Irish-born prelate
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
Early life
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
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
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
^ 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
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