Early life

Alfred Hughes was born on December 2, 1932, in West Roxbury, Massachusetts, as the third of the four children of Alfred and Ellen (née Hennessey) Hughes; he has two older sisters, Dorothy Callahan and Marie Morgan, and a younger brother, a Jesuit priest named Kenneth. Hughes studied at St. John's Seminary College, from where he received his bachelor's degree in philosophy in 1954, and then furthered his studies in Rome at the Pontifical Gregorian University until 1958.^[1][2]

Hughes was ordained to the priesthood by Archbishop Martin John O’Connor for the Archdiocese of Boston in Rome on December 15, 1957, and then did pastoral work before returning to the Gregorian to obtain a doctorate in spiritual theology from 1959 to 1961. Upon his return to the United States, he became a professor, as well as spiritual director and lecturer, at St. John's Seminary in 1962.^[1][2]

Bishop of Baton Rouge

Hughes was named bishop of the Diocese of Baton Rouge by John Paul II on September 7, 1993; he was installed on November 7, 1993.^[1][2]

Archbishop Alfred Hughes (far right) with (right to left) New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin, President George W. Bush, and Louisiana Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu.

Coadjutor Archbishop and Archbishop of New Orleans

On February 16, 2001, Hughes was appointed by John Paul II as coadjutor archbishop of the Archdiocese of New Orleans, serving under Archbishop Francis Schulte. He visited 90 of the archdiocese’s 142 parishes when he arrived there to become more familiar with the people.^[2]

Hughes automatically succeeded Schulte as archbishop of New Orleans upon the latter’s retirement on January 3, 2002.^[2] His tenure was marked by the devastating Hurricane Katrina in 2005. In response to questioning religion during the hurricane’s aftermath, Hughes also said,

“People can either turn inward on themselves and lose hope, or they turn upward to God and outward to other people. Our faith teaches us to do the latter, to really believe that God is present and is asking us to be partners with him in the recovery and restoration”.^[3]

Hughes implemented a controversial post-Katrina church consolidation program that reduced the diocese from 142 parishes to 108. The storm drove away nearly a quarter of its former membership and left it with nearly $300 million in physical damage.^[4]

Questions were raised concerning Hughes's handling of sexual abuse cases by the clergy, in both Boston and New Orleans. For this, he apologized and said, “Our action or inaction failed to protect the innocents among us, the children. I ask for forgiveness"^[5]

Hughes placed an emphasis on evangelization as a major theme of his tenure. He also sits on numerous committees of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, including that which oversees the use of the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

On April 2, 2009, Hughes "joined a growing chorus of Catholic bishops deploring the University of Notre Dame's decision to award President Barack Obama an honorary doctorate at graduation exercises" in May 2009.^[6] The reasons concerned Obama's support for abortion rights for women and other issues viewed as incompatible with the teaching of the Catholic Church, with which the Notre Dame is affiliated.

That same month, Hughes refused to attend commencement exercises at Xavier University of Louisiana in New Orleans because Xavier was awarding of an honorary degree to author Donna Brazile, a supporter of abortion rights.^[7]

On June 12, 2009, Pope Francis accepted Hughes' resignation as archbishop of New Orleans. He was succeeded by Gregory Aymond. Hughes continued to serve as apostolic administrator until August 20, 2009.^[8]