Most Reverend Michael Driscoll

My Life Story The Most Rev. Michael P. Driscoll, bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Boise from 1999 to 2014, died on Tuesday, October 24, 2017, of natural causes in Boise at age 78. The Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Thursday, Nov. 2, 2017, at 10 a.m. at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Boise. A Vigil with Rite of Reception of the Body is set for 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 1, at the Cathedral. Following the Vigil, Bishop Driscoll’s body will lie in state in the Cathedral until shortly before the funeral Mass. A Rite of Committal will take place at Morris Hill Cemetery following the funeral Mass. Bishop Driscoll was born Aug. 8, 1939, in Long Beach, Calif. He attended Our Lady Queen of Angels Seminary in San Fernando and St. John Seminary College in Camarillo. He was ordained to the priesthood on May 1, 1965, by Cardinal James F. McIntyre in St. Vibiana Cathedral for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. He served in several pastoral assignments in Los Angeles, until 1975, when he was appointed associate director for Catholic Charities in Orange County. That same year he earned a master’s degree in social work from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. The following year, when the Diocese of Orange was created, Father Driscoll was asked by Bishop William R. Johnson to be his chancellor and to help organize the new diocese. He was also named Vicar of Charities. Because of his exceptional service to the Diocese of Orange, Father Driscoll was given the title “Monsignor” by Pope John Paul II in 1979. After Bishop Johnson passed away in 1986, his successor, Bishop Norman McFarland, appointed Monsignor Driscoll as his Vicar General and Vicar for Religious Communities. Pope John Paul II appointed Monsignor Driscoll as an auxiliary bishop on Dec. 19, 1989, and he was ordained a bishop by Bishop McFarland on March 6, 1990, in Orange’s Holy Family Cathedral. Nine years later, Bishop Driscoll was appointed by Pope John Paul II as the seventh bishop of Boise on Jan. 19, 1999, and installed on March 18, 1999, in St. John’s Cathedral. Bishop Driscoll presided over the Diocese of Boise during 15 years of rapid growth and cultural change for the church in Idaho. During Bishop Driscoll’s tenure, the number of active, permanent deacons increased from 34 to 70. He increased outreach to a growing Hispanic community and recruited priests to Idaho from Mexico and Colombia. He had a unique relationship with Native American tribes, continuing a long tradition of celebrating a Mass each year at the Cataldo Mission, the oldest building in Idaho. Dating back to his early days as a priest, Bishop Driscoll became well known for his long association and leadership of Catholic Charities, the social justice arm of the church. A year after being installed as Bishop of Boise, he founded Catholic Charities of Idaho, which serves more than 3,200 annually to provide statewide immigration and information and referral services, and adult education and mental health services. During his years in Boise, Bishop Driscoll was active at the national level with Catholic Charities USA serving on its board of trustees and then as Episcopal Liaison for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and Catholic Charities USA. As a shepherd to the priests in the diocese, he brought the “Good Leaders, Good Shepherds,” program to Idaho, which provided ongoing education and support for priests, especially those who had become first-time pastors. During his tenure, a retirement center for priests was built in Boise. A number of churches were built or renovated during Bishop Driscoll’s tenure. Bishop Driscoll is survived by his sister, Kay Nadeau, and nephew, Jeff Nadeau, of Garden Grove, Calif.; nephew, Rodney Driscoll of Boise; niece, Danette Drake of Meridian; and two grand-nieces and two grand-nephews. The family requests that memorials in honor of Bishop Driscoll be given to Catholic Charities of Idaho at 7255 W. Franklin Road, Boise, ID, 83709. Remembrances of Bishop Driscoll may be left on his webpage at www.AccentFuneral.com. Services are under the direction of Accent Funeral Home, Meridian.