Bishop Walsh attended Iona College in New Rochelle in 1959, and in 1961 entered St. Joseph’s Seminary in Yonkers, New York. In 1963, he earned a BA in Philosophy and a Masters of Divinity from St. Joseph’s Seminary in 1967.
During the summers of 1966 and 1967, he studied at the Institute for Intercultural Communication at the Catholic University in Ponce, Puerto Rico.
On May 27, 1967, Francis Cardinal Spellman ordained him to the priesthood at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City.
Following his ordination, Bishop Walsh was assigned as Parochial Vicar of Holy Trinity Church in New York City. He held several part-time assignments with the Cathedral Preparatory Seminary, the Ladies of Charity, and the New York Chapter of the Knights of Columbus. In 1980, he joined the staff of Catholic Charities as the Director of Family and Children’s Services. Bishop Walsh received a Masters degree in social work from Fordham University in 1983.
In 1989, Bishop Walsh was named Pastor of the Church of the Incarnation. He is presently a member of the Priest Council as well as the College of Consultors of the Archdiocese of New York.
In 1990, Bishop Walsh was named a Prelate of Honor to His Holiness and in 1996, John Cardinal O’Connor appointed him to serve as Secretary to the Cardinal. He was named Pastor of the Church of St. Elizabeth in 1998 and Regional Vicar of North Manhattan.
Bishop Walsh was appointed Vicar for Development at the Archdiocese of New York in November 2003, and on September 21, 2004, he was ordained Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of New York and appointed Titular Bishop of Altiburus. He was named rector of his alma mater of St. Joseph’s Seminary in 2007.
Effective July 15, 2012, Bishop Walsh was named Vicar for Clergy and Episcopal Vicar for Rockland, Central Westchester, South Shore, and Yonkers vicariates.
