Roman Catholic Cardinal. The son of a couple of Irish descent, William Henry Keeler was born in San Antonio, Texas, but was raised in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, where he frequented St. Mary's and the Catholic High schools. Receiving a bachelor of arts from St. Charles Seminary, Overbrook, Philadelphia, in 1952, and a licentiate in sacred theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome in 1956, he was ordained priest there at the Basilica of the Twelve Holy Apostles by Cardinal Luigi Traglia on July 17, 1955. Back home, he was soon named assistant pastor at Our Lady of Good Counsel church in Marysville and secretary of the diocesan tribunal, being successively sent to Rome anew in order to study canon law at the named Pontifical Gregorian University. Receiving his doctorate in 1961, Bishop George L. Leech reappointed him assistant pastor of Our Lady of Good Counsel, naming him at the same time, defender of the bond of the diocesan tribunal. Appointed pastor of the Marysville parish in 1964, as secretary to the named Bishop Leech during the Second Vatican Council, he was appointed peritus and also served on the staff of the 'Council Digest', a daily communication service sponsored by the United States Bishops. Named vice-chancellor of the diocese of Harrisburg in 1965 and eventually chancellor in 1969, he went on to serve as vicar general, holding the latter position until his appointment as auxiliary bishop of Harrisburg by Pope John Paul II, receiving his episcopal consecration with the titular see of Dulcigno at Harrisburg's St. Patrick's cathedral on September 21, 1979. Elected administrator of the diocese of Harrisburg by the college of consultors on September 3, 1983 following the death of Bishop Joseph T. Daley, the named Pontiff appointed him its ordinary on November 10, 1983, being installed on January 4 of the following year by Cardinal John J. Krol, Archbishop of Philadelphia. Promoted to the metropolitan see of Baltimore on April 11, 1989, he was formally installed as fourteenth ordinary of the nation's oldest see on the following May 23 at the cathedral of Mary Our Queen. Pope John Paul II created him cardinal priest with the title of Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri in the consistory of November 28, 1994. An influential participant in a wide range of national and international issues, Cardinal Keeler was elected president of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops (NCCB) and of the United States Catholic Conference in November 1992. Particularly noted for his work in furthering Catholic-Jewish dialogue, he acted as moderator of Catholic-Jewish relations for the USCCB and was a member of the International Catholic Orthodox Commission for Theological Dialogue since 1986. Chair of the Bishops' Committee for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs from 1984 to November 1987, he helped arrange the Pope's meetings with Jewish leaders in Miami and with Protestant leaders in Columbia, S.C., during the 1987 papal visit. Chair for the Committee on Pro-Life Activities, while Archbishop of Baltimore, Keeler established as one of his priorities as leader of the oldest Catholic See in the United States, the strengthening of the Catholic school system by helping to start "Partners in Excellence," a program designed to help needy families and at-risk youth afford the cost of Catholic education through the help of corporate partnerships. To date, over 16,500 scholarships have been awarded. A vigilant leader of the pro-life movement and an outspoken advocate for expanded evangelization throughout the parish community, in 1992 the Cardinal initiated the Lenten Appeal (presently known as the Archbishop's Annual Appeal), a giving campaign that to date has raised over $70 million in support of area Catholic schools, the needs of the less fortunate, and a variety of spiritual development efforts. Responsible for the restoration of Baltimore's Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, America's first cathedral, which project cost about $32 million, raised entirely from private donations and not from the archdiocese's treasury, Keeler was also president of the American Division Catholic Near East Welfare Association as well as chairman of the Black and Native American Missions and of the Board of Catholic Charities, the largest non-governmental agency providing assistance to the needy of Maryland. President of the Cathedral Foundation and publisher of "The Catholic Review", an Eagle Scout of the Boy Scouts of America, he was furthermore the latter's recipient of the Silver Beaver, Silver Antelope and Distinguished Eagle Scout Award, holding also numerous honorary degrees, including ones from Lebanon Valley College; Mount St. Mary's; Gettysburg College; Susquehanna University; Gannon University, Erie, Pennsylvania; Loyola College, Baltimore; St. Mary's College of Minnesota, Winona, Minnesota; Shippensburg State University, Pennsylvania; Elizabethtown College, Pennsylvania, University of Notre Dame, South Bend; Ateneo University, Philippines, College of Notre Dame of Maryland, Baltimore, Franciscan University, Steubenville, Ohio; Hebrew Union University, Cincinnati, Ohio; and Viterbo University, LaCrosse, Wisconsin. Retiring from the pastoral government of his see on July 12, 2007, he spent his last years at St. Martin's Home for the Aged in the Baltimore suburb of Catonsville, Maryland, under the care of the Little Sisters of the Poor following a long illness. Harrisburg's "Cardinal Keeler Center" is named after him.