Arthur O'Leary
Encyclopedia
Father Arthur O'Leary, O.F.M. (b. at Faniobbus, Iveleary, Co. Cork, Ireland, 1729; d. in London, 8 January 1802) was an Irish Franciscan
preacher and polemical writer.
to engage in missionary work.
He is charged by James Froude with having received secret-service money from the Government, but other historians consider this unproven. In 1786-88 he argued the Catholic case in the so-called "Paper War" between conservative Protestants and moderates that sought further legal reform of the Penal Laws
, leading towards Catholic Emancipation
.
From 1789 till his death he was chaplain to the Spanish embassy in London
. He was a wit, and socially acquainted with the circle of Edmund Burke
, Richard Sheridan, and Charles James Fox
. In the 1790s he built St Patrick's church, Sutton Street, for the poor London Irish living around St Giles
near Soho.
was too heterodox for some Catholics, but not in his own day. Formerly Catholics had been loyal to the Jacobite
movement, and some felt that O'Leary was being too friendly to the Hanoverian dynasty. He realised that an engagement with Protestants was necessary to ensure reforms from the British and Irish parliaments, whose members were all Protestant at that time. Reforms had just started with the Papists Act 1778
.
During the 1790s he was, like many Catholics, horrified at the Dechristianisation of France during the French Revolution
.
At the time when the penal laws were slowly being reformed, his aim was for Catholics in Britain and Ireland to achieve legal equality with Anglicans, and he was a precursor of those who finally obtained Catholic Emancipation
in 1829. Among his writings are:
Franciscan Order in modern times
This article chronicles the spread of the Franciscan Order of Roman Catholic friars in Modern Times.-New Congregations:The regulations of Pope Leo X brought a notable increase of strength to the Observantist branch, and many conventual houses joined them—in France all but forty-eight, in Germany...
preacher and polemical writer.
Life
He was educated with the Franciscans of Saint Malo, where he was ordained and acted as prison chaplain till 1777. He returned to CorkCork (city)
Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland's third most populous city. It is the principal city and administrative centre of County Cork and the largest city in the province of Munster. Cork has a population of 119,418, while the addition of the suburban...
to engage in missionary work.
He is charged by James Froude with having received secret-service money from the Government, but other historians consider this unproven. In 1786-88 he argued the Catholic case in the so-called "Paper War" between conservative Protestants and moderates that sought further legal reform of the Penal Laws
Penal Laws (Ireland)
The term Penal Laws in Ireland were a series of laws imposed under English and later British rule that sought to discriminate against Roman Catholics and Protestant dissenters in favour of members of the established Church of Ireland....
, leading towards Catholic Emancipation
Catholic Emancipation
Catholic emancipation or Catholic relief was a process in Great Britain and Ireland in the late 18th century and early 19th century which involved reducing and removing many of the restrictions on Roman Catholics which had been introduced by the Act of Uniformity, the Test Acts and the penal laws...
.
From 1789 till his death he was chaplain to the Spanish embassy in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. He was a wit, and socially acquainted with the circle of Edmund Burke
Edmund Burke
Edmund Burke PC was an Irish statesman, author, orator, political theorist and philosopher who, after moving to England, served for many years in the House of Commons of Great Britain as a member of the Whig party....
, Richard Sheridan, and Charles James Fox
Charles James Fox
Charles James Fox PC , styled The Honourable from 1762, was a prominent British Whig statesman whose parliamentary career spanned thirty-eight years of the late 18th and early 19th centuries and who was particularly noted for being the arch-rival of William Pitt the Younger...
. In the 1790s he built St Patrick's church, Sutton Street, for the poor London Irish living around St Giles
St Giles, London
St Giles is a district of London, England. It is the location of the church of St Giles in the Fields, the Phoenix Garden and St Giles Circus. It is located at the southern tip of the London Borough of Camden and is part of the Midtown business improvement district.The combined parishes of St...
near Soho.
Works
He published tracts characterized by learning, religious feeling, toleration, and allegiance to the Crown. His work for reform of the anti-Catholic penal lawsPenal Laws (Ireland)
The term Penal Laws in Ireland were a series of laws imposed under English and later British rule that sought to discriminate against Roman Catholics and Protestant dissenters in favour of members of the established Church of Ireland....
was too heterodox for some Catholics, but not in his own day. Formerly Catholics had been loyal to the Jacobite
Jacobitism
Jacobitism was the political movement in Britain dedicated to the restoration of the Stuart kings to the thrones of England, Scotland, later the Kingdom of Great Britain, and the Kingdom of Ireland...
movement, and some felt that O'Leary was being too friendly to the Hanoverian dynasty. He realised that an engagement with Protestants was necessary to ensure reforms from the British and Irish parliaments, whose members were all Protestant at that time. Reforms had just started with the Papists Act 1778
Papists Act 1778
The Papists Act 1778 is an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain and was the first Act for Catholic Relief. Later in 1778 It was also enacted by the Irish parliament....
.
During the 1790s he was, like many Catholics, horrified at the Dechristianisation of France during the French Revolution
Dechristianisation of France during the French Revolution
The dechristianisation of France during the French Revolution is a conventional description of the results of a number of separate policies, conducted by various governments of France between the start of the French Revolution in 1789 and the Concordat of 1801, forming the basis of the later and...
.
At the time when the penal laws were slowly being reformed, his aim was for Catholics in Britain and Ireland to achieve legal equality with Anglicans, and he was a precursor of those who finally obtained Catholic Emancipation
Catholic Emancipation
Catholic emancipation or Catholic relief was a process in Great Britain and Ireland in the late 18th century and early 19th century which involved reducing and removing many of the restrictions on Roman Catholics which had been introduced by the Act of Uniformity, the Test Acts and the penal laws...
in 1829. Among his writings are:
- "A Defence of the Divinity of Christ and the Immortality of the Soul";
- "Loyalty asserted, or the Test Oath Vindicated";
- "An Address to the Roman Catholics concerning the apprehended invasion of the French";
- "Essay on Toleration":
- "A reply to John Wesley".