Image: Wikimedia Commons

John Roach

20th-century American Catholic bishop (1921–2003)

PersonDied aged 81humanQ6255036

Also known as John Robert Roach

Born: July 31, 1921
1
Sources
1.Stated in SNACRetrieved 2017-10-09
View statement on Wikidata ↗
Died: July 11, 2003
1
Sources
1.Stated in SNACRetrieved 2017-10-09
View statement on Wikidata ↗
Birthplace: Prior Lake
Citizenship: United States
Occupation: Catholic priest(since 1946)
1
Sources
1.Stated in Catholic-Hierarchy.orgRetrieved 2021-01-27
View statement on Wikidata ↗
, Catholic bishop(since 1971)
1
Sources
1.Stated in Catholic-Hierarchy.orgRetrieved 2021-02-01
View statement on Wikidata ↗
Positions held: president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops(1980–1983)
, Catholic archbishop(1975–1995)
, auxiliary bishop(since 1971)
+1 more
Education: Seminaries of Saint Paul

Overview

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · Read full article · Text CC BY-SA 4.0

John Robert Roach was an American Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of Saint Paul and Minneapolis from 1975 to 1995. Appointed as an auxiliary bishop of the archdiocese in 1971, he his later appointment as archbishop made him the first St. Paul archbishop to have been born in Minnesota. Roach delivered a benediction at Jimmy Carter's inauguration in 1977 and was head of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops from 1980 to 1983. In 1985, he was arrested for drunk driving after crashing into a convenience store; he would later admit to being an alcoholic. Roach was alleged by MPR News to have protected and reassigned a priest accused of molesting girls. Both MPR and the Star Tribune criticised his handling of cases of sexual abuse by clergy. He oversaw a major reorganization and renovation of the Saint Paul Seminary and its affiliation and merger with the University of St. Thomas. He retired at age 74 on September 5, 1995, succeeded by Harry Flynn. Roach died at age 81 on July 11, 2003.

Overview

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Positions, education, employers and awards over time

Spans and dates from Wikidata qualifiers (start/end/point in time). Hover for details; click to open.

All data

35 statements · 26% with external sources · numbers in brackets are citations

Sex or gender: male
Given name: John
Robert
Religion or worldview: Catholic Church
1
Sources
1.Stated in Catholic-Hierarchy.orgRetrieved 2020-10-23
View statement on Wikidata ↗
Family name: Roach
Consecrator: Luigi Raimondi
Leo Binz
Leo Christopher Byrne
Place of burial: Resurrection Cemetery
1
Sources
1.Stated in Find a Grave
View statement on Wikidata ↗

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14 identifiers linking John Roach across the web's reference databases

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statements

26%

externally sourced

Source last edited September 23, 2026. AIDB refreshes this page daily.

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AIDB. (2026). John Roach (Q6255036). Retrieved from https://aidb.si/e/john-roach-Q6255036