Resolution No. 347
Honoring the Memory of Bishop Thomas V. Daily
Supreme Chaplain Emeritus

      WHEREAS, Thomas Vose Daily was born on September 23, 1927, in Belmont, Massachusetts into a dedicated Knights of Columbus family, the son of John Daily who served as State Deputy of Maine and a fraternal representative of the Supreme Council in that region; and

      WHEREAS, he was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Boston in 1952 and spent his priestly ministry in various pastoral and administrative roles in the archdiocese and was a member of the Missionary Society of St. James the Apostle, with which he spent five years as a missionary in Peru ministering to indigenous people living in extreme poverty; and

      WHEREAS, Pope Paul VI appointed him an Auxiliary Bishop of Boston in 1974; and Pope John Paul II appointed him the founding bishop of the Diocese of Palm Beach in 1984, and the Bishop of Brooklyn in 1990; and

      WHEREAS, he was a stalwart defender of human life and one of the first U.S. bishops to lead rosary processions from local parishes to nearby abortion facilities in peaceful witness to the dignity of every human life; and

      WHEREAS, in 1995, he hosted Pope John Paul II during the Holy Father’s visit to the United States for the celebration of Holy Mass at Aqueduct Racetrack, a Mass that he invited the Knights of Columbus to co-sponsor with the Diocese of Brooklyn — the first time a lay organization was given the privilege of hosting a Papal Mass; and

      WHEREAS, he carried out his responsibilities as Supreme Chaplain of the Knights of Columbus with distinction from 1987 to 2005, inspiring Knights and their families, by his word and example to a more profound worship of God and devotion to the Blessed Mother; traveling far and wide to advance the good of the Order, including trips to Mexico, Canada, the Philippines, the Caribbean, and Poland; and constantly promoting vocations to the priesthood and religious life; and encouraging his brother bishops and priests who serve the Order as state and council chaplains; and

      WHEREAS, a man of great kindness and humility, he described his 64 years of membership in the Knights of Columbus as aiding him as a “priest and bishop, but also as a Catholic man seeking to draw ever closer to our God”; and

      WHEREAS, in honor of his service as Supreme Chaplain, the Board of Directors established the Bishop Thomas V. Daily Vocations Scholarship in 1997 which has provided more than $1.6 million to 226 seminarians, and conferred on him the title of Supreme Chaplain Emeritus upon his retirement in 2005 after 18 years of service as Supreme Chaplain; and

      WHEREAS, he entered into eternal life on May 15, 2017, after more than 65 years as a Priest of Jesus Christ and 42 years of ministry as a Bishop and Successor to the Apostles.

      NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Knights of Columbus gives thanks to God for the life and faithful ministry of Bishop Thomas V. Daily to the Catholic Church and the Knights of Columbus, and prayerfully commends to the Author of Life the noble soul of our beloved Supreme Chaplain Emeritus; and

      FURTHER RESOLVED, that we express our sympathy and condolences to the members of his family, and to Bishop Nicholas A. DiMarzio and all the clergy, faithful and religious of the Diocese of Brooklyn.