Edward John Harper
Encyclopedia
Edward John Harper, C.SS.R.
(July 23, 1910—December 2, 1990) was an American
prelate
of the Roman Catholic Church
. He was the first Bishop of St. Thomas
in the Virgin Islands
(1977-85).
Harper was born in the Bay Ridge
section of Brooklyn
, New York
. A former accountant, he was ordained
a priest
of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer
(more commonly known as the Redemptorists) on June 18, 1939. He served for many years in Puerto Rico
, the Dominican Republic
, and the Virgin Islands
.
On July 23, 1960, Harper was appointed the first Prelate
of the newly-erected Prelature of Virgin Islands
and Titular Bishop
of Heraclea Pontica
by Pope John XXIII
. He received his episcopal
consecration
on the following October 6 from Bishop Bryan Joseph McEntegart
, with Bishops William Tibertus McCarty
and James Edward McManus
serving as co-consecrators
, at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Brooklyn.
Upon the elevation of his prelature to the Diocese of St. Thomas
, Harper was named its first Bishop
on April 20, 1977. After twenty-five years in the Virgin Islands, he retired on October 16, 1985. He later died at age 80.
Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer
The Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer is a Roman Catholic missionary Congregation founded by Saint Alphonsus Liguori at Scala, near Amalfi, Italy for the purpose of labouring among the neglected country people in the neighbourhood of Naples.Members of the Congregation, priests and brothers,...
(July 23, 1910—December 2, 1990) was an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
prelate
Prelate
A prelate is a high-ranking member of the clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin prælatus, the past participle of præferre, which means "carry before", "be set above or over" or "prefer"; hence, a prelate is one set over others.-Related...
of the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
. He was the first Bishop of St. Thomas
Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint Thomas
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint Thomas is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in the Caribbean. The diocese comprises the overseas dependency of the Virgin Islands specifically the islands Saint Thomas, Saint Croix and Saint John. The diocese is a suffragan of the...
in the Virgin Islands
United States Virgin Islands
The Virgin Islands of the United States are a group of islands in the Caribbean that are an insular area of the United States. The islands are geographically part of the Virgin Islands archipelago and are located in the Leeward Islands of the Lesser Antilles.The U.S...
(1977-85).
Harper was born in the Bay Ridge
Bay Ridge, Brooklyn
Bay Ridge is a neighborhood in the southwest corner of the New York City borough of Brooklyn, USA. It is bounded by Sunset Park on the north, Seventh Avenue and Dyker Heights on the east, The Narrows Strait, which partially houses the Belt Parkway, on the west and 86th Street and Fort Hamilton on...
section of Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. A former accountant, he was ordained
Holy Orders
The term Holy Orders is used by many Christian churches to refer to ordination or to those individuals ordained for a special role or ministry....
a priest
Priesthood (Catholic Church)
The ministerial orders of the Catholic Church include the orders of bishops, deacons and presbyters, which in Latin is sacerdos. The ordained priesthood and common priesthood are different in function and essence....
of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer
Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer
The Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer is a Roman Catholic missionary Congregation founded by Saint Alphonsus Liguori at Scala, near Amalfi, Italy for the purpose of labouring among the neglected country people in the neighbourhood of Naples.Members of the Congregation, priests and brothers,...
(more commonly known as the Redemptorists) on June 18, 1939. He served for many years in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
, the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
, and the Virgin Islands
United States Virgin Islands
The Virgin Islands of the United States are a group of islands in the Caribbean that are an insular area of the United States. The islands are geographically part of the Virgin Islands archipelago and are located in the Leeward Islands of the Lesser Antilles.The U.S...
.
On July 23, 1960, Harper was appointed the first Prelate
Territorial Prelate
A territorial prelate is, in Catholic usage, a prelate whose geographic jurisdiction, called territorial prelature, does not belong to any diocese and is considered a particular church....
of the newly-erected Prelature of Virgin Islands
Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint Thomas
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint Thomas is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in the Caribbean. The diocese comprises the overseas dependency of the Virgin Islands specifically the islands Saint Thomas, Saint Croix and Saint John. The diocese is a suffragan of the...
and Titular Bishop
Titular bishop
A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese.By definition a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop the tradition of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches is that he be ordained for a specific place...
of Heraclea Pontica
Heraclea Pontica
Heraclea Pontica , an ancient city on the coast of Bithynia in Asia Minor, at the mouth of the river Lycus. It was founded by the Greek city-state of Megara c.560-558 and was named after Heracles who the Greeks believed entered the underworld at a cave on the adjoining Archerusian promontory .The...
by Pope John XXIII
Pope John XXIII
-Papal election:Following the death of Pope Pius XII in 1958, Roncalli was elected Pope, to his great surprise. He had even arrived in the Vatican with a return train ticket to Venice. Many had considered Giovanni Battista Montini, Archbishop of Milan, a possible candidate, but, although archbishop...
. He received his episcopal
Bishop (Catholic Church)
In the Catholic Church, a bishop is an ordained minister who holds the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders and is responsible for teaching the Catholic faith and ruling the Church....
consecration
Consecration
Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service, usually religious. The word "consecration" literally means "to associate with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different groups...
on the following October 6 from Bishop Bryan Joseph McEntegart
Bryan Joseph McEntegart
Bryan Joseph McEntegart was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Ogdensburg , Rector of the Catholic University of America , and as Bishop of Brooklyn .-Biography:Bryan McEntegart was born in New York City to Patrick and Katherine McEntegart...
, with Bishops William Tibertus McCarty
William Tibertus McCarty
William Tibertus McCarty, C.SS.R. was an American clergyman of the Roman Catholic Church. A Redemptorist, he served as Bishop of Rapid City from 1948 to 1969.-Biography:...
and James Edward McManus
James Edward McManus
James Edward McManus, C.SS.R. was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. A Redemptorist, he served as Bishop of Ponce in Puerto Rico and as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of New York ....
serving as co-consecrators
Consecrator
Consecrator is a term used in the Roman Catholic Church to designate a bishop who ordains a priest to the episcopal state. The term is often used in Eastern Rite Churches and in Anglican communities. The term "Principal Consecrator" is used to designate the primary bishop who ordains a new bishop...
, at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Brooklyn.
Upon the elevation of his prelature to the Diocese of St. Thomas
Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint Thomas
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint Thomas is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in the Caribbean. The diocese comprises the overseas dependency of the Virgin Islands specifically the islands Saint Thomas, Saint Croix and Saint John. The diocese is a suffragan of the...
, Harper was named its first Bishop
Ordinary
In those hierarchically organised churches of Western Christianity which have an ecclesiastical law system, an ordinary is an officer of the church who by reason of office has ordinary power to execute the church's laws...
on April 20, 1977. After twenty-five years in the Virgin Islands, he retired on October 16, 1985. He later died at age 80.