PC Degree: B.A./Classics

Activities Participated in as a PC Student: Friars Club

Career Path Highlights: After graduating from Providence College, Bishop Walsh received his seminary training at the Dominican House of Studies in Dover, Mass., where he received a master's degree in philosophy. He received theology degrees from the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, D.C. He was ordained a priest in 1966.

From 1967 to 1974, Bishop Walsh served as head chaplain and a teacher of moral theology at Providence College. He then served four years as director of formation at the Dominican House of Studies in Washington. He was appointed pastor of St. Vincent Ferrer Church in Manhattan, N.Y., in 1978 and served until 1983. During that time, he also served as prior of his community for two and a half years.

In 1983, Bishop Walsh was appointed associate pastor at Our Lady Queen of Martyrs Church in Centerport, Long Island, N.Y. He was incardinated as a priest of the Diocese of Rockville Centre the following year. In 1988, he was assigned as associate pastor at St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church in Smithtown. He became pastor at St. Patrick's two years later. In 1996, Pope John Paul II named him an honorary prelate with the title "Monsignor." 

Bishop Walsh was appointed titular bishop of Abtugni and auxiliary to the bishop of Rockville Centre in 2003. He was ordained a bishop on Ascension Thursday, May 29, 2003, at St. Agnes Cathedral in Rockville Centre. As auxiliary bishop, he serves as vicar of the Western Vicariate of the Diocese of Rockville Centre. He is also the pastor of Queen of the Most Holy Rosary Church in Roosevelt.

Bishop Walsh has served on several boards, including the Admissions Board of the Immaculate Conception Seminary in Huntington from 1997 to 2001 and the board of The Long Island Catholic newspaper from 1999 to 2001. He also served as a Suffolk County Police Department chaplain from 1995 to 2003.

Staying Involved: In 2007, Walsh received the National Alumni Association's Bishop Harkins Award for his outstanding service to the Catholic Church, including as bishop, priest, scholar, teacher, and mentor.

"Transforming" Quote: One of the Dominican priests and associate chaplains at PC was fond of saying to students, "You are good!" It seemed to me that this was a reflection of a Dominican approach to life. The God who is good creates people who are good. Such a philosophy of life gives a person a healthy self-confidence and a basic trust in the goodness of others. It insures a positive life style. I am still grateful to that priest.