ALBANY (NY)
Spectrum News [Syracuse NY]
August 19, 2023
By Kara Burnett
Howard Hubbard, bishop emeritus of the Albany Catholic Diocese, has died at age 84, days after suffering what the diocesan newspaper called a stroke this week.
Hubbard’s death was confirmed by a representative Saturday afternoon.
Hubbard served as the Albany diocese’s bishop from 1977-2014, which at the time was the longest tenure of any Albany bishop.
Born Oct. 31, 1938, Howard Hubbard grew up in Lansingburgh, graduating from St. Patrick’s School and LaSalle Institute. Gaining his footing in the priesthood after being ordained in 1963, he became an associate pastor of St. Joseph’s Church in Schenectady.
In 1977, at just 38 years of age, Hubbard became the youngest appointed bishop in the United States, appointed by Pope Paul VI. As bishop, he spearheaded the renovation of Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in downtown Albany.
His career, though, was not without controversy: The diocese filed for bankruptcy earlier this year, with Scharfenberger saying the diocese had depleted its insurance funds that have gone to pay settlements in Child Victims Act cases. Hubbard testified in 2021 that the diocese concealed reports of child sex abuse for decades and failed to report the abuse to police, according to transcripts of a deposition released last March.
The diocese faced hundreds of child sexual abuse allegations, including several against him. Hubbard denied those allegations; seven civil lawsuits are still pending. In 2004, the diocese paid for an independent investigation into an allegation Hubbard paid for sex with a teenager; the investigation cleared him.
Last month, Hubbard was married in a civil ceremony, following an unsuccessful attempt to be removed from the priesthood.
In a statement, Albany Bishop Edward Scharfenberger said in part, “The life of a priest is never about himself but for those whom he serves, to whom he is sent. As we commend our brother, Howard Hubbard, to the God of all mercy, we pray for all those who, throughout the course of his life, as priest, bishop, and friend, were inspired and encourgaed along their own journey, especially those who received the sacraments through his ministry.”