Edward Patrick Allen
| The Most Reverend Edward Patrick Allen | |
|---|---|
| Bishop of Mobile | |
| |
| Church | Roman Catholic Church |
| See | Mobile |
| In office | April 19, 1897 – October 21, 1926 |
| Predecessor | Jeremiah O'Sullivan |
| Successor | Thomas Joseph Toolen |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | December 17, 1881 |
| Consecration | May 16, 1897 |
| Personal details | |
| Born | March 17, 1853 Lowell, Massachusetts |
| Died | October 21, 1926 (aged 73) Mobile, Alabama |
Edward Patrick Allen (March 17, 1853 – October 21, 1926) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as Bishop of Mobile from 1897 until his death in 1926.
Biography
Edward Allen was born in Lowell, Massachusetts, to John and Mary (née Egan) Allen.[1] His parents were both natives of King's County, Ireland.[2] He received his early education in the public schools of his native city, and attended Lowell Commercial College before entering Mount St. Mary's Seminary in Emmitsburg, Maryland.[1] He earned a Master of Arts degree with honors in 1878, and remained at Mount St. Mary's for his theological studies.[2] On December 17, 1881, he was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Thomas A. Becker.[3]
Allen then taught English and Greek at Mount St. Mary's until 1882, when he became a curate at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston.[2] He was afterwards sent to Framingham, also serving as chaplain of the state reformatory in Sherborn.[2] In 1884, he returned to Mount St. Mary's as its vice-president and treasurer.[1] He was elected president of the same institution in June 1885.[4] In 1889, he received a Doctor of Divinity degree from Georgetown University.[2]
On April 19, 1897, Allen was appointed the fifth Bishop of Mobile, Alabama, by Pope Leo XIII.[3] He received his episcopal consecration on the following May 16 from Cardinal James Gibbons, with Bishops Edward Fitzgerald and Matthew Harkins serving as co-consecrators, in the Cathedral of the Assumption in Baltimore.[3]
During Allen's administration, the Catholic population of the diocese increased from 18,000 to 48,000, and the number of priests more than doubled.[1] He also established several new churches, hospitals, orphanages, and schools.[1] The diocese was devastated by a major hurricane in September 1906; many churches were either totally or partially destroyed, but were rebuilt or repaired under Allen's direction.[4] Deeply concerned for the African American community, he invited the Josephite Fathers to direct the black missions in the diocese, founded St. Joseph's College in order to "educate young colored men to be catechists and teachers," and sanctioned the establishment of the Knights of Peter Claver.[1]
Allen died at age 73, and was buried in the crypt of the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception.[4]
From the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia
Edward Patrick Allen, fifth Bishop of Mobile, Alabama, U. S., b. at Lowell, Mass., 17 March, 1853. He made his college course at Mount St. Mary's, Emmittsburg, Md., graduating 26 June, 1878, and then entered the seminary there for his theological studies. He was ordained priest 17 December, 1881, and remained at Mount St. Mary's, as a member of the faculty, until early in 1882, when he was made an assistant at the cathedral in Boston, and later at Framingham, Mass. In 1884 he returned to Mount St. Mary's to assume the presidency of the college, which office he held until he was appointed Bishop of Mobile. He was consecrated at Baltimore, Md., 16 May, 1897. In 1889 Georgetown University conferred on him the degree of Doctor of Divinity.
Reuss, Biog. Cyclo. of the Cath. Hierarchy of the U. S.; Catholic Directory, 1898.
References
- Back to citation occurrence 1.0 Back to citation occurrence 1.1 Back to citation occurrence 1.2 Back to citation occurrence 1.3 Back to citation occurrence 1.4 Back to citation occurrence 1.5 "The History of the Archdiocese of Mobile". Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Mobile. Archived from the original on 2009-12-14.
- Back to citation occurrence 2.0 Back to citation occurrence 2.1 Back to citation occurrence 2.2 Back to citation occurrence 2.3 Back to citation occurrence 2.4 Owen, Thomas McAdory (1921). History of Alabama and Dictionary of Alabama Biography. Vol. IV. Chicago: The S.J. Clarke Publishing Company.
- Back to citation occurrence 3.0 Back to citation occurrence 3.1 Back to citation occurrence 3.2 "Bishop Edward Patrick Allen". Catholic-Hierarchy.org.
- Back to citation occurrence 4.0 Back to citation occurrence 4.1 Back to citation occurrence 4.2 Causey, Donna R. (24 October 2023). "Biography: Edward Patrick Allen, D. D. – March 17, 1853". Alabama Pioneers. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
External links
- "Allen, Edward Patrick". The Biographical Dictionary of America. Vol. 1. 1906. p. 81.