John Connolly (bishop)
| His Excellency John Connolly, O.P. | |
|---|---|
| Bishop of New York | |
 | |
| Province | Baltimore |
| See | New York |
| Appointed | October 4, 1814 |
| Installed | November 1815 |
| Term ended | February 6, 1825 |
| Predecessor | Richard Luke Concanen, O.P. |
| Successor | John Dubois, S.S. |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | September 24, 1774 |
| Consecration |
November 6, 1814 by Cardinal Cesare Brancadoro |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
1750 County Meath, Kingdom of Ireland |
| Died |
February 6, 1825 New York, New York, United States |
| Buried |
St. Patrick's Old Cathedral, New York, New York, United States |
| Nationality | British |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
John Connolly, O.P. (1750 – February 6, 1825), was an Irish-born prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. A Dominican friar, he served as the second Bishop of New York from 1814 until his death in 1825.
Biography
Early life
John Connolly was born in County Meath, Ireland; according to various sources, he was born in either Slane[1] or Drogheda.[2][3] Dominican historian Victor O'Daniel reports that Connolly's family had a tenant farm on the Hill of Slane.[4] After receiving his early education in his native country, he continued his studies in Belgium, and entered the Order of Friars Preachers, more commonly known as the Dominican friars, at an early age.[2] He was subsequently sent to Rome, where he was ordained to the priesthood on September 24, 1774.[5] Among the various capacities he filled in Rome, Connolly served as a professor at the Dominican convent of St. Clement, of which institution he later became prior.[1] He was also an agent of the Irish bishops, and saved the English and Irish colleges—as well as his own convent, church, and library—from being plundered by the French invaders.[1]
Bishop of New York
On October 4, 1814, Connolly was appointed the second Bishop of New York in the United States by Pope Pius VII.[5] He received his episcopal consecration on the following November 6 from Cardinal Cesare Brancadoro, with Archbishops Giovanni Francesco Guerrieri and Giovanni Marchetti serving as co-consecrators, in Rome.[5] However, Connolly did not reach New York until November 24, 1815.[1] He arrived on board the Sally from a transatlantic trip that took all of sixty-seven days, and Connolly had been presumed lost at sea.[4]
Since the first Bishop of New York, R. Luke Concanen, O.P., had been impeded from sailing for New York due to the embargo of Europe then in place, Connolly was the first bishop of the diocese to minister personally to his flock.[6] He is described as a "small-sized man" and a person of more than ordinary mildness and gentleness of character, who would travel the city on foot to attend to the poor and sick.[4]
At the time of Connolly's arrival, the diocese covered all of New York and part of New Jersey, with four priests, three churches, and approximately 15,000 Catholics,[2] most of them Irish, along with some English, French and Germans. There were three churches: St. Peter's on Barclay Street, St. Patrick's on Mulberry St., and St. Mary's in Albany.[4] During his tenure, he erected churches in Utica and Rochester, founded an orphanage, and introduced the Sisters of Charity.[3] He later died at age 74, and was interred at St. Patrick's Old Cathedral.[6]
References
- 1 2 3 4 O'Daniel, Victor. "John Connolly." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 4. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1908. 6 Oct. 2014
- 1 2 3 Clarke, Richard Henry (1888). Lives of the Deceased Bishops of the Catholic Church in the United States. I. New York.
- 1 2 Fitzgerald, Thomas W. H., ed. (1910). Ireland and Her People: A Library of Irish Biography. III. Chicago: Fitzgerald Book Company.
- 1 2 3 4 O'Daniel, Victor F., "Profile: John Connolly, Bishop of New York (1814-1825)", Dominican Province of St. Joseph
- 1 2 3 "Bishop John Connolly, O.P.". Catholic-Hierarchy.org.
- 1 2 "Bishop John Connolly, O.P. (1814–1825)". Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York.
| Catholic Church titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by R. Luke Concanen |
Bishop of New York 1814 – 1825 |
Succeeded by John Dubois |
