EENRICE
CIS
EENRICE
Kenrick, Francis Patrick and Peter Richard,
Archbishops respectively of Baltimore, Maryland,
and of St. Louis, Missouri. They were sons of
Thomas Kenrick and his wife Jane, and were born in
the older part of the city of Dublin, Ireland, the first-
named on 3 December, 1797, and the second on 17
August, 1806. An uncle. Father Richard Kenrick,
was for several years parish priest of St. Nicholas of
Myra in the same city, and he cultivated carefully
the quality of piety which he observed at an early
age in both children.
I. — Francis Patrick was sent by his uncle to a good classical school, and at the age of eighteen was selected as one of those who were to go to Rome to study for the priesthood. Here he became deeply impressed with the gentle bearing of Pius VII, who had just then been restored to his capital after long imprisonment by Napoleon Bonaparte, and the les- son it taught him bore fruit many years afterwards, when he was called on to deal with the onslaughts on Catholics and their Church in the United States in the years of the Nativist and Know-nothing up- risings. His progress in his clerical studies was rapid; his sanctity conspicuous — so much so as to mark him out for early distinction. He confined himself to the study of his class-books, lectures, and the study of the Scriptures, and worked out in his own mind not a few weighty problems. He soon acquired a familiarity with the patristic writings and the Sacred Text that enabled him later on to give the Church in the United States valuable treatises on theological and Biljlical literature. He consulted no translations, but took the Hebrew text or the Greek, and pondered on its significance in the light of his own reason and erudition. The rector of Propa- ganda College, Cardinal Litta, had no hesitation in selecting him despite his youth, when a call came from Bishop Flaget for priests for the .American field. He was chosen for the chair of theology at Bards- town Seminary, Kentucky. This post he held for nine years, at the same time teaching Greek and history in the College of St. Joseph in the same state, and giving in addition professorial help in every edu- cational institution in the state. He also did much valuable work in the missionary field, and engaged in controversy in the public press with some aggres- sive polemists of the Episcopal and Presbyterian communions. He made many converts at that time, and in 1826-7 had fifty to his credit, as well as a record of twelve hundred confirmations and six thou- sand communicants. His fame as a preacher was widespread, and his manner most winning.
In 1829 he attended the Provincial Council of Balti- more as theologian to Bishop Flaget, and was ap- pointed secretary to the assembly. There, among the other weighty subjects, had to be considered the dis- tracted state of the Diocese of Philadelphia, then la- bouring under the troubles begotten of the Hogan schism. Hogan was an excommunicated priest, who persisted in celebrating Mass and administering the sacraments despite the interdict, and had a consider- able following in the city. Bishop Conwell had by this time become enfeebled and nearly blind, and Rev. William Matthews of Washington had been appointed vicar-general to assist him. Before the council rose it had named Father Kenrick as coadjutor bishop and forwarded the nomination to the Holy See. It was soon confirmed. Doctor Kenrick's title being Bishop of Arath in partihux. He was consecrated in Bardstown by Bishop Flaget, assisted by Bishops England, t'on- well, David, and Fenwick, on 6 June, 1830, being then only thirty-four years old. A quarrel with the trus- tees of St. Mary's broke out immediately on his ar- rival, resulting in an interdict being placed upon the church by the new bishop. This brought the trustees to their senses, and they gave up the contest for the control of the funds — the power by means of which
they had been able to browbeat the preceding ordi-
naries. Bishop Kenrick soon obtained the passage of a
law to prevent the recurrence of such conflicts, by hav-
ing the bishop's name substitutetl for those of the
trustees in all bequests for the Church. His first
thought, after this trouble was over, was the erection of
a seminary for the training of young men for the
priesthood, the humble quarters in which he began the
experiment eventuall.v being succeeded by the present
seminary of St. Charles Borromeo at Overl^rook.
A terriljle outbreak of cholera took place in Phila- delphia soon after the bishop's arrival, and he gained the gratitude of the authorities and the people at large for his exertions in the mitigation of the pest. He sent the Sisters of Charity to attend the stricken, and gave the parochial residence of St. Augustine's as a tem- porary hospital; the local priests, at the same time, went about fearlessly among the stricken, ministering to their spiritual comfort. For these services he was voted public thanks by the mayor and councils of the city. To the Sisters of Charity was tendered a service of plate by the grateful authorities, but this offer was promptly and politely decUned by those ladies. Soon after this episode Bishop Kenrick set about the utiliza- tion of the press for the spread of Catholic iloctrine. He started the "Cathohc Herald", placing the paper under the direction of the Reverend John Hughes, afterwards Archbishop of New York. He also began the erection of the Cathedral of St. John the Evan- gelist to replace St. Mary's, which had been so fruitful a source of trouble to him and his predecessor. Gru\'cr trouble soon started up in the form of the anti-Cath- olic Nativist outbreak of 1844 . Furious mobs, mad- dened by inflammatory harangues about the Bible and the public schools, started out in Philadelpliia, as in Boston and other cities, to attack churches and convents. They burned St. Augustine's in Phila- delphia and attacked St. Michael's and St. John's, but were driven off by the military. They burned many houses in Kensington, the Catholic district, and killed many unoifending people, but were dis- persed at length by the soldiery, leaving several of their number dead.
Bishop Kenrick, during this reign of terror, did everything he could to stem the rioting. He ordered the doors of all the churches to be closed and the cessa- tion of Divine worship as a protest against the supine- ness of the authorities; the clergy went about in ordi- nary civil attire, and the sacred vessels and vestments were taken from the churches to places of security with private families. These prudent measures had the effect of restoring a state of peace to the city. The Diocese of Philadelphia had earlier included Pittsburg and a large part of New Jersey, and in 1S43 it was di- vided, the Rev. Michael O'Connor being consecrated Bishop of Pittsburg in August of that year by Cardinal F'ransoni at St. Agatha's in Rome. 'This step proved a great relief to Bishop Kenrick, upon whom the care of his vast diocese and its arduous visitations at a period of primitive crudeness in travelling facilities and accommodation, were beginning to leave a deep mark. In 1845 he visited Rome for the first time since his consecration and was received most gra- ciously by the pope.
In August, 1851, Bishop Kenrick was transferred to Baltimore as successor to Archbishop Eccleston, who had just died. Moreover he received from the Holy See the dignity of Apostolic delegate, and in this capacity he convened and presided over the First Plenary Council of Baltimore in 1852. One of the results of that important gathering was the estab- lishment of branches of the Society for the Projiaga- tion of the Faith. It was Archbishop Kenrick also who in 1853 introduced the Forty Hours' devotion in- to the (Tnitod States. In 18.54 he was called upon liy the Holy lather to collect and forward to him the respective opinions of the American bishops on the
