Jan 26, 2009 / 15:53 pm
Monsignor William Smith, a leading Catholic medical ethicist, died on Saturday at a hospital in Yonkers, New York. He was 69.
A native of Yonkers, Monsignor Smith was ordained a priest in 1966, the Journal News reports. Shortly afterward, Cardinal Terence Cooke chose him to pursue a doctorate in moral theology and return to teach at St. Joseph’s Seminary in Yonkers.
He became a leading Catholic spokesman on issues like abortion, reproduction, euthanasia, stem cell research and cloning.
His wake will be observed at St. Joseph Seminary on Sunday afternoon and evening. An additional wake will be Tuesday afternoon, with a Mass of the Holy Eucharist to be celebrated at 7:30 p.m. by seminary rector Bishop Gerald Walsh. According to the Journal News, Rev. Donald Haggerty will be the homilist.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on behalf of Monsignor Smith at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Scarsdale, where the monsignor had celebrated Sunday Mass for years. Cardinal Edward Egan will be the principal celebrant, while Monsignor James O'Connor will be the homilist.