John Hennessy (Archbishop)
Encyclopedia
John Hennessy was a 19th-century Irish
born bishop and archbishop of the Catholic Church in the United States
. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Dubuque
in the state of Iowa
from 1866–1893, when he was named the first archbishop of Dubuque.
, Ireland
. He was the oldest of twelve children born to William and Mary (Meaney) Hennessy. He studied for the priesthood at St. Vincent's Seminary in Cape Girardeau, Missouri
and Carondelet Seminary near St. Louis. He was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Saint Louis
on November 1, 1850. Father Hennessy was assigned to parish work in New Madrid, Missouri
and then St. Peter's in Gravois. He then served as a seminary professor and then president at Carondelet, and in 1858 he was sent to the Holy See
as a representative of Archbishop Kenrick. From 1860 to 1866 he was a pastor of St. Joseph's Church
in St. Joseph, Missouri.
Pius IX appointed Hennessy as the third bishop of Dubuque. He was consecrated and installed bishop in St. Raphael's Cathedral on September 30, 1866 by Archbishop Peter Richard Kenrick
of Saint Louis. The principal co-consecrators were Bishops John Martin Henni of Milwaukee and James Duggan
of Chicago.
Bishop Hennessy attended the First Vatican Council
in Rome from 1869-70. He also took a prominent role in the Third Plenary Council of Baltimore in 1884.
When Hennessy became bishop, the territory of the diocese encompassed the entire state of Iowa
. He became convinced, as had Bishop Smyth
before him, that the diocese should be divided in two. Archbishop Kenrick and the other bishops of the province advocated spliting Iowa into two with a diocese in the east (Dubuque
) and one in the west (Council Bluffs
). Others, including the Revs. J.A.M. Pelamourgues
and Andrew Trevis, envisioned a new See
with Davenport
as its headquarters. On May 8, 1881 Pope Leo XIII established the new Diocese of Davenport
. Davenport was chosen because of the income the new bishop would receive from the commercial properties owned by the church on Church Square (St. Anthony's Church
) in Davenport. The Dubuque Diocese now covered roughly the northern half of Iowa.
An advocate of Catholic education, Hennessy had schools and convents established in all of the large cities in Iowa. He founded St. Joseph's College (now Loras College
) in Dubuque on September 8, 1873. Some Catholics in the diocese opposed the expansion of Catholic schools for economic reasons, and because they felt it was an attack on public school education.
During his tenure as bishop and archbishop, Hennessy oversaw the expansion of the diocese even though this was a period of anti-Catholic
sentiments in Dubuque and across the United States. When he arrived in Dubuque, there were 27 priests, 30 churches, two schools and seven sisters. By 1891 there were 203 priests, 319 churches, 615 sisters, and over 135 parochial schools with 16,257 students. This was after the diocese had lost almost half of its territory ten years before.
On June 15, 1893, Pope Leo XIII elevated the Diocese of Dubuque to the status of an archdiocese, and Bishop Hennessy became the first Archbishop of Dubuque. The Ecclesial Province of Dubuque included the dioceses of Davenport, Omaha
, Wichita
and Sioux Falls
.
Archbishop Hennessy died in Dubuque on March 4, 1900. He was a man of some means for his time as he left an estate of $700,000. It was divided among several Catholic charities.
In the last years of his life, Hennessy requested that a mortuary chapel be built in St. Raphael's Cathedral. This new chapel was built in the basement of the cathedral and completed two years after his death. The remains of Bishop's Mathias Loras
, Clement Smyth
, and Hennessy were brought to the cathedral and buried in this new chapel.
honored Hennessy by naming one of its buildings after him.
A stained glass window in St. Joseph Church in Sioux City, Iowa
contains a portrait of Archbishop Hennessy. His episcopal coat of arms is in the stain glass window above the east side entrance to St. Mary's Church
in Iowa City, Iowa
, which he dedicated in 1869.
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...
born bishop and archbishop of the Catholic Church in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Dubuque
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dubuque
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dubuque is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the northeastern quarter of the state of Iowa in the United States. It includes all the Iowa counties north of Polk, Jasper, Poweshiek, Iowa, Johnson, Cedar, and Clinton counties. ...
in the state of Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
from 1866–1893, when he was named the first archbishop of Dubuque.
Early Life & Ministry
John Hennessy was born August 20, 1825 in Bulgaden, County LimerickCounty Limerick
It is thought that humans had established themselves in the Lough Gur area of the county as early as 3000 BC, while megalithic remains found at Duntryleague date back further to 3500 BC...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. He was the oldest of twelve children born to William and Mary (Meaney) Hennessy. He studied for the priesthood at St. Vincent's Seminary in Cape Girardeau, Missouri
Cape Girardeau, Missouri
Cape Girardeau is a city located in Cape Girardeau and Scott counties in Southeast Missouri in the United States. It is located approximately southeast of St. Louis and north of Memphis. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 37,941. A college town, it is the home of Southeast Missouri...
and Carondelet Seminary near St. Louis. He was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Saint Louis
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Louis
The Archdiocese of St. Louis is the Roman Catholic archdiocese that covers the City of St. Louis as well as the following Missouri counties: Franklin, Jefferson, Lincoln, Perry, Saint Charles, Saint Francois, Ste. Genevieve, St...
on November 1, 1850. Father Hennessy was assigned to parish work in New Madrid, Missouri
New Madrid, Missouri
New Madrid is a city in New Madrid County, Missouri, 42 miles south by west of Cairo, Illinois, on the Mississippi River. New Madrid was founded in 1788 by American frontiersmen. In 1900, 1,489 people lived in New Madrid, Missouri; in 1910, the population was 1,882. The population was 3,334 at...
and then St. Peter's in Gravois. He then served as a seminary professor and then president at Carondelet, and in 1858 he was sent to the Holy See
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
as a representative of Archbishop Kenrick. From 1860 to 1866 he was a pastor of St. Joseph's Church
Cathedral of St. Joseph (St. Joseph, Missouri)
The Cathedral of St. Joseph is a Catholic cathedral in St. Joseph, Missouri, United States. Along with the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Kansas City, Missouri it is the seat of the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph. The Cathedral Church, rectory and convent are all contributing...
in St. Joseph, Missouri.
Bishop and Archbishop of Dubuque
On April 24, 1866 PopePope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
Pius IX appointed Hennessy as the third bishop of Dubuque. He was consecrated and installed bishop in St. Raphael's Cathedral on September 30, 1866 by Archbishop Peter Richard Kenrick
Peter Richard Kenrick
Peter Richard Kenrick was the first Catholic archbishop west of the Mississippi River.-Early life and ordination:He was born and educated in Dublin, Ireland and ordained to the priesthood in 1832...
of Saint Louis. The principal co-consecrators were Bishops John Martin Henni of Milwaukee and James Duggan
James Duggan
James Duggan was a Irish-American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the fourth bishop of the Diocese of Chicago from 1859 to 1869, officially resigning in 1880.-Early years:...
of Chicago.
Bishop Hennessy attended the First Vatican Council
First Vatican Council
The First Vatican Council was convoked by Pope Pius IX on 29 June 1868, after a period of planning and preparation that began on 6 December 1864. This twentieth ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church, held three centuries after the Council of Trent, opened on 8 December 1869 and adjourned...
in Rome from 1869-70. He also took a prominent role in the Third Plenary Council of Baltimore in 1884.
When Hennessy became bishop, the territory of the diocese encompassed the entire state of Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
. He became convinced, as had Bishop Smyth
Clement Smyth
Timothy Clement Smyth, OCSO was an Irish born 19th century bishop of the Catholic Church in the United States. He served as the second leader of the Diocese of Dubuque following the death of Bishop Mathias Loras....
before him, that the diocese should be divided in two. Archbishop Kenrick and the other bishops of the province advocated spliting Iowa into two with a diocese in the east (Dubuque
Dubuque, Iowa
Dubuque is a city in and the county seat of Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, located along the Mississippi River. In 2010 its population was 57,637, making it the ninth-largest city in the state and the county's population was 93,653....
) and one in the west (Council Bluffs
Council Bluffs, Iowa
Council Bluffs, known until 1852 as Kanesville, Iowathe historic starting point of the Mormon Trail and eventual northernmost anchor town of the other emigrant trailsis a city in and the county seat of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States and is on the east bank of the Missouri River across...
). Others, including the Revs. J.A.M. Pelamourgues
J.A.M. Pelamourgues
Jean-Antoine-Marie Pelamourgues was a French missionary who was one of the first Roman Catholic priests to serve in the Diocese of Dubuque in the state of Iowa. He served as the first pastor of St. Anthony's Church in Davenport, Iowa from 1839-1868.-Early Life & Ministry:Pelamourgues was born in...
and Andrew Trevis, envisioned a new See
Episcopal See
An episcopal see is, in the original sense, the official seat of a bishop. This seat, which is also referred to as the bishop's cathedra, is placed in the bishop's principal church, which is therefore called the bishop's cathedral...
with Davenport
Davenport, Iowa
Davenport is a city located along the Mississippi River in Scott County, Iowa, United States. Davenport is the county seat of and largest city in Scott County. Davenport was founded on May 14, 1836 by Antoine LeClaire and was named for his friend, George Davenport, a colonel during the Black Hawk...
as its headquarters. On May 8, 1881 Pope Leo XIII established the new Diocese of Davenport
Roman Catholic Diocese of Davenport
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Davenport is a diocese of the Catholic Church for the southeastern quarter of the state of Iowa. There are within the diocese...
. Davenport was chosen because of the income the new bishop would receive from the commercial properties owned by the church on Church Square (St. Anthony's Church
St. Anthony's Catholic Church (Davenport, Iowa)
Saint Anthony's Catholic Church is a parish of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Davenport. The church is located in Davenport, Iowa, United States, at the corner of 4th and Main Streets. It is the first church congregation organized in the city of Davenport and the second, after St. Raphael's...
) in Davenport. The Dubuque Diocese now covered roughly the northern half of Iowa.
An advocate of Catholic education, Hennessy had schools and convents established in all of the large cities in Iowa. He founded St. Joseph's College (now Loras College
Loras College
Loras College is a four-year Catholic college located in Dubuque, Iowa, with a general attendance of approximately 1,700 students. The school offers both undergraduate and graduate degree programs...
) in Dubuque on September 8, 1873. Some Catholics in the diocese opposed the expansion of Catholic schools for economic reasons, and because they felt it was an attack on public school education.
During his tenure as bishop and archbishop, Hennessy oversaw the expansion of the diocese even though this was a period of anti-Catholic
Anti-Catholicism in the United States
Strong political and theological positions hostile to the Catholic Church and its followers was prominent among Protestants in Britain and Germany from the Protestant Reformation onwards. Immigrants brought them to the American colonies. Two types of anti-Catholic rhetoric existed in colonial society...
sentiments in Dubuque and across the United States. When he arrived in Dubuque, there were 27 priests, 30 churches, two schools and seven sisters. By 1891 there were 203 priests, 319 churches, 615 sisters, and over 135 parochial schools with 16,257 students. This was after the diocese had lost almost half of its territory ten years before.
On June 15, 1893, Pope Leo XIII elevated the Diocese of Dubuque to the status of an archdiocese, and Bishop Hennessy became the first Archbishop of Dubuque. The Ecclesial Province of Dubuque included the dioceses of Davenport, Omaha
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Omaha
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Omaha is a particular church of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in the midwestern region of the United States. Archbishop Elden Francis Curtiss...
, Wichita
Roman Catholic Diocese of Wichita
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Wichita is a Roman Catholic diocese in Kansas. It was founded on August 2, 1887, and covers Allen, Bourbon, Butler, Chase, Chautauqua, Cherokee, Cowley, Crawford, Elk, Greenwood, Harper, Harvey, Kingman, Labette, Marion, McPherson, Montgomery, Morris, Neosho, Reno,...
and Sioux Falls
Roman Catholic Diocese of Sioux Falls
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Sioux Falls is a Roman Catholic diocese in the U.S. state of South Dakota. It was founded on November 12, 1889 by Pope Leo XIII and comprises that part of South Dakota east of the Missouri River. The architect for the St...
.
Archbishop Hennessy died in Dubuque on March 4, 1900. He was a man of some means for his time as he left an estate of $700,000. It was divided among several Catholic charities.
In the last years of his life, Hennessy requested that a mortuary chapel be built in St. Raphael's Cathedral. This new chapel was built in the basement of the cathedral and completed two years after his death. The remains of Bishop's Mathias Loras
Mathias Loras
Bishop Mathias Loras was an immigrant French priest to the United States who later became the first bishop of the Dubuque Diocese in what would become the state of Iowa.-Early Life & Ministry:...
, Clement Smyth
Clement Smyth
Timothy Clement Smyth, OCSO was an Irish born 19th century bishop of the Catholic Church in the United States. He served as the second leader of the Diocese of Dubuque following the death of Bishop Mathias Loras....
, and Hennessy were brought to the cathedral and buried in this new chapel.
Legacy
Archbishop Hennessy is one of the more prominent figures in the history of the archdiocese, as the latter half of the 19th century was a period of growth for the archdiocese, and as he also served as the leader of the archdiocese for over 30 years. Loras CollegeLoras College
Loras College is a four-year Catholic college located in Dubuque, Iowa, with a general attendance of approximately 1,700 students. The school offers both undergraduate and graduate degree programs...
honored Hennessy by naming one of its buildings after him.
A stained glass window in St. Joseph Church in Sioux City, Iowa
Sioux City, Iowa
Sioux City is a city in Plymouth and Woodbury counties in the western part of the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 82,684 in the 2010 census, a decline from 85,013 in the 2000 census, which makes it currently the fourth largest city in the state....
contains a portrait of Archbishop Hennessy. His episcopal coat of arms is in the stain glass window above the east side entrance to St. Mary's Church
St. Mary's Church and Rectory (Iowa City, Iowa)
St. Mary's Catholic Church is a parish of the Diocese of Davenport located at 220 E. Jefferson St. in Iowa City, Iowa. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as St. Mary's Church and Rectory. The parish's first rectory, which is now a private home, is also listed on the NRHP as...
in Iowa City, Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa
Iowa City is a city in Johnson County, State of Iowa. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a total population of about 67,862, making it the sixth-largest city in the state. Iowa City is the county seat of Johnson County and home to the University of Iowa...
, which he dedicated in 1869.