Mathias Loras
Encyclopedia
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
.
, France
, on August 30, 1792. He was a descendent of a French noble family. During the Reign of Terror
in France, Loras' father and 17 members of his family were put to death by guillotine
.
As a young man, he studied for the priesthood, along with St. Jean Vianney
(Curé d'Ars). He was ordained a priest November 12, 1815 for the Archdiocese of Lyon
. He soon became the superior of the seminary of Largentiere. In 1829 he left his native France for Mobile, Alabama
. He served as vicar general
for the Diocese of Mobile
, rector
of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, and helped Bishop Michael Portier
recruit priests to serve the diocese. From 1830-1832 he served as the first president of Spring Hill College
.
In the mid 1830s, a Provincial Council of Baltimore recommended to the pope that new dioceses be created due to the expansion of the United States. Pope
Gregory XVI established the Diocese of Dubuque on July 28, 1837, and Loras was named its first bishop. He was consecrated on December 10, 1837 by Bishop Portier in Mobile. The principal co-consecrator was Bishop Anthony Blanc of New Orleans and assisted by Bishop John Stephen Bazin
of Vincennes.
Loras knew little of his new diocese and wrote to Bishop Joseph Rosati
of St. Louis
to inquire what he might find there. Rosati, whose diocese the territory was taken from, probably knew little as the territory was mostly wilderness. The diocese probably had 30,000 Native Americans
, and perhaps 43,000 white inhabitants, of which fewer than 3,000 of those people were Catholic. There were three parishes, an Indian mission, and one priest Samuel Charles Mazzuchelli
. The diocesan territory consisted of present-day Iowa, most of Minnesota
, and North
and South Dakota
east of the Missouri River
. On July 4, 1838 the area would become the Iowa Territory
. Loras named Mazzuchelli vicar general and administrator of the diocese because Loras was not traveling to his new diocese just yet.
Bishop Loras traveled to France to recruit missionaries and gather funds for his diocese. Upon his return he spent the late winter and early spring in St. Louis waiting for more favorable conditions to travel to Dubuque. There he met notable explorer Jean Nicholas Nicollet who gave Loras insights on his new diocese. On April 19, 1839 Bishop Loras arrived in Dubuque for the first time. He brought with him Rev. Joseph Cretin
, who in 1851 was consecrated first Bishop of St. Paul
, Rev. J.A.M. Pelamourgues
, who would spend his career in the diocese based at St. Anthony's Church
in Davenport
, and seminarians Augustin Ravoux
who would become a noted missionary among the Native Americans, Lucien Galtier
, Remigius Petiot, and James Causse who were pioneer priests in Minnesota. Later that year, he consecrated St. Raphael's Church, Iowa's first church congregation of any denomination, as his cathedral
.
His connections and influence in Europe had enabled him to secure necessary financial assistance from the Society for the Propagation of the Faith
of Lyons, France, the Leopoldine Society
of Vienna
, Austria
, and the Foreign Mission Society of Munich
, Bavaria
. In 1846 when Loras discovered German Catholic immigrants thirty miles west of Dubuque he convinced them to name their community New Vienna
in honor of the Austrian capital and home of one of his benefactors.
Over the next 19 years, Bishop Loras guided the Dubuque Diocese during its formative years. He established a number of missions among the Native American tribes. Bishop Loras also established a number of schools, as well as parishes in every populated area of the diocese. In 1839 he established St. Raphael's Seminary, a forerunner of Loras College
. Mother Mary Frances Clarke
and the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
came to Dubuque in 1843. Loras visited Mount Melleray Abbey
in Ireland in 1849 and expressed his desire to have the Trappists
establish a monastery in his diocese. Rev. Clement Smyth
and six monks came to Dubuque County that same year and established New Melleray Abbey
. When they had completed the first buildings, another 16 monks arrived to join them.
Not satisfied with St. Raphael's Seminary in Dubuque, Loras moved the school south of Dubuque to an area known today as Key West
. The new school, renamed St. Bernard's College and Seminary, was plagued with financial problems but managed to survive until Loras' death.
Bishop Loras also encouraged immigrants to come to Iowa from the more crowded conditions in the eastern U.S. Soon Dubuque had growing Irish and German populations. Even though he welcomed immigrants to the area, tensions between immigrant groups caused Loras some of his greatest difficulties.
The Germans felt that Bishop Loras had not done enough to give them clergy of German descent. The Irish felt slighted when Loras provided the Germans with their own parish, Holy Trinity (now Saint Mary's
). Some immigrants threatened to withhold contributions to the church. Bishop Loras fled the city on two occasions and threatened to withdraw all the clergy from the city. However, tempers eventually cooled and neither side followed through on their threats.
On July 19, 1850 Pope Pius IX established the Diocese of Saint Paul. The Diocese of Dubuque had been reduced to the boundaries of the state of Iowa, which had been established in 1846.
In the 1850s, under the direction of Bishop Loras, the present cathedral church was begun. This was the third building for St.Raphael's parish, and it was over three times the size of the old cathedral. Bishop Loras would not live long enough to see this cathedral completed, but he was able to offer the first mass in this new structure at Christmas, 1857.
By the late 1850s, Bishop Loras found that his health was failing. He asked the Holy See
to name a coadjutor bishop to assist him. On January 9, 1857, Rev. Clement Smyth, OCSO, prior
at New Melleray was appointed as coadjutor bishop.
As the Dubuque Diocese grew in size Loras wrote to Pope Pius IX in May 1857, and in the letter stated that he was considering asking for the Dubuque Diocese to be divided, with Keokuk
as the See city for the new diocese. However this was not done in his lifetime.
Although he had been sick for some time, Bishop Loras' death still came suddenly on Friday, February 19, 1858 in Dubuque, at the age of 65. Prior to his death, Loras had been seriously ill but had seemed to be recovering well, even up to the evening of February 18. At about 8:30 on the 18th he informed his staff that he was retiring for the evening and ordered them not to disturb him unless absolutely necessary as the divine office
he wanted to pray was long and he wanted to make sure he finished. Around 11:00 pm his housekeeper heard Loras moaning and informed Father McCabe, who proceeded to the Bishop's room and found him collapsed on the floor. During the night his condition worsened steadily and sometime between five and six in the morning on February 19 he died.
A funeral Mass was held the following Sunday at 9:00 am. The body of Bishop Loras was taken from the old cathedral to the new cathedral for a packed service led by Bishop Smyth. After the Mass, Loras was buried within the mortuary chapel of the cathedral.
At the time of his death, the Diocese of Dubuque had grown to 54,000 Catholics, in 60 parishes, served by 48 priests in a territory that now only covered the state of Iowa.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
who later became the first bishop of the Dubuque Diocese in what would become 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...
.
Early Life & Ministry
Pierre-Jean-Mathias Loras was born in LyonLyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, on August 30, 1792. He was a descendent of a French noble family. During the Reign of Terror
Reign of Terror
The Reign of Terror , also known simply as The Terror , was a period of violence that occurred after the onset of the French Revolution, incited by conflict between rival political factions, the Girondins and the Jacobins, and marked by mass executions of "enemies of...
in France, Loras' father and 17 members of his family were put to death by guillotine
Guillotine
The guillotine is a device used for carrying out :executions by decapitation. It consists of a tall upright frame from which an angled blade is suspended. This blade is raised with a rope and then allowed to drop, severing the head from the body...
.
As a young man, he studied for the priesthood, along with St. Jean Vianney
Jean Vianney
Jean-Baptiste-Marie Vianney , commonly known in English as St John Vianney, was a French parish priest who in the Catholic Church is venerated as a saint and as the patron saint of all priests. He is often referred to as the "Curé d'Ars"...
(Curé d'Ars). He was ordained a priest November 12, 1815 for the Archdiocese of Lyon
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Lyon
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Lyon is a Roman Catholic Metropolitan archdiocese in France. It incorporates the ancient Archdiocese of Vienne. The current Cardinal-Archbishop is Philippe Barbarin...
. He soon became the superior of the seminary of Largentiere. In 1829 he left his native France for Mobile, Alabama
Mobile, Alabama
Mobile is the third most populous city in the Southern US state of Alabama and is the county seat of Mobile County. It is located on the Mobile River and the central Gulf Coast of the United States. The population within the city limits was 195,111 during the 2010 census. It is the largest...
. He served as vicar general
Vicar general
A vicar general is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar general exercises the bishop's ordinary executive power over the entire diocese and, thus, is the highest official in a diocese or other particular...
for the Diocese of Mobile
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Mobile
The Archdiocese of Mobile is a Roman Catholic archdiocese comprising the lower 28 counties of Alabama. It is the metropolitan seat of the Province of Mobile, which includes the suffragan bishopric sees of the Diocese of Biloxi, the Diocese of Jackson, and the Diocese of Birmingham in Alabama...
, rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, and helped Bishop Michael Portier
Michael Portier
Bishop Michael Portier was a Roman Catholic bishop and the firstBishop of Mobile. He immigrated to the United States in 1817....
recruit priests to serve the diocese. From 1830-1832 he served as the first president of Spring Hill College
Spring Hill College
Spring Hill College is a private, Roman Catholic Jesuit liberal arts college in the United States. It was founded in 1830 on the Gulf Coast in Mobile, Alabama, by Most Rev. Michael Portier, Bishop of Mobile, Alabama...
.
Bishop of Dubuque
Pope
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...
Gregory XVI established the Diocese of Dubuque on July 28, 1837, and Loras was named its first bishop. He was consecrated on December 10, 1837 by Bishop Portier in Mobile. The principal co-consecrator was Bishop Anthony Blanc of New Orleans and assisted by Bishop John Stephen Bazin
John Stephen Bazin
Bishop John Stephen Bazin was the third Roman Catholic Bishop of Vincennes . He was born at Duerne, near Lyon, France, October 15, 1796; died at Vincennes, Indiana, U.S.A., April 23, 1848. He was educated in his native country and ordained in Lyon Cathedral, July 22, 1822...
of Vincennes.
Joseph Rosati
Joseph Rosati was a U.S. Catholic bishop. He served as the first Bishop of the Diocese of Saint Louis between 1826 and 1843....
of St. 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...
to inquire what he might find there. Rosati, whose diocese the territory was taken from, probably knew little as the territory was mostly wilderness. The diocese probably had 30,000 Native Americans
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
, and perhaps 43,000 white inhabitants, of which fewer than 3,000 of those people were Catholic. There were three parishes, an Indian mission, and one priest Samuel Charles Mazzuchelli
Samuel Charles Mazzuchelli
Father Samuel Charles Mazzuchelli, O.P. was a pioneer Italian Catholic missionary who helped bring the church to the Iowa-Illinois-Wisconsin tri-state area. He founded a number of parishes in the area, and was the architect for a number of parish buildings.-Background:Father Mazzuchelli was born...
. The diocesan territory consisted of present-day Iowa, most of Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, and North
North Dakota
North Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....
and South Dakota
South Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
east of the Missouri River
Missouri River
The Missouri River flows through the central United States, and is a tributary of the Mississippi River. It is the longest river in North America and drains the third largest area, though only the thirteenth largest by discharge. The Missouri's watershed encompasses most of the American Great...
. On July 4, 1838 the area would become the Iowa Territory
Iowa Territory
The Territory of Iowa was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 4, 1838, until December 28, 1846, when the southeastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Iowa.-History:...
. Loras named Mazzuchelli vicar general and administrator of the diocese because Loras was not traveling to his new diocese just yet.
Bishop Loras traveled to France to recruit missionaries and gather funds for his diocese. Upon his return he spent the late winter and early spring in St. Louis waiting for more favorable conditions to travel to Dubuque. There he met notable explorer Jean Nicholas Nicollet who gave Loras insights on his new diocese. On April 19, 1839 Bishop Loras arrived in Dubuque for the first time. He brought with him Rev. Joseph Cretin
Joseph Crétin
Joseph Crétin was the first Roman Catholic Bishop of Saint Paul, Minnesota. Cretin Avenue in St. Paul, Cretin-Derham Hall High School, and Cretin Hall at the University of St. Thomas are named for him....
, who in 1851 was consecrated first Bishop of St. Paul
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the United States. It is led by the prelature of an archbishop which administers the archdiocese from the cities of Saint Paul and Minneapolis...
, Rev. 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...
, who would spend his career in the diocese based at 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
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...
, and seminarians Augustin Ravoux
Augustin Ravoux
Augustin Ravoux was a French Jesuit priest and missionary who served in the area preceding Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, in Minnesota....
who would become a noted missionary among the Native Americans, Lucien Galtier
Lucien Galtier
Lucien Galtier was the first Roman Catholic priest who served in Minnesota. While he was a native of France, the place of his birth is uncertain and even the year, some sources claiming 1811 but his tomb bearing the date December 17, 1812. In the 1830s, people were settling across the Minnesota...
, Remigius Petiot, and James Causse who were pioneer priests in Minnesota. Later that year, he consecrated St. Raphael's Church, Iowa's first church congregation of any denomination, as his cathedral
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
.
His connections and influence in Europe had enabled him to secure necessary financial assistance from the Society for the Propagation of the Faith
Society for the Propagation of the Faith
The Society for the Propagation of the Faith is an international association for the assistance by prayers and alms of Catholic missionary priests, brothers, and nuns engaged in preaching the Gospel in non-Catholic countries...
of Lyons, France, the Leopoldine Society
Leopoldine Society
The Leopoldine Society was an organisation established in Vienna for the purpose of aiding Catholic missions in North America.When the Society for the Propagation of the Faith was founded in Lyons, in 1822, it did not spread beyond the French borders for a considerable time...
of Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, and the Foreign Mission Society of Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
. In 1846 when Loras discovered German Catholic immigrants thirty miles west of Dubuque he convinced them to name their community New Vienna
New Vienna, Iowa
New Vienna is a city in Dubuque County, Iowa, United States. It is part of the Dubuque, Iowa Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 400 at the 2000 census. New Vienna is home to the Saint Boniface Catholic Church...
in honor of the Austrian capital and home of one of his benefactors.
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...
. Mother Mary Frances Clarke
Mary Frances Clarke
Mother Mary Frances Clarke, B.V.M., was the foundress of the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary....
and the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, known by their initials BVM, is a Roman Catholic religious order founded in the United States by Mother Mary Frances Clarke. BVM Sisters work in twenty-five U.S...
came to Dubuque in 1843. Loras visited Mount Melleray Abbey
Mount Melleray Abbey
Mount Melleray Abbey is a Cistercian monastery in Ireland, founded in 1833. It is situated on the slopes of the Knockmealdown Mountains, near Cappoquin, Diocese of Waterford.-History:...
in Ireland in 1849 and expressed his desire to have the Trappists
Trappists
The Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance , or Trappists, is a Roman Catholic religious order of cloistered contemplative monks who follow the Rule of St. Benedict...
establish a monastery in his diocese. Rev. 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 six monks came to Dubuque County that same year and established New Melleray Abbey
New Melleray Abbey
New Melleray Abbey is located near Dubuque, Iowa. The monks there are members of the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance . The abbey is located about 15 miles southwest of Dubuque and is located in the Archdiocese of Dubuque. The current Abbot is the Right Reverend Brendan...
. When they had completed the first buildings, another 16 monks arrived to join them.
Not satisfied with St. Raphael's Seminary in Dubuque, Loras moved the school south of Dubuque to an area known today as Key West
Key West, Iowa
Key West is an unincorporated community in Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, near the extreme southern end of the city of Dubuque. Parts of the community are now within the city of Dubuque, while others are unincorporated. Owing to the presence of U.S. Highways 151, 61, and 52, and the nearby...
. The new school, renamed St. Bernard's College and Seminary, was plagued with financial problems but managed to survive until Loras' death.
Bishop Loras also encouraged immigrants to come to Iowa from the more crowded conditions in the eastern U.S. Soon Dubuque had growing Irish and German populations. Even though he welcomed immigrants to the area, tensions between immigrant groups caused Loras some of his greatest difficulties.
The Germans felt that Bishop Loras had not done enough to give them clergy of German descent. The Irish felt slighted when Loras provided the Germans with their own parish, Holy Trinity (now Saint Mary's
Saint Mary's Catholic Church (Dubuque)
Saint Mary's Catholic Church is a former parish of the Archdiocese of Dubuque. The church is located in Dubuque, Iowa, United States, at the corner of 15th and White Streets. The church is recognizable by its steeple– one of the tallest in the area....
). Some immigrants threatened to withhold contributions to the church. Bishop Loras fled the city on two occasions and threatened to withdraw all the clergy from the city. However, tempers eventually cooled and neither side followed through on their threats.
On July 19, 1850 Pope Pius IX established the Diocese of Saint Paul. The Diocese of Dubuque had been reduced to the boundaries of the state of Iowa, which had been established in 1846.
In the 1850s, under the direction of Bishop Loras, the present cathedral church was begun. This was the third building for St.Raphael's parish, and it was over three times the size of the old cathedral. Bishop Loras would not live long enough to see this cathedral completed, but he was able to offer the first mass in this new structure at Christmas, 1857.
By the late 1850s, Bishop Loras found that his health was failing. He asked 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...
to name a coadjutor bishop to assist him. On January 9, 1857, Rev. Clement Smyth, OCSO, prior
Prior
Prior is an ecclesiastical title, derived from the Latin adjective for 'earlier, first', with several notable uses.-Monastic superiors:A Prior is a monastic superior, usually lower in rank than an Abbot. In the Rule of St...
at New Melleray was appointed as coadjutor bishop.
As the Dubuque Diocese grew in size Loras wrote to Pope Pius IX in May 1857, and in the letter stated that he was considering asking for the Dubuque Diocese to be divided, with Keokuk
Keokuk, Iowa
Keokuk is a city in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Iowa and one of the county seats of Lee County. The other county seat is Fort Madison. The population was 11,427 at the 2000 census. The city is named after the Sauk Chief Keokuk, who is thought to be buried in Rand Park...
as the See city for the new diocese. However this was not done in his lifetime.
Although he had been sick for some time, Bishop Loras' death still came suddenly on Friday, February 19, 1858 in Dubuque, at the age of 65. Prior to his death, Loras had been seriously ill but had seemed to be recovering well, even up to the evening of February 18. At about 8:30 on the 18th he informed his staff that he was retiring for the evening and ordered them not to disturb him unless absolutely necessary as the divine office
Divine Office
Divine Office may refer to:* Liturgy of the Hours, the recitation of certain Christian prayers at fixed hours according to the discipline of the Roman Catholic Church* Canonical hours, the recitation of such prayers in Christianity more generally...
he wanted to pray was long and he wanted to make sure he finished. Around 11:00 pm his housekeeper heard Loras moaning and informed Father McCabe, who proceeded to the Bishop's room and found him collapsed on the floor. During the night his condition worsened steadily and sometime between five and six in the morning on February 19 he died.
A funeral Mass was held the following Sunday at 9:00 am. The body of Bishop Loras was taken from the old cathedral to the new cathedral for a packed service led by Bishop Smyth. After the Mass, Loras was buried within the mortuary chapel of the cathedral.
At the time of his death, the Diocese of Dubuque had grown to 54,000 Catholics, in 60 parishes, served by 48 priests in a territory that now only covered the state of Iowa.
Legacy
Bishop Loras is still remembered as one of the pioneers of the Catholic Church in Iowa. The college run by the archdiocese in Dubuque, which had numerous name changes in its history, was named after Loras in 1939. Loras Boulevard in Dubuque was also named in his memory.External links
- http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05179b.htm