Lawrence Joseph Riley

Lawrence Joseph Riley was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States. He served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Boston in Massachusetts from 1971 to 1990

Early life

Lawrence Riley was born on September 6, 1914, in Boston, Massachusetts. He resided in Rome at the Pontifical North American College while studying at the Pontifical Gregorian University. Riley also earned a degree from the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.
Riley was ordained to the priesthood at Sacred Heart Church in Newton Centre, Massachusetts, on September 21, 1940, for the Archdiocese of Boston by Bishop Richard Cushing.

Auxiliary Bishop of Boston

On December 7, 1971, Riley was appointed titular bishop of Daimlaig and auxiliary bishop of Boston by Pope Paul VI. Riley was consecrated on February 2, 1972 at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston by Archbishop Humberto Sousa Medeiros. As auxiliary bishop, he served as pastor of Most Precious Blood Parish in Boston and as bishop of the Central Region of the archdiocese.Pope John Paul II named Riley as an assistant to the papal throne in 1987.

Retirement and death

Riley retired as auxiliary bishop of Boston on January 22, 1990. He died in Boston on December 2, 2001 at age 87. He is buried at Holy Cross Cemetery in Malden, Massachusetts.