Bishops in Sacramento, the public policy arm of the Church in California. During his two years there, he was named Auxiliary Bishop of Los Angeles, and.
Returning to the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in 1984, he served as Episcopal Vicar for Santa Barbara County until his 1986 appointment as Chancellor and Moderator of the Curia.
On July 1, 1986, he was appointed eighth Archbishop of Portland, Oregon, and was installed on September 21. During his nine years in Portland, Archbishop Levada was able to devote time to the recruitment of priestly vocations and enhancement of the seminary at Mt. Angel, where he taught Ecclesiology. He also served as the sole American bishop on the Editorial Committee of the Vatican Commission for a Catechism of the Catholic Church; he authored the Catechism's Glossary, which was published in the English-language second edition of the Catechism.
Appointed Co-adjutor Archbishop of San Francisco on August 17, 1995, Archbishop Levada was installed on October 24 that year, and succeeded Archbishop John Quinn, as seventh Archbishop of San Francisco on December 27, 1995. During his near-decade at the spiritual helm of the San Francisco Archdiocese, which encompassed a fractious area with more than 400,000 Roman Catholics in San Francisco, Marin, and San Mateo counties, Levada ushered in critically needed stability and won the respect of many.
In 1997, he participated in the Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops for America, and was subsequently named to its post-Synodal Council. From July, 1999, to May, 2000, he was assigned additional duties as Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Santa Rosa. During 2000, he was designated Bishop Co-Chair of the Anglican-Roman Catholic dialogue in the United States (ARC-USA). In November the Vatican announced his appointment as a Member of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith.
In 2003, he organized the sesquicentennial celebration of the 150 years of the Archdiocese of San Francisco, which culminated in a July 27 Jubilee Mass at St. Mary's Cathedral. In November, 2003, he began a 3-year term as Chairman of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on Doctrine.
Since his ordination as a Bishop, he has been active on many committees of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, as well as on the governing boards of the Catholic University of America, the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, and the National Catholic Bioethics Center.
On May 13, 2005 then Archbishop Levada was appointed Prefect of Doctrine of the Faith Roman Curia by Pope Benedict XVI, a position left vacant when he was elected Pope on April 19, 2005. On this same date Pope Benedict also appointed Levada President of the International Theological Commission.
On March 24, 2006 Levada was elevated to Cardinal and was appointed Cardinal-Deacon of S. Maria in Domnica.
Cardinal Levada has also served as Grand Prior of the Northwest Lieutenancy (USA) of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, and as Conventual Chaplain for the Western Association (USA) of the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St. John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta, and was on the USCCB Delegation to the Mixed Commission for the Charter and Essential Norms for the Protection of Children and Young People, and on the Task Force on Catholics in Political Life.
As a graduate of St. Anthony High School, the entire Saints Community is proud to claim Cardinal William J. Levada as “one of ours”. He is a man of vision, a man of faith and prayer, a man of conviction and principle, who is eager to be among the people and serve, with gentleness and compassion. His life is an example of steadfast fealty to the Roman Catholic Church and deep devotion to his God. He is now, and always will be, a true SAINT!