Bishop Hafey's death on May 12, 1954, left a void which seemed impossible to fill. Sadness at his passing was evident four months later when the Most Reverend Jerome D. Hannan was ordained a Bishop in Washington, D.C. Educator, lawyer, author, canonist, and university administrator, the new Ordinary was at first appraisal more suited to the classroom than to the difficult task of dealing with the problems inherent in the day-to-day activities of a large diocese. But Bishop Hannan was an eminently capable man.           

       Incisive in his thinking, logical in his approach, dependent upon principle, and patient beyond endurance, the fifth Ordinary added his own indelible mark to the Diocese.  Where his predecessors had ound their eras ripe for expansion, Bishop Hannan realized the imperative need for consolidation and order. Later, when he had attained his goal through persistent attention to detail, he went on to build the Chancery Building in Scranton and Saint Plus X Seminary in Dalton.

     Concerned as he was with administration, however, Bishop Hannan did not neglect the souls committed to his charge. No journey was too long, nor any group too small for him to accept a speaking engagement. He considered it a necessity to identify with his people.

     How well Bishop Hannan had earned the love of the faithful was not fully apparent until December 15, 1965. The news on that cold, wintry evening informed the people of Northeastern Pennsylvania that their beloved Ordinary had died while in Rome for the closing session of the Second Vatican Council. Because his death had been so unexpected, its impact was profound.