James Kendrick Williams

American prelate of the Catholic Church (born 1936)

His Excellency, The Most Reverend

James Kendrick Williams

Bishop Emeritus of Lexington
Archdiocese| Louisville
Diocese| Lexington
Appointed| January 14, 1988
Installed| March 2, 1988
Retired| June 11, 2002
Predecessor| First Bishop
Successor| Ronald William Gainer
Orders
Ordination| May 25, 1963
by Charles Garrett Maloney
Consecration| June 19, 1984
by William Anthony Hughes, Thomas C. Kelly, and Richard Henry Ackerman
Personal details
Born|  (1936-09-05) September 5, 1936 (age 87)

Athertonville, Kentucky

Previous post(s)|

* Auxiliary Bishop of Covington and Titular Bishop of Catula (1984–88)

Styles of
James Kendrick Williams

Reference style|

* His Excellency
* The Most Reverend

Spoken style| Your Excellency
Religious style| Bishop

James Kendrick Williams (born September 5, 1936, also known as J. Kendrick Williams) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who was bishop of Diocese of Lexington in Kentucky from 1988 to 2002. Williams previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Covington in Kentucky.

Williams resigned as bishop of Lexington in 2002 after three men accused him of child sexual abuse. As of November 2023, the Vatican has not released any comment on the investigation.

## Biography[edit]

### Early life[edit]

Williams was born on September 5, 1936, in Athertonville, Kentucky. He attended Old Kentucky Home High School in Bardstown, Kentucky, then went to St. Mary College in St. Mary, Kentucky, and St. Mary School of Theology at South Union, Kentucky.[1]

### Priesthood[edit]

On May 25, 1963. Williams was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Louisville at the Cathedral of the Assumption in Louisville, Kentucky by Bishop Charles Maloney. After his ordination, Williams served as associate director of the archdiocesan Office of Religious Education, the vicar of education for four parishes, president of the Town and Country Apostolic Council, director of the Rural Office of Religious Education, director of the Archdiocesan Planning Office, director of the Clergy Personnel Commission, and associate pastor of several parishes.[1] In 1983, Williams was appointed pastor of Holy Trinity Parish in Louisville.[1]

### Auxiliary Bishop of Covington[edit]

On April 15, 1984, Pope John Paul II named Williams as titular bishop of Catula and auxiliary bishop of Covington. He was consecrated bishop on June 19, 1984, at Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption in Covington by Bishop William A. Hughes.[1]

### Bishop of Lexington[edit]

On January 14, 1988, John Paul II named Williams as the first bishop of Lexington. He was installed on March 2, 1988.[1]

In 2002, Williams and the Archdiocese of Louisville faced three lawsuits from men who claimed that Williams abused them as minors when he was a priest serving in the archdiocese. Williams denied all the allegations.[2][3]

* James W. Bennett of Louisville stated that Williams fondled and kissed him after mass in 1981 when Bennett was a 12-year-old altar server at Our Lady Parish in Louisville.
* David Hall of New Haven, Kentucky, stated that Williams fondled him in 1969 at St. Catherine High School during confession.
* Thomas C. Probus stated that Williams emotionally abused him by promoting masturbation during counseling at several locations at Holy Trinity Parish in Louisville around 1981.[2]

### Resignation[edit]

After the accusations from Louisville, Williams went on leave as Bishop of Lexington, following the diocese policy. On June 11, 2002, John Paul II accepted Williams' resignation as bishop of Lexington without giving any reasons for it.[3][4] On February 14, 2019, the Archdiocese of Louisville revealed that the accusations against Williams had been sent to the Vatican for investigation.[5]

## See also[edit]

Portals:

* Biography
* Catholicism
* United States

* Catholic Church hierarchy
* Catholic Church in the United States
* Historical list of the Catholic bishops of the United States
* List of Catholic bishops of the United States
* Lists of patriarchs, archbishops, and bishops

## References[edit]

1. ^ a b c d e "Former Bishops". cdlex. Retrieved 2021-11-13.
2. ^ a b "Bishop J. Kendrick Williams [Louisville archdiocese and Covington diocese]". www.bishop-accountability.org. Retrieved 2021-11-13.
3. ^ a b Collins, Dan (June 12, 2002). "Kentucky Bishop Resigns". CBS News. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
4. ^ Walsh, Edward (June 12, 2002). "2 More Bishops Resign in Sex Scandal". Washington Post. Retrieved July 1, 2018.
5. ^ "Independent investigator issues report on abuse in Louisville Archdiocese". National Catholic Reporter. 2019-02-14. Retrieved 2021-11-13.

## External links[edit]

* Roman Catholic Diocese of Lexington Official Site

## Episcopal succession[edit]

Catholic Church titles

Preceded by

First Bishop

|  Bishop of Lexington
1988–2002  | Succeeded by

Ronald William Gainer

Preceded by

|  Auxiliary Bishop of Covington
1984–1988  | Succeeded by

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Roman Catholic Diocese of Lexington

Ordinaries|

Bishops
James Kendrick Williams
Ronald William Gainer
John Stowe

Churches|

Cathedral
Cathedral of Christ the King, Lexington

Education|

High schools
Lexington Catholic High School, Lexington
The Piarist School, Martin

* Catholicism portal

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Roman Catholic Diocese of Covington

Ordinaries|

Bishops
George Aloysius Carrell
Augustus Toebbe
Camillus Paul Maes
Ferdinand Brossart
Francis William Howard
William Theodore Mulloy
Richard Henry Ackerman
William Anthony Hughes
Robert William Muench
Roger Joseph Foys
John Iffert

Churches|

Cathedral
Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption

Parishes
Mary, Queen of Heaven, Erlanger
Mother of God Roman Catholic Church, Covington
Saint John the Baptist, Wilder

Retreat center, convent
St. Anne Convent, Melbourne

Education|

Colleges
Thomas More University, Crestview Hills

High schools
Bishop Brossart High School, Alexandria
Covington Catholic High School, Park Hills (all boys)
Covington Latin School, Covington
Holy Cross High School, Covington
Newport Central Catholic High School, Newport
Notre Dame Academy, Park Hills (all girls)
St. Henry District High School, Erlanger
St. Patrick's High School, Maysville
Villa Madonna Academy, Villa Hills

* Catholicism portal

* v
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Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Louisville

Ordinaries|

Bishops
Benedict Joseph Flaget
John Baptist Mary David
Benedict Joseph Flaget
Martin John Spalding
Peter Joseph Lavialle
William George McCloskey
Denis O'Donaghue
John Alexander Floersh

Archbishops
John Alexander Floersh
Thomas Joseph McDonough
Thomas Cajetan Kelly
Joseph Edward Kurtz
Shelton Fabre

Affiliated bishops
Guy Ignatius Chabrat
Michael Heiss
Charles Garrett Maloney
John McGill
James Ryan
John Lancaster Spalding
J. Mark Spalding
James Kendrick Williams

Churches|

Cathedral
Cathedral of the Assumption, Louisville

Education|

High schools (boys)
St. Francis DeSales High School, Louisville
St. Xavier High School, Louisville
Trinity High School, St. Matthews

High schools (girls)
Assumption High School, Louisville
Mercy Academy, Louisville
Presentation Academy, Louisville
Sacred Heart Academy, Louisville

High schools (coeducational)
Bethlehem High School, Bardstown
Holy Cross High School, Louisville

Special needs school
Pitt Academy, Louisville

* Catholicism portal

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