James Ryan (bishop)
| The Right Reverend James Ryan | |
|---|---|
| Bishop of Alton | |
| |
| Church | Catholic Church |
| Diocese | Alton |
| Appointed | February 28, 1888 |
| Term ended | July 2, 1923 |
| Predecessor | Peter Joseph Baltes |
| Successor | James Aloysius Griffin |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | December 24, 1871 by William George McCloskey |
| Consecration | May 1, 1888 by John Lancaster Spalding |
| Personal details | |
| Born | June 17, 1848 Farneybridge, County Tipperary, Ireland |
| Died | July 2, 1923 (aged 75) Alton, Illinois, U.S. |
| Motto | Ave maris stella (Latin for 'Hail, star of the sea') |
James Ryan (June 17, 1848 – July 2, 1923) was an American Catholic prelate who served as the third Bishop of Alton from 1888 until his death in 1923.
Biography
Early life and education
A native of Ireland, James Ryan was born on June 17, 1848, in Farneybridge, near Thurles in County Tipperary.[1] He was the son of Denis and Ellen (née Stapleton) Ryan.[1] At the age of seven, he came with his family to the United States, settling in Louisville, Kentucky.[2] His father died shortly afterwards.[3]
At the age of fourteen, Ryan was enrolled by Bishop Martin John Spalding of Louisville into St. Thomas College at Bardstown, where he studied for six years.[2] He then began his studies for the priesthood, first at St. Joseph Seminary in Bardstown and then at Preston Park Seminary (now Bellarmine University) in Louisville.[1]
Priesthood
Ryan was ordained a priest on December 24, 1871, by Bishop William George McCloskey in Louisville.[4] He then successively served as an assistant at St. Thomas Church in Bardstown, pastor of St. Martin Church in Flaherty, and pastor of St. James Church in Elizabethtown.[3] From 1874 to 1878, he was a professor at St. Joseph Seminary in Bardstown.[3]
In 1878, following the creation of the Diocese of Peoria in Illinois, Ryan joined the new diocese.[3] He served at Wataga and Danville before becoming pastor of St. Columba Church in Ottawa.[2]
Bishop of Alton
On February 28, 1888, Ryan was appointed the third Bishop of Alton by Pope Leo XIII.[4] He received his episcopal consecration on the following May 1 from Bishop John Lancaster Spalding, with Bishops McCloskey (who had ordained him a priest) and John Janssen serving as co-consecrators.[4]
At the beginning of Ryan's 35-year tenure, the Diocese of Alton contained 201 churches, 180 priests, and 100 parochial schools.[5] By the end of his tenure, there were 161 churches, 212 priests, and 64 parochial schools to serve a Catholic population of 87,000.[6] One of his most significant accomplishments was the construction of a new orphanage, which opened a month after his death.[7]
Ryan was strongly opposed to the appointment of an Apostolic Delegate in the United States.[8] The Holy See found his communications on the matter to be so offensive that Cardinals Mariano Rampolla and Mieczysław Halka-Ledóchowski wrote to Cardinal James Gibbons in January 1893, demanding that Ryan issue an apology.[8]
Death
Ryan died in Alton on June 2, 1923, at the age of 75.[4] At the time of his death, he was the longest-serving American Catholic bishop.[7]
References
- Back to citation occurrence 1.0 Back to citation occurrence 1.1 Back to citation occurrence 1.2 Code, Joseph Bernard (1964). Dictionary of the American Hierarchy (1789-1964). New York City: Joseph F. Wagner, Inc. pp. 259–260.
- Back to citation occurrence 2.0 Back to citation occurrence 2.1 Back to citation occurrence 2.2 Zabel, Francis (1913). "Alton". In Herbermann, Charles (ed.). Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
- Back to citation occurrence 3.0 Back to citation occurrence 3.1 Back to citation occurrence 3.2 Back to citation occurrence 3.3 The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography. New York: James T. White & Company. 1904.
- Back to citation occurrence 4.0 Back to citation occurrence 4.1 Back to citation occurrence 4.2 Back to citation occurrence 4.3 "Bishop James Ryan". Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney.
- Back to citation Sadliers' Catholic Directory, Almanac and Ordo. New York: D. & J. Sadlier & Company. 1888.
- Back to citation Sadliers' Catholic Directory, Almanac and Ordo. New York: D. & J. Sadlier & Company. 1923.
- Back to citation occurrence 7.0 Back to citation occurrence 7.1 "Rites Friday for Bishop James Ryan Who Died at Alton". The Pantagraph. July 4, 1923.
- Back to citation occurrence 8.0 Back to citation occurrence 8.1 Ellis, John Tracy (1952). The Life of James Cardinal Gibbons. Vol. 1. Milwaukee: Bruce Publishing Company.