Dan Coughlin
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Fr. Daniel P. Coughlin |
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| 59th Chaplain of the United States House of Representatives | |
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In office March 23, 2000 – April 14, 2011 |
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| Preceded by | James D. Ford |
| Succeeded by | Patrick J. Conroy |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
November 8, 1934 Illinois |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
Fr. Daniel P. Coughlin STL (born November 8, 1934) served as the 59th Chaplain of the United States House of Representatives from March 23, 2000, to April 14, 2011. He was the first Roman Catholic priest to serve in that position, and the process that led to his selection included some controversy. However, as a Washington Post article pointed out in 2010, on the occasion of Coughlin's tenth anniversary in the House Chaplain position, "there is ample evidence that the rancor that accompanied his selection has disappeared: Last week, lawmakers from both parties streamed onto the House floor to honor his decade of service."
Coughlin was born November 8, 1934, in Illinois. The son of Dan and Lucille Coughlin, he was raised on the North side of Chicago, and graduated from St. Mary of the Lake Seminary in Mundelein, Illinois with a degree in Theology. Coughlin was ordained for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago on May 3, 1960. In 1968 he received a degree in Pastoral Studies from Loyola University, Chicago.
From 1985 to 1990 Coughlin was pastor at St. Francis Xavier Parish in La Grange, Illinois. He then became Director of the Cardinal Stritch Retreat House in Mundelein, Illinois. In 1995 he began working as Vicar for Priests of the Archdiocese of Chicago under Joseph Bernardin and later Francis George. His work both at the retreat house and in his role as Vicar for Priests—a position that included offering pastoral care to priests, including those involved in sexual abuse cases—would later lead to accusations of impropriety (that he was somehow involved with the overall problem of covering up sex crimes within the Catholic Church) later in his career. However, Coughlin's role was, in his words, a "pastor for priests," helping priests "comply with whatever protocols the archdiocese mandated," rather than making decisions about how accused priests should be managed.The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights called any allegations of wrongdoing on Coughlin's part a "witch hunt." Coughlin held the position of Vicar for Priests until he was sworn in as House Chaplain.
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