Bernard Aloysius McKenna was born on July 8, 1876 in Philadelphia, the son of Daniel McKenna and Anna McMenomy McKenna. He was ordained in 1903 under the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. In 1915 he was appointed as Secretary to Rector Thomas J. Shahan, and together, they worked to found the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. McKenna was later to serve as the Shrine⁰́₉s first Director, from 1918 to 1931. On December 18, 1929 he was made Domestic Prelate of His Holiness Pope Pius XI, with the title Right Reverend Monsignor. He also served as an Associate Professor of Theology at Catholic University from 1925 to 1931. During the same time-span, McKenna became a Trustee of Catholic University in 1930. In 1933 he returned to Philadelphia as pastor of Holy Angels Church. He died on July 20, 1960 in Philadelphia.
From the description of The Bernard Aloysius McKenna papers. 1915-1952 (Catholic University of America). WorldCat record id: 164879758
