Edward O'Rourke
Encyclopedia
Edward O'Rourke, full name Eduard Alexander Ladislaus Graf
(Count) O'Rourke ' onMouseout='HidePop("85167")' href="/topics/Minsk">Minsk
- June 27, 1943) was a Roman Catholic priest, bishop of Riga and the first head of the bishopric of the Free City of Danzig
(Gdańsk).
, Russian Empire
(modern Belarus
), to an aristocratic family of Irish
ancestry, many of them high officers in the Russian military. They held imperial titles of the Russian Empire and of the German Holy Roman Empire
, but also had petitioned to retain the Irish count title as well, which was granted by the Tsar in 1848. His father was Michael Graf O'Rourke and his mother Baltic-German Angelika von Bochwitz. He received a widespread European education and learned a number of languages.
After graduating from the famous Jesuit college in Chyrów
(then Russia, now Ukraine), in 1898 he went to Riga
, Latvia
, where in 1903 he graduated from the Trade and Mechanics Faculty of the University of Riga. In the same year, he joined the Polish student fraternity Arkonia. In 1903 he moved to Freiburg, Switzerland, where he continued his studies at the University of Fribourg
, faculty of law, but the following year he moved to the theological faculty at the University of Innsbruck in Austria-Hungary
.
On October 27, 1908 he was ordained a priest in Vilna (Vilnius, Lithuania) and became a professor of ecclesiastical history, German and French language at the Seminary
of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Minsk-Mohilev in Saint Petersburg
. Between 1912 and 1915 he became the priest of the multilingual congregation of St. Stanislaus in Petersburg. After the February Revolution
in Russia it was decided to re-establish the diocese of Minsk and O'Rourke was appointed as its administrator and the interim head of the Catholic Church in Russia
. As such O'Rourke met for the first time the Apostolic Visitor for the Baltic countries, Achille Ratti, the later Pope Pius XI. Due to the proposed independence of Latvia
the diocese of Riga was established in 1918 and O'Rourke was appointed the bishop
of Riga
on recommendation of Ratti on 29 September 1918.
O'Rourke's position in Riga was problematic as he managed to assume his office only after German forces had occupied Riga in early 1919. At that time shortly after World War I
the ecclesiastical organisation was largely destroyed and only a few priests were active. O'Rourke, who himself didn't speak Latvian, tried to encourage Latvian priests but tendered his resignation after a new government in Latvia was appointed and calls for a Latvian bishop raised. O'Rourke was released as the bishop of Riga on 10 April 1920 and appointed the titular bishop
of Canea and Apostolic Delegate for the Baltic states, in November 1921 also the Pontifical Delegate for Russian refugees in Danzig and East Prussia
, later (1928) for the Russians in Germany.
was split from Germany in 1920. On April 24, 1922 Achille Ratti, now Pope Pius XI, nominated O'Rourke to the post of an Apostolic Administrator of the Free City of Danzig and the titular bishop of Pergamon
on 21 December 1922. After the creation of the Diocese of Danzig on December 30, 1925, O'Rourke became the first Bishop of Danzig. First having a good relationship with the authorities, who granted him citizenship on 12 June 1926, and the mostly Protestant population, he conflicted with the new local Nazis
after 1933.
Having hosted synode on 10 to 12 December 1935, growing pressure from the Nazi majority senate made him resign as bishop of Danzig after he had tried to implement four additional Polish parish priests. On 13 June 1938 he was appointed Titular bishop of Sophene
. He adopted Polish citizenship in December 1938 as well as the office of Cathedral Canon
in Gniezno
/Poznań
. When the Germans attacked Poland in September 1939 O'Rourke was on a journey to Estonia
and travelled via Warsaw
and Königsberg
to Berlin
, where he applied for a Visa to Italy
. After his arrival in Rome
O'Rourke tried to return to his Diocese in Poznań, but his visa application was rejected by the Germans.
O'Rourke died in Rome on June 27, 1943, his successor after his death was the Bishop of Danzig Carl Maria Splett
.
In 1972 his ashes were moved from Campo Verano to his former bishopric to be buried in a crypt in the Oliwa
Cathedral.
Graf
Graf is a historical German noble title equal in rank to a count or a British earl...
(Count) O'Rourke ' onMouseout='HidePop("85167")' href="/topics/Minsk">Minsk
Minsk
- Ecological situation :The ecological situation is monitored by Republican Center of Radioactive and Environmental Control .During 2003–2008 the overall weight of contaminants increased from 186,000 to 247,400 tons. The change of gas as industrial fuel to mazut for financial reasons has worsened...
- June 27, 1943) was a Roman Catholic priest, bishop of Riga and the first head of the bishopric of the Free City of Danzig
Free City of Danzig
The Free City of Danzig was a semi-autonomous city-state that existed between 1920 and 1939, consisting of the Baltic Sea port of Danzig and surrounding areas....
(Gdańsk).
Early life
O'Rourke was born October 26, 1876 in Basin, MinskMinsk
- Ecological situation :The ecological situation is monitored by Republican Center of Radioactive and Environmental Control .During 2003–2008 the overall weight of contaminants increased from 186,000 to 247,400 tons. The change of gas as industrial fuel to mazut for financial reasons has worsened...
, Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
(modern Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
), to an aristocratic family of Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
ancestry, many of them high officers in the Russian military. They held imperial titles of the Russian Empire and of the German Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
, but also had petitioned to retain the Irish count title as well, which was granted by the Tsar in 1848. His father was Michael Graf O'Rourke and his mother Baltic-German Angelika von Bochwitz. He received a widespread European education and learned a number of languages.
After graduating from the famous Jesuit college in Chyrów
Khyriv
Khyriv is a small town in Lviv Oblast of Ukraine.It housed a Jesuit college, Zakład Naukowo-Wychowawczy Ojców Jezuitów w Chyrowie, then in Poland.Population is 4,590 ....
(then Russia, now Ukraine), in 1898 he went to Riga
Riga
Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...
, Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
, where in 1903 he graduated from the Trade and Mechanics Faculty of the University of Riga. In the same year, he joined the Polish student fraternity Arkonia. In 1903 he moved to Freiburg, Switzerland, where he continued his studies at the University of Fribourg
University of Fribourg
The University of Fribourg is a university in the city of Fribourg, Switzerland.The roots of the University can be traced back to 1582, when the notable Jesuit Peter Canisius founded the Collège Saint-Michel in the City of Fribourg. In 1763, an Academy of law was founded by the state of Frobourg...
, faculty of law, but the following year he moved to the theological faculty at the University of Innsbruck in Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
.
On October 27, 1908 he was ordained a priest in Vilna (Vilnius, Lithuania) and became a professor of ecclesiastical history, German and French language at the Seminary
Seminary
A seminary, theological college, or divinity school is an institution of secondary or post-secondary education for educating students in theology, generally to prepare them for ordination as clergy or for other ministry...
of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Minsk-Mohilev in Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
. Between 1912 and 1915 he became the priest of the multilingual congregation of St. Stanislaus in Petersburg. After the February Revolution
February Revolution
The February Revolution of 1917 was the first of two revolutions in Russia in 1917. Centered around the then capital Petrograd in March . Its immediate result was the abdication of Tsar Nicholas II, the end of the Romanov dynasty, and the end of the Russian Empire...
in Russia it was decided to re-establish the diocese of Minsk and O'Rourke was appointed as its administrator and the interim head of the Catholic Church in Russia
Russian Catholic Church
The Russian Catholic Church is a Byzantine Rite church sui juris in full union with the Catholic Church. Historically it represents a schism from the Russian Orthodox Church. It is now in full communion with and subject to the authority of the Pope as defined by Eastern canon law...
. As such O'Rourke met for the first time the Apostolic Visitor for the Baltic countries, Achille Ratti, the later Pope Pius XI. Due to the proposed independence of Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
the diocese of Riga was established in 1918 and O'Rourke was appointed the bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
of Riga
Riga
Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...
on recommendation of Ratti on 29 September 1918.
O'Rourke's position in Riga was problematic as he managed to assume his office only after German forces had occupied Riga in early 1919. At that time shortly after World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
the ecclesiastical organisation was largely destroyed and only a few priests were active. O'Rourke, who himself didn't speak Latvian, tried to encourage Latvian priests but tendered his resignation after a new government in Latvia was appointed and calls for a Latvian bishop raised. O'Rourke was released as the bishop of Riga on 10 April 1920 and appointed the 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 Canea and Apostolic Delegate for the Baltic states, in November 1921 also the Pontifical Delegate for Russian refugees in Danzig and East Prussia
East Prussia
East Prussia is the main part of the region of Prussia along the southeastern Baltic Coast from the 13th century to the end of World War II in May 1945. From 1772–1829 and 1878–1945, the Province of East Prussia was part of the German state of Prussia. The capital city was Königsberg.East Prussia...
, later (1928) for the Russians in Germany.
Free City of Danzig
The Free City of DanzigFree City of Danzig
The Free City of Danzig was a semi-autonomous city-state that existed between 1920 and 1939, consisting of the Baltic Sea port of Danzig and surrounding areas....
was split from Germany in 1920. On April 24, 1922 Achille Ratti, now Pope Pius XI, nominated O'Rourke to the post of an Apostolic Administrator of the Free City of Danzig and the titular bishop of Pergamon
Pergamon
Pergamon , or Pergamum, was an ancient Greek city in modern-day Turkey, in Mysia, today located from the Aegean Sea on a promontory on the north side of the river Caicus , that became the capital of the Kingdom of Pergamon during the Hellenistic period, under the Attalid dynasty, 281–133 BC...
on 21 December 1922. After the creation of the Diocese of Danzig on December 30, 1925, O'Rourke became the first Bishop of Danzig. First having a good relationship with the authorities, who granted him citizenship on 12 June 1926, and the mostly Protestant population, he conflicted with the new local Nazis
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
after 1933.
Having hosted synode on 10 to 12 December 1935, growing pressure from the Nazi majority senate made him resign as bishop of Danzig after he had tried to implement four additional Polish parish priests. On 13 June 1938 he was appointed Titular bishop of Sophene
Sophene
Sophene , or ) was a province of the Armenian Kingdom and of the Roman Empire, located in the south-west of the kingdom. It currently lies in modern-day southeastern Turkey....
. He adopted Polish citizenship in December 1938 as well as the office of Cathedral Canon
Canon (priest)
A canon is a priest or minister who is a member of certain bodies of the Christian clergy subject to an ecclesiastical rule ....
in Gniezno
Gniezno
Gniezno is a city in central-western Poland, some 50 km east of Poznań, inhabited by about 70,000 people. One of the Piasts' chief cities, it was mentioned by 10th century A.D. sources as the capital of Piast Poland however the first capital of Piast realm was most likely Giecz built around...
/Poznań
Poznan
Poznań is a city on the Warta river in west-central Poland, with a population of 556,022 in June 2009. It is among the oldest cities in Poland, and was one of the most important centres in the early Polish state, whose first rulers were buried at Poznań's cathedral. It is sometimes claimed to be...
. When the Germans attacked Poland in September 1939 O'Rourke was on a journey to Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
and travelled via Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
and Königsberg
Königsberg
Königsberg was the capital of East Prussia from the Late Middle Ages until 1945 as well as the northernmost and easternmost German city with 286,666 inhabitants . Due to the multicultural society in and around the city, there are several local names for it...
to Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, where he applied for a Visa to Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. After his arrival in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
O'Rourke tried to return to his Diocese in Poznań, but his visa application was rejected by the Germans.
O'Rourke died in Rome on June 27, 1943, his successor after his death was the Bishop of Danzig Carl Maria Splett
Carl Maria Splett
Carl Maria Splett was a German Roman Catholic priest and Bishop of Danzig, after World War II he was imprisoned in Poland and exiled in West Germany.-Early life:...
.
In 1972 his ashes were moved from Campo Verano to his former bishopric to be buried in a crypt in the Oliwa
Oliwa
Oliwa, also Oliva is one of the quarters of Gdańsk. From east it borders Przymorze and Żabianka, from the north Sopot and from the south with the districts of Strzyża, VII Dwór and Brętowo, while from the west with Matarnia and Osowa...
Cathedral.
Ancestry and relations
- John O'Rourke (1728 - 1786)
- Cornelius O'Rourke
- Lieutenant General Joseph Cornelius O'RourkeJoseph Cornelius O'RourkeCount Joseph Cornelius O'Rourke was a Russian nobleman and military leader who fought in the Napoleonic Wars. He is also particularly well remembered in Serbia where he led a combined Russian and Serb army to defeat the Turks at Varvarin in 1810...
(1772 -1849) - Count Moritz O'Rourke
- Count Nicholas O'Rourke
Literature
- Stefan Samerski: Die Katholische Kirche in der Freien Stadt Danzig 1920–1933. Köln u.a. 1991
- Stefan Samerski (Hrsg.): Das Bistum Danzig in Lebensbildern. Ordinarien, Weihbischöfe, Generalvikare, apostolische Visitatoren 1922/25 bis 2000. (= Religions- und Kulturgeschichte in Ostmittel- und Südosteuropa 3). Münster/Hamburg/London 2003. ISBN 3-8258-6284-4
- “Documents and Materials for the History of the O'Rourke Family” by Eduard Graf O'Rourke (O'Rourke had travelled to Ireland in the 1920s to research his Irish ancestry)
External links
- Religious Life
- Das Bistum Danzig, Stefan Samerski, Page 39 Eduard Graf O'Rourke w. portrait
- Document by the Danzig Senate of Freie Stadt Danzig: citizenship of Bishop O'Rourke form 12 June 1926