John Joseph Hennessy
John Joseph Hennessy D D. | |
|---|---|
| Bishop of Wichita | |
;_Catholic_Indian_missions_and_missionaries_of_Kansas;_The_pioneers_on_the_prairies_-_notes_on_(14581673969).jpg) | |
| Appointed | February 11, 1888 |
| In office | Diocese of Wichita |
| Successor | Augustus John Schwertner |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | November 27, 1869 by Joseph Machebeuf |
| Consecration | November 30, 1888 by Peter Kenrick |
| Personal details | |
| Born | July 19, 1847 |
| Died | July 13, 1920 (aged 72) Wichita, Kansas, US |
| Nationality | Irish |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Parents | Michael and Ellen (Cronin) Hennessy |
| Education | |
| Signature | .png){kind=small} |
John Joseph Hennessy (July 19, 1847 – July 13, 1920) was an Irish-born prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the first bishop of the new Diocese of Wichita in Kansas from 1888 until his death in 1920.
Biography[edit]
Early life[edit]
John Hennessy was born near Cloyne, County Cork, to Michael and Ellen (née Cronin) Hennessy.[1] In 1850 he and his parents came to the United States, where they settled at St. Louis, Missouri.[2] He received his early education at the local cathedral school and the Christian Brothers College in Town and Country, Missouri, graduating there in 1862.[2] He completed his theological studies at St. Francis Seminary in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and his philosophical studies at St. Vincent College in Cape Girardeau.[1]
Priesthood[edit]
Hennessy was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Joseph Machebeuf for the Archdiocese of St. Louis on November 28, 1869.[3] At age 22, he was below the age required for ordination, but was granted a dispensation by Pope Pius IX.[1]
Hennessy then served as pastor of a parish in Iron Mountain, Missouri, with his jurisdiction extending as far south as Arkansas.[2] He erected churches in Missouri at Bismarck, Doniphan, Poplar Bluff, Gatewood, Graniteville, and Farmington.[1] Hennessy established the Catholic Railroad Men's Benevolent Union in 1871, a convent for the Ursuline Sisters at Arcadia in 1877, and the first total abstinence society in southeast Missouri.[2]
In 1878, Hennessy was elected procurator and vice-president of the Catholic Protectory for Boys at Glencoe, Missouri.[1] He became rector of St. John's Church at St. Louis in 1880.[2] That same year, he became editor of the St. Louis Youths' Magazine and in 1882 secretary of the St. Louis Orphan Board.[1] He also served as treasurer of the diocesan clergy fund and spiritual director of the St. Vincent de Paul Society.[1]
Bishop of Wichita[edit]
On February 11, 1888, Hennessy was appointed the first bishop of the newly erected Diocese of Wichita by Pope Leo XIII.[3] He was technically the second Bishop of Wichita, as James O'Reilly had been appointed as bishop in 1887, but died before his episcopal consecration.[4] Hennessy was consecrated on November 30, 1888, by Archbishop Peter Kenrick, with Archbishop John Hennessy and Bishop Louis Fink serving as co-consecrators.[3]
In 1890, Hennessy persuaded the Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother to come to the United States and take over management of St. Francis Hospital in Wichita.[5]In 1898 he convened the first diocesan synod.[6] He broke ground for the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Wichita in April 1906 and laid the cornerstone the following October; it was dedicated by Cardinal James Gibbons in September 1912.[6] Between 1891 and 1898, he also served as apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Concordia in Kansas.[3]
On July 13, 1920, Hennessy suffered a stroke and died in Wichita a few hours later. He was buried from the Cathedral which he had erected.[7]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d e f g Blackmar, Frank W., ed. (1912). Kansas: A Cyclopedia of State History, Embracing Events, Institutions, Industries, Counties, Cities, Towns, Prominent Persons, Etc. Chicago: Standard Publishing Company.
- ^ a b c d e The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography. Vol. XII. New York: James T. White & Company. 1904.
- ^ a b c d "Bishop John Joseph Hennessy". Catholic-Hierarchy.org.
- ^ "Diocese of Wichita". Catholic Encyclopedia.
- ^ Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother, St. Clare of Assisi Region
- ^ a b "History: 1912-2002". Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. Archived from the original on December 27, 2008.
- ^ Kinsella, Thomas H. (1921). "A centenary of Catholicity in Kansas, 1822-1922 ; the history of our cradle land (Miami and Linn Counties) ; Catholic Indian missions and missionaries of Kansas ; The pioneers on the prairies : notes on St. Mary's Mission, Sugar Creek, Linn County; Holy Trinity Church, Paola, Miami County; Holy Rosary Church, Wea; Immaculate Conception, B.V.M., Louisburg; St. Philip's Church, Osawatomie; Church of the Assumption, Edgerton, Johnson County; to which is added a short sketch of the Ursuline Academy at Paola; the diary of Father Hoecken, and old Indian records". archive.org. Kansas City : Casey Printing. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
External links[edit]
- . . Dublin: Alexander Thom and Son Ltd. 1923. p. – via Wikisource.
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