Auxiliary Bishop of Los Angeles Titular Bishop of Rhodopolis
Which position did Alden John Bell hold in Apr 1956?
Alden John Bell 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 to 1979 . Early life and pastoral assignments . Alden John Bell was born in Peterborough , Ontario , Canada . He completed his undergraduate education at Saint Patricks Seminary in Menlo Park , California , and his graduate studies at Catholic University of America in Washington , D.C . While at the seminary in 1927 , Bell was one of three pastoral interns who were assigned to St . Elizabeth Catholic Church in Altadena , California . He was ordained a Roman Catholic priest for the Diocese of Los Angeles-San Diego on May 14 , 1932 . In 1935 , Father Bell persuaded the Sisters of the Holy Child Jesus to teach at the Sacred Heart Mission . Episcopacy . Diocese of Los Angeles . On April 11 , 1956 , Bell was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Los Angeles and Titular Bishop of Rhodopolis by Pope Pius XII . He received his episcopal consecration on the following June 4 in St . Vibianas Cathedral from Cardinal James Francis McIntyre , with Bishops Joseph Thomas McGucken and Timothy Manning serving as co-consecrators . On November 10 , 1956 , Bell blessed La Salle High School two months after it opened . On March 9 , 1957 Bell consecrated the high altar at St . Kevins Church , Los Angeles . On October 26 , 1957 , Bell presided over the gymnasium dedication at Junípero Serra High School in Gardena , California . Diocese of Sacramento . On March 30 , 1962 , Bell was appointed the sixth Bishop of Sacramento by Pope John XXIII . He was installed on the following May 15 in the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament , Sacramento . Diocesan activities . 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 . The church had been built without a bell in 1960 with a large campanile . Bell instructed Pastor Cornelius OConnor not to place the bell in the tower , but to buy a proper church bell instead . OConnor declined to buy a new bell , and declared that his parish would have no bells . On September 17 , 1963 , Bell dedicated Jesuit High School , Sacramento , to the Jesuit North American Martyrs . In May 1982 , he returned to this school to dedicate its library in memory of the Rev . Joseph J . King , S.J. . On April 2 , 1965 , Bell dedicated the fourth rebuilding of St . Joseph Church in Redding , California . The original church had been constructed near railroad tracks and later moved to the site of the second church . Both the second and third St . Josephs churches had burnt down in fires . On June 7 , 1965 , Bell dedicated Holy Family Parishs new church , which replaced the Camp Kohler chapel that had been purchased from the Army . In 1970 he approved Monsignor Vito Mistrettas request to employ a lay staff at Holy Family . In 1969 , as the ordinary , Bell approved within the see of Sacramento Our Lady of Guadalupe Church as a national shrine . 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 . This was accomplished after the construction of its new church , because at that time it had become the largest Spanish speaking Mexican parish . In 1973 , Bell dedicated St . Joseph Parishs new church in Elk Grove , California . The old church had been sold in December 1972 . On May 6 , 1974 , Bell was the principal consecrator of Bishop John Stephen Cummins . Cummins had been appointed as the diocesan auxiliary bishop on February 26 , 1974 . In 1977 , Bell supervised the purchase and installation of a Schlicker organ from Buffalo , New York , for the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament . While it had nine ranks of pipes , the organ proved to be inadequate for the music of the cathedrals liturgy . 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 . The eparch said the money would be used to build a church in Sacramento . Ecumenical Councils . From 1962 to 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 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 . The 17 years he spent as bishop of the diocese , which grew to nearly 250,000 members during his tenure , 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 . Pope John Paul II accepted Bells resignation on July 11 , 1979 , at the age of 75 , making him the Bishop Emeritus of Sacramento . Assassination attempt . In October 1979 , after his resignation , a knife-wielding assailant attacked and cut Bell several times while he was off-duty in the cathedrals chancery , which was then located two blocks north of the state capitol . He was stabbed twice before his secretary , Jean Tamaki , found William Luthin attacking the bishop with a dagger-like knife . Tamaki was able to pull Luthin away by his shirt because the attacker 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 . Luthin surrendered himself at a hospital and was found not guilty by reason of insanity . Police arrested Luthin as a suspect because he told nurses , Call somebody . I stabbed a priest . A knife was found on the office couch together with the sales receipt from a nearby store . Bell was held overnight at Mercy General Hospital with hand and rib wounds . Luthin had seen the bishop earlier that day and reportedly complained about being excommunicated . The bishops trip to meet the pope was canceled . Death . Bell died of esophageal cancer on August 28 , 1982 , aged 78 . Quotes . Then Governor Ronald Reagans 1970 letter to Bell answering his request on the tragic situation of Catholic school finances in California . From a May 1976 letter written by Bell that was read at all diocesan Masses concerning the deaths of 27 high school choir members and their champerone . Bishop Francis Quinn on the subject of Bells 1982 death . The Reverend James C . Kidder , the bishops secretary for 12 years , on the subject of Bells 1982 death .