DUBUQUE
180
DUBUQUE
and one at Sugar Creek, Lee County. To-day in that
same territory the Church numbers nearly 1,000,000
souls with two archbishops, a score of bishops, and
thousands of priests and religious workers.
BjsHOPs. — (1) Pierre-Je.\n-Mathl.\s Lor.a.s, the first bishop, was born at Lyons, France, 30 August, 1792; his father and uncle were guillotined during the Revolution. Mathias, who had as a school-mate the Blessed Cur^ d'Ars, was ordained priest 12 November, 1S15, and for years was superior of the seminary of Largentiere. His zeal led him in 1S29 to Mobile, Alabama, U. S. A., where he laboured as pastor of Sand Spring Hill until 1S37. Consecrated Bishop of Du- buque, at Mobile, 10 December, 1S37, by Bishop Por- tier of Mobile, he familiarized himself by letters with the needs of his diocese, and went to France for priests ; he returned 21 April, 1839, with six men of heroic mould, whose names are inseparably linked with the Catholic North-West: Joseph Cretin, who in 1851 was consecrated first Bishop of St. Paul, A. Ravoux, a noted Indian missionarj', J. A. AL Pelamourgues, the patriarch-priest of Davenport, L. Galtier, R. Petiot, and J. Causse, pioneer priests of Miimesota. At Dubuque the bishop was received, 19 April, 1839, with great joy by all classes. His administration was marked by- piety, zeal, and providential prudence. He multi- plied his priests, encouraged inunigration from the crowded cities of the East, welcomed the Trappists and various orders of sisters, chose and purchased tracts of land in the wilderness, that are now flourish- ing parishes. He was constantly engaged in visita- tions and preaching missions. By personal example and formation of societies, he advanced the cause of temperance. In his work the generosity of the peo- ple was supplemented by contributions from France. In a letter of 18.39 to the Society for the Propagation of the Faith of Lyons, he acknowledged a gift of SIO,- 500 for his diocese. In ISoO St. Bernard's diocesan seminarj' was opened, which flourished for five years; among its students was Henry Cosgrove, who became Bishop of Davenport. In 1854 Bishop Loras visited Ireland and France in quest of priests. In 1855 he requested and obtained as coadjutor the Rev. Clement Smj-th, superior of the Trappist commimityat NewMel- leray. Bishop Loras died at Dubuque, 20 February, 1858. WTiere he found one priest and a scattered little flock, he left 48 priests with 00 churches and 54.000 Catholics.
(2) Clement Smyth was b. 24 February, 1810. at Finlea, County Clare, Ireland; educated at Trinity College, Dublin, he entered the Cistercian Order and was ordained, 29 May, 1841. He was sent to the United States and founded New Melleray monastery, twelve miles from Dubuque, on land donated by Bishop Loras. He was consecrated, 3 May, 1857, by Archbishop Kenrick of St. Louis. Bishop Smyth was a man whose deep piety and boundless charity won the devotion of priests and people. He held a synod whose canons remained unaltered till 1902. Under him immigration continued, but owing to hard times and the Civil War, not much progress was made in church-building, but the spiritual edifice was strengthened. At his death, 22 September, 1865, there were 90,000 Catholics in Iowa.
(3) Bishop Smj'th was succeeded in 1866 by the Rt. Rev. John Hennessy, b. 20 August, 1825, in the County Limerick, Ireland. He entered Caron- delet seminary near St. Louis, and was ordained in 1850. He became president of the seminary, and in 1858 was sent to Rome as representative of Arch- bishop Kenrick. From 1860 to 1866 he was pastor of St. Joseph, Missouri. As a priest he manifested extraordinary prudence, learning, and eloquence. He was consecrated by Archbishop Kenrick, at Dubuque, 30 Sept., 1866. Bishop Hennes.sy received many priests from Germany and Ireland, and in 1873 founded St. Joseph's College and Theological Semi- nary in Dubuque. Existing parishes were systemat-
ically divided, and he directed his energies especially
to Christian education. Wherever possible schools
were built, and heroic sacrifices were made that every
Catholic child should be educated by Catholic teach-
ers. Considerable and continued opposition was of-
fered by some Catholics, not only for economic rea-
sons, but also because they considered the programme
an attack on the public schools. The wisdom of the
bishop was shown by the prosperous condition of the
parochial schools, which at the time of his silver Jubi-
lee showed 12,257 pupils enrolled. Bishop Hennessy
assisted at the Vatican Council, and was prominent in
the Third Plenary Council of Baltimore. In 1893 he
was made first Archbishop of Dubuque, with Daven-
port, Omaha, Wichita, and Sioux Falls as suffragan
sees. His death occurred 4 March, 1900.
(4) TheMosTREV. John J. Keane, titular Archbish- op of Damascus and formerly Bishop of Richmond. Vir- ginia, and Rector of the Catholic University of Amer- ica, was named to succeed Archbishop Hennessy, 24 July, 1900. Archbishop Keane was b. 12 Sept., 1839, at Ballyshannon, Co. Donegal, Ireland: or- dained 2 July. 1866, at Baltimore; consecrated bishop at Baltimore 25 Aug., 1878. SjTiods in 1902, 1905. and 1908 applied the Baltimore decrees to local conditions. Conferences of the clergy were held semi-annually in every deanery. Complete annual reports from every parish were made through the chancery. His zeal for total abstinence founded an archdiocesan union, and in the field of educa- tion he encouraged postgraduate courses for priests, doubled the faculty and buildings of St. Joseph's College, the preparatory seminary of the archdio- cese, which now enrolls 260 classical students, established a missionary band of diocesan priests, welcomed the Sisters of the Good Shepherd and the Sisters of the Order of .St. Dominic, and the Brothers of Marj'. Thus with indefatigable zeal he continued the work of his predecessors. In 1902 the western portion of the archdiocese was erected into the new Diocese of Sioux City.
Among the early missionaries and priests were Rev. John McMahon, C. P. Fitzmaiu-ice, Daniel Maloney, Maurice Flavin. John Shields, James O'Gorman, who became vicar Apostolic at Omaha, M. Flannery, A. Hattneberger, H. Meis, Charles McGauran, John Brazil, T. JI. Lenihan, later Bishop of Cheyenne, C. Johannes, Patrick McCabe, and T. Donahoe. Promi- nent among Catholic lajTnen were: Charles Corkery, Postmaster under President Buchanan, Patrick Quigley, Gen. Geo. W'. Jones, United .States Senator, 1848-1859, and Minister to New Granada, Dennis A. Mahoney, Eugene Shine, Maurice Brown, Thomas Connolly, Cornelius Mullen, Patrick Clark. Gen. John Lawler, of Prairie-du-Chien, who gave many church sites in Iowa, Senas Huegel, Anton Heeb, Gerard Becker, Charles Gregoire, John Miillaney, Wm. Ryan, Wm. Neuman, and David Hennessy.
The Sisters of Charity of the B. V. M. went to Du- buque in 1844 from Philadelphia. The mother-house is now located there and they conduct two academies and eleven schools in various centres, besides having sent communities to four other states. The Sisters of Mercy located in 1868 in Davenport, and now have independent houses at Dubuque. Cedar Rapids, and Independence. The Presentation Nims arrived from Ireland in 1875, and have 65 members. The ^'isi- tation Nims conduct an academy in Dubuque ; the}' number 31 members. The Sisters of St. Francis came from Westphalia. Germany, and 320 of them are employed in schools throughout Iowa. Other sister- hoods represented in the archdiocese are Third Order of St. Dominic. Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adora- tion, Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi. M. C. School Sis- ters of St. Francis, Sisters of the Holy Ghost, Sisters of the Holy Humility of Mary, and the School Sisters of Notre Dame.
