American prelate (1934–2019)
Francis Xavier Irwin (January 9, 1934 – October 30, 2019) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States who served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Boston in Massachusetts from 1996 to 2009.
Francis Irwin was born on January 9, 1934, in Medford, Massachusetts , one of seven children. He attended Boston College High School , then Boston College , and St. John's Seminary , all in Boston.[ 1] [ 2]
Irwin was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Boston by Cardinal Richard Cushing at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston on February 2, 1960.[ 2] After his ordination, the archdiocese assigned Irwin as assistant pastor at St. Joseph Parish in Boston, St. Mary of the Assumption in Revere, Massachusetts , and then St. Patrick in Lawrence, Massachusetts .[ 1]
In 1968, Irwin left St. Patrick to study again at Boston College for a degree in social work. Starting in 1970, he assumed a series of positions within Catholic Charities for the archdiocese as well as the archdiocesan social services Department. During this period, he spent 18 months teaching at Fordham University in New York City.[ 1] [ 3]
Irwin left his administrative posts in 1993 for an appointment as pastor of St. Agnes Parish in Arlington, Massachusetts .[ 1]
Auxiliary Bishop of Boston [ edit ]
Pope John Paul II appointed Irwin as titular bishop of Ubaza and as an auxiliary bishop of Boston on July 24, 1996. He was consecrated by Cardinal Bernard Law at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross on September 17, 1996.[ 1] As auxiliary bishop, Irwin was the regional bishop of the North Region of the archdiocese.
Retirement and death [ edit ]
Pope Benedict XVI accepted Irwin's resignation as auxiliary bishop of Boston on October 20, 2009.[ 4] He died on October 30, 2019, at his home on Cape Cod in Massachusetts.[ 3]
^ a b c d e O'Grady, Robert M. (October 30, 2009). "Bishop Irwin retires as auxiliary and regional bishop" . Boston Pilot . Retrieved November 3, 2019 .
^ a b "Bishop Francis Xavier Irwin [Catholic-Hierarchy]" . www.catholic-hierarchy.org . Retrieved 2025-07-15 .
^ a b "Bishop Francis Irwin, Boston auxiliary, dies" . Boston Pilot . October 31, 2019. Retrieved November 3, 2019 .
^ "Rinunce e Nomine, 20.10.2009" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. October 20, 2009. Retrieved November 3, 2019 .
Ordinaries Churches
List
List of churches in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston
Cathedral
Cathedral of the Holy Cross
Basilicas and shrines
Basilica and Shrine of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Boston
St. Anthony Shrine, Boston
St. Clement Eucharistic Shrine, Boston
Our Lady of Good Voyage, the Seaport Shrine
Parishes
Holy Name, West Roxbury
Holy Trinity, Lowell
Our Lady of Czestochowa, Boston
Our Lady of Good Voyage, Gloucester
Our Lady Help of Christians, Newton
Sacred Heart, Cambridge
St. Albert the Great, Weymouth
St. Charles Borromeo, Waltham
St. John the Baptist, Salem
St. John the Evangelist, Cambridge
St. Joseph, Boston
St. Leonard, Boston
St. Mary, Dedham (History )
St. Mary, Milton
St. Mary, Newton
St. Mary, Waltham
St. Mary, Winchester
St. Mary - St. Catherine of Siena, Charlestown
St. Paul, Cambridge
St. Stanislaus Bishop & Martyr, Chelsea
St. Susanna, Dedham
Former parishes
Holy Cross, Boston
Our Lady of Mount Carmel, East Boston
St. Aidan, Brookline
St. Catherine of Sienna, Charlestown
St. Joseph, Roxbury
St. Mary, Charlestown
St. Stephen, Boston
Education
Seminaries
Pope St. John XXIII National Seminary
St. John's Seminary
Colleges
Boston College
Emmanuel College
Labouré College
Merrimack College
Regis College
St. John's Seminary
Closed
Marian Court College
High schools
Academy of Notre Dame , Tyngsboro
Arlington Catholic High School , Arlington
Austin Preparatory School , Reading
Bishop Fenwick High School , Peabody
Boston College High School , Dorchester
Cathedral High School , Boston
Catholic Memorial School , West Roxbury
Central Catholic High School , Lawrence
Cristo Rey Boston High School , Dorchester
Fontbonne Academy , Milton
Lowell Catholic High School , Lowell
Malden Catholic High School , Malden
Newton Country Day School , Newton
Notre Dame Academy , Hingham
Notre Dame High School , Lawrence
St. John's Preparatory School , Danvers
St. Mary's High School , Lynn
Saint Sebastian's School , Needham
Ursuline Academy , Dedham
Xaverian Brothers High School , Westwood
Closed
Cambridge Matignon School , Cambridge
Don Bosco Technical High School , Boston
Elizabeth Seton Academy , Boston
Hudson Catholic High School , Hudson
Marian High School , Framingham
Mount Alvernia High School , Newton
Nazareth Academy , Wakefield
Our Lady of Nazareth Academy , Wakefield
Pope John XXIII High School , Everett
Presentation of Mary Academy , Methuen
Sacred Heart High School , Kingston
Saint Clement High School , Medford
Saint Joseph Preparatory High School , Boston
St. Dominic Savio Preparatory High School , Boston
Trinity Catholic High School , Newton
Former
Archbishop Williams High School , Braintree
Cardinal Spellman High School , Brockton
Priests Other