HALLAHAN
118
HALLAHAN
A legislature was established in Nova Scotia in 175S,
and severe laws directed against the Catholics were
passed without delay. A Catholic was not allowed to
hold land except by grant direct from the Crown, and
Catholic priests were ordered to depart from the prov-
ince by a given date. These disabilities continued for
upwarils of twenty years. In the meantime there was
considerable Irish immigration, and in 1783 the Irish
Catholics of Halifax petitioned for the removal of the
disabilities, and the obnoxious laws were then repealed.
Two years later, Rev. James Jones, of the Order of
Capuchins, came to assume spiritual charge of the
Catholics of Halifax, and he remained for fifteen years.
Other Irish priests followed. A noted missionary was
the Abbe Sigogne, who arri\'ed in Xova Scotia in 1797,
and continued liis work among the Catholics of west-
ern Nova Scotia until his death in 1844. He became
the leader and adviser of the Acadians in civil as well
as in religious matters, and he was unceasing in his
efforts to promote the welfare of the French popula-
tion. He also cared for the Micmacs, whose language
he spoke with ease. He held a commission of the
peace from the Government.
In ISOl Father Edmund Burke left Quebec to enter upon his useful work in Halifax, which at that time formed part of the Diocese of Quebec and so remained until it was made a vicariate in 1S17. Father Burke was consecrated Vicar Apostolic of Nova Scotia in ISIS, and filled the office until his death in 1820. It was not until 1S27 that his successor, Rt. Rev. Wil- liam Frasc^'r, was appointed. The vicariate was erected into a diocese 15 Feb., 1842, and was called the Diocese of Halifax. It included the whole of Nova Scotia. In 1844 the diocese was divided; Bishop Fraser became Bishop of the new Diocese of Arichat; and Bishop \Villi.\m \V.\lsh, who had been Bishop Fraser's coadjutor, "with the right of succes.sion", became Bishop of Halifax. In 18.52 Halifax was made an archdiocese. Archl)ishop Walsh atlministered tlie affairs of his see until his <leath in 18.58. He was schol- arly and devout, and although at that time the feeling between Protestants and Catholics was occasionally somewhat Intter, the "British Colonist ", a newspaper owned and edited by Protestants, said of him at his death: "The Archbishop was distinguished for his attainments as a scholar and divine. In society the courtesy and affability of his manners and his conver- sational powers made liis intercourse agreeable and instructive."
The second Archbishop of Halifax was the Most Rev. Thom.\s Louis Connolly, who was consecrated in 1859, and died in 1876. Like his predecessor, he was a native of Ireland. He was ordained at Lyons, France, in 1838. In 1842 he came to Nova Scotia as secretary to Bishop Walsh. In 18.52 he was appointed Bishop of St. John, N. B., and in 18.59 was transferred to Halifax. Of Archbishop Connolly, Mr. Nicholas Flood Davin, a non-Catholic, wrote; " He belonge<l to the great class of prelates who have been not merely Churchmen, but also sagacious, far-seeing politicians and large-hearted men, with admiration for all that is good, and a divine superiority to the littleness which thinks everybody else wrong." By his tact he soon removed the ill-feeling that had existed between Cath- olics and Protestants in Nova Scotia. He took a great interest in pulilic affairs. He was strongly opposed to Fenianism, and was a warm advocate of the confedera- tion of the British North American provinces. At the Vatican Council he was a prominent figure, and, while opposed to the declaration of the dogma of infalli- bility, he loyally accepted it as .soon as it had been declared. Duringhisadministration.St. Mary'sCathe- dral, a beautiful edifice, was modernized and com- pleted. When he died the Rev. Principal Grant, one of the most noted Presbyterian divines in Canada, ■wrote: "I feel as if I had not only lost a friend, but as if Canada had lost a patriot; for in all his big-
hearted Irish fashion he was ever at heart a true
Canadian."
The Most Rev. Michael Hannan succeeded Arch- bishop Connolly. He was a native of Limerick, and was ordained priest in 1845. In May, 1877, he was consecrated archbishop, and he died in 1882. He was a prelate of calm and sound judgment, and was greatly beloved by all classes.
The Most Rev. Cornelius O'Brien, the fourth Archbishop of Halifax, was consecrated 21 Janu- ary, 1S83; d. 9 March, 1900. Archbishop O'Brien was a native of Prince Edward Itland. He was a distinguished scholar, and as a preacher, historian, novelist, and poet, he displayed a versatility rarely found in combination. In his Lenten pastorals he not only gave excellent explanations of Catholic doc- trines, but he made unanswerable attacks upon the theological and scientific errors of his time. His fu- neral sermon on the Rt. Hon. Sir John Thompson, the first Catholic Prime Minister of Canada, is a model of dignified pulpit eloquence. He was, besitles, a prelate of rare executive ability, as the numerous charitable institutions that owe their foundation to his zeal bear ample witness. In political matters he was a strong imperialist.
Archbi.shop O'Brien's successor is the M( st Rev. Ed- WAKD J. McC.uiTH Y, a native of Halifax, who was conse- crated 9 Sept., 19UG. He is noted for his zeal, industry, and courtesy, and is held in high esteem by all clas.-;es.
There are 73 priests in the archdiocese and 90 churches. Among the educational institutions are: St. ."Vnne's College, already mentioned; St. Mary's College, Halifax; Holy Heart Seminary, Halifax, in charge of the Eudist Fathers; the Sacred Heart Acad- emy, Halifax, an institution conducted by the Reli- gious of the Sacred Heart ; and the Academy of Moimt St. Vincent at Rockingham, a successful institution in charge of the Sisters of Charity.
Davin, The Irisfimen in Canada (Toronto. 1877): O'Brien, Memoirs of the Rt. fiei\ Edmund Burke, Bishop of Zion, First Vicar-Apostolic of Xova Scolia i,i-)tUi\va, 1S94); Dent, The Can- adian Portrait Gallery (Toronto, 1880); Wilson, A Geoffraphy and History oj the County of Digby, Xova Scotia (H.ilifax, 1900); (.'.\MPBELL, Xova Scotia in its Historical, Mercantile and Indus- trial Relations (Montreal, 1873): Bouinot, Builders of Xoi'a Scotia (Toronto, 1900): More, The History of Queen's County, X. S. (Halifax, 1873): HalibuRton, An ffistorical and Statisti- cal Account of Xova Scotia (Halifax, 1S29): Murdoch, A His- tory of Xova Scotia or Acadia (Halifax, 186.T): Maguire, The Irish in America (New York, 1868): The Official Catholic Direc- tory and Clergy List (Milwaukee, 1909); Akin.s, The History of Halifax City (1847); Fourth Census of Canada. 1901, I (Ottawa, 1902). JoSEPH A. ChISHOLM.
Hallahan, Margaret, foundress of the Dominican Congregation of St. Catherine of Siena (thin! order); b. in London, 23 January, 18()3;d. lOMay, 18GS. The parents of this remarkable, holy woman were poor and lowly Irish Catholics, who died when Margaret, their only child, was nine years old. She was sent to an orphanage at Somers Town for two years, and then at the age of eleven went out to service, in which state of life she remained for nearly thirty years. In 1826 she accompanied the family in which she was living to Bruges; there she tried her vocation as a lay sister in the convent of the English Augustinian nuns, but only remained there a week, feeling sure CV)ti had other work for her. She became a Dominican tertiary in 1S42, and then came to England, proceeding to Coven- try, where she worked under Dr. Ullathorne, after- wards Bishop of Birmingham, among tlie f;ictory girls. Presently she was joined by others, and with the con- sent of the Dominican fathers formed a comnmnity of Dominican tertiaries, who were to devote them.selves to active works of charity. The rule of the Third Order of St. Dominic, being intended for persons living in the world, was not suited to community life; she therefore drew up. from the rule of the first and second orders, con.stitutions which she adapted to her own needs. The first professions were made on the feast of the Immaculate Conception, 1843. From Coventry the
