Former bishop of Roman Catholice Diocese of Boise dies at 78

The Most Rev. Michael Patrick Driscoll, bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Boise from 1999 to 2014, died Tuesday in Boise at age 78.

The Mass of Christian Burial for Bishop Driscoll will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Thursday at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Boise. A Vigil with Rite of Reception of the Body is set for 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Cathedral. Following the vigil, Bishop Driscoll's body will lie in state in the cathedral until shortly before the funeral Mass. The cathedral will be open all night for those wanting to pay their respects.

Driscoll, born Aug. 8, 1939, in Long Beach, Calif., served in the Los Angeles Diocese as a parish priest and associate director of Catholic Charities in Orange County before being appointed in 1976 as chancellor of the newly formed Diocese of Orange. He was appointed by Pope John Paul II to the Diocese of Boise in 1999 and installed at St. John's Cathedral in Boise.

In an interview with the Lewiston Tribune in March 1999, when he was 59, Driscoll said his appointment to the Boise diocese was unexpected, but welcome.

"I kept pinching myself," he said upon learning the news. "It's been so beautiful here. I just wish I was younger, but I plan to spend the rest of my life here. I'm looking forward to growing old with the people of Idaho."

According to a news release from the diocese office announcing Driscoll's death, during his tenure as bishop he implemented the appointment of parish life directors in parishes that did not have priests and revived a training program for prospective deacons.

Driscoll also increased outreach to Idaho's growing Hispanic community and recruited priests from Mexico and Colombia. He authored a pastoral letter on immigration reform in 2007 entitled, "Welcome the Strangers," and continued a long tradition of celebrating Mass each year at the Cataldo Mission, the oldest building in Idaho.

Driscoll also initiated and moved forward plans to consolidate parishes, including the three in Lewiston into one - All Saints Parish - in April 2009. He retired in 2014 at age 75 and was succeeded by the Most Rev. Peter F. Christensen.

Driscoll is survived by his sister, Kay Nadeau, of Garden Grove, Calif., and several nieces and nephews. The family requests memorials in the bishop's honor be donated to Catholic Charities of Idaho, 7255 W. Franklin Road, Boise, ID 83709.

Bishop Peter F. Christensen, the current Bishop of the Diocese of Boise, will preside at the Vigil and Rite of Reception of the Body. Archbishop Alexander K. Sample of the Archdiocese of Portland will preside at the funeral Mass on Thursday. A Rite of Committal will take place at Morris Hill Cemetery immediately following the funeral Mass.

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Hedberg may be contacted at kathyhedberg@gmail.com (208) 983-2326.