For the New Zealand judge, see Thaddeus McCarthy (jurist)

Thaddeus McCarthy (jurist)

Sir Thaddeus Pearcey McCarthy, ONZ, KBE was a New Zealand jurist.McCarthy was educated at St Bede's College, Christchurch, and then studied law at Victoria University College, New Zealand and graduated in 1928. He was admitted as a solicitor only in 1929, completed an LLM degree , and in 1931 was...

Blessed Thaddeus McCarthy (c. 1455 – 25 October 1492) was an Irish ecclesiastic, who was appointed Bishop of Ross, Ireland in 1482 and Bishop of Cork and Cloyne

Bishop of Cork and Cloyne

The Bishop of Cork and Cloyne was an episcopal title which took its name after the city of Cork and the town of Cloyne in southern Ireland.-History:The see was formed by the union of the bishoprics of Cork and Cloyne in 1429...

 in 1490. His feast day

Calendar of saints

The calendar of saints is a traditional Christian method of organizing a liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints and referring to the feast day of said saint...

 is 25 October.

Early life

Relatively little is known of the early life of Thaddeus McCarthy. He was born in West Cork, possibly in Caheragh, about 1455 or 1456. It is probably the case that he belonged to the sept of the MacCarthy Reagh

MacCarthy Reagh

The MacCarthy Reagh dynasty are a branch of the great MacCarthy dynasty, Kings of Desmond, deriving from the ancient Eóganachta, of the central Eóganacht Chaisil sept. The MacCarthys Reagh seated themselves as Princes of Carbery in what is now southwestern County Cork in the 13th century...

 of Carbery. His mother may have been a daughter of Edward FitzMaurice, 9th. Lord of Kerry. Laurence Rehenan, Professor of Ecclesiastical History of Maynooth College, suggests that he was educated by the Franciscan Friars

Franciscan

Most Franciscans are members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Non-denominational Franciscan communities....

 of Timoleague

Timoleague

Timoleague is a village in the eastern division of Carbery East in County Cork, Ireland, located along Ireland's southern coast near Courtmacsherry. It is about south of Bandon and from Cork on the R600 coastal road.-History:...

. It would appear that Thaddeus, prior to nomination to Ross

Ross

Ross is a region of Scotland and a former mormaerdom, earldom, sheriffdom and county. The name Ross allegedly derives from a Gaelic word meaning a headland - perhaps a reference to the Black Isle. The Norse word for Orkney - Hrossay meaning horse island - is another possible origin. The area...

, occupied a position in one of the Roman tribunals.

Consecration as Bishop of Ross

At the age of 27 he was appointed Bishop of Ross by Pope Sixtus IV

Pope Sixtus IV

Pope Sixtus IV , born Francesco della Rovere, was Pope from 1471 to 1484. His accomplishments as Pope included the establishment of the Sistine Chapel; the group of artists that he brought together introduced the Early Renaissance into Rome with the first masterpiece of the city's new artistic age,...

. On 3 May 1482 Thaddeus was consecrated in the Church of Santo Stefano del Cacco

Santo Stefano del Cacco

Santo Stefano de Pinea or more commonly Santo Stefano del Cacco is a church in Rome dedicated to Saint Stephen, located at Via di Santo Stefano del Cacco 26.-Name:...

 in Rome. The consecrating Prelate was Stephen Teglatius (or de Taleazis), Archbishop of Antivari (the modern Bar

Bar, Montenegro

Bar is a coastal town in Montenegro. It has a population of 17,727...

), assisted by Daniel, Bishop of Rhosus in Cilicia, and by Julianus de Matheis (or de Maffei de Vulterris), Bishop of Bertinori.

When he returned to Munster

Munster

Munster is one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the south of Ireland. In Ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for administrative and judicial purposes...

 he discovered that the 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...

 was already in the possession of Hugh O'Driscoll, who had been appointed to the see in 1473 by the same Pope Sixtus. Bishop O'Driscoll assumed Thaddeus was an imposter and complained to Rome. In 1483 Sixtus excommunicated Thaddeus.

In 1488 Pope Innocent VIII

Pope Innocent VIII

Pope Innocent VIII , born Giovanni Battista Cybo , was Pope from 1484 until his death.-Early years:Giovanni Battista Cybo was born at Genoa of Greek extraction...

 confirmed the excommunication, at which time Thaddeus appealed the decision and a commission was set up. The commission found in his favour, and the excommunication was nullified. He was then appointed Bishop of Cork

Cork (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...

 and Cloyne

Cloyne

Cloyne is a small town to the south-east of the town of Midleton in eastern County Cork, Province of Munster, Ireland. It is also a see city of the Anglican Diocese of Cork, Cloyne and Ross, while also giving its name to a Roman Catholic diocese...

 on 21 April 1490.

Bishop of Cork and Cloyne

Returning to Munster

Munster

Munster is one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the south of Ireland. In Ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for administrative and judicial purposes...

, Thaddeus found that Gerald FitzGerald had usurped the Diocese of Cork and Cloyne with support from local rulers. Thaddeus returned to Rome, where he obtained the excommunication of FitzGerald.

However, on his return trip he fell ill and died in Ivrea

Ivrea

Ivrea is a town and comune of the province of Turin in the Piedmont region of northwestern Italy. Situated on the road leading to the Aosta Valley , it straddles the Dora Baltea and is regarded as the centre of the Canavese area. Ivrea lies in a basin that, in prehistoric times, formed a great lake...

, Piedmont

Piedmont

Piedmont is one of the 20 regions of Italy. It has an area of 25,402 square kilometres and a population of about 4.4 million. The capital of Piedmont is Turin. The main local language is Piedmontese. Occitan is also spoken by a minority in the Occitan Valleys situated in the Provinces of...

. The local bishop had a saintly vision of Thaddeus at the moment of his death. He was buried in the Ivrea cathedral and many miracles have been attributed to him there. In 1742, when his tomb was opened, the body was found to be perfectly preserved. Pope Leo XIII

Pope Leo XIII

Pope Leo XIII , born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci to an Italian comital family, was the 256th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, reigning from 1878 to 1903...

 confirmed the immemorial cult of the Blessed Thaddeus in 1896.