John Ireland (bishop)
John Ireland (September 11, 1838 - September 25, 1918) was the third bishop and first archbishop of St. Paul, Minnesota (1888–1918).
| Styles of John Ireland | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Reference style | The Most Reverend |
| Spoken style | His Excellency |
| Religious style | Monsignor |
| Posthumous style | not applicable |
History
He was born in County Kilkenny, Ireland, and emigrated to St. Paul, Minnesota as a child. Later, he was educated at French seminaries and was ordained in 1861in St. Paul. He served as a chaplain of the Fifth Minnesota Regiment in the Civil War.
He was cathedral pastor at St. Paul from 1867 to 1875. In 1875 he was made coadjutor bishop of St. Paul and in 1884 he became bishop ordinary. In 1888 he became archbishop with the elevation of his diocese and the erection of the ecclesiastical province of St. Paul, the title he retained until his death.
Legacy
He founded the University of St. Thomas in 1885 that included a preparatory school now known as St. Thomas Academy. The influence of his personality made Archbishop Ireland a commanding figure in many important movements,[1] especially those for total abstinence, for colonization in the Northwest, and for the establishment of the Catholic University at Washington.
Immigrants
Disturbed by reports that Catholic immigrants in eastern cities were suffering from social and economic handicaps, he organized and directed in Minnesota (1876–81) the most successful rural colonization program ever sponsored by the Catholic Church in the U.S. He served as director of the National Colonization Association. Working with the western railroads and with the state government, he brought more than 4,000 Catholic families from the slums of eastern urban areas and settled them on more than 400,000 acres (1,600 km²) of farmland in western Minnesota. Ireland's plan failed largely because the eastern Irish had no farming experience, coupled with two harsh winters that resulted in wide-spread farm failures and hunger. German settlers quickly grabbed up the land as the Irish moved into town.
Education
Ireland advocated that all Catholic children be sent to public schools, or that existing Catholic schools be rented to the state, and that state should then run these schools, a stance that made him many enemies. He also opposed the use of foreign languages in American Catholic churches and parochial schools. Using foreign languages was not uncommon at the time because of the recent large influx of immigrants to the U.S. from European countries. Ireland influenced American society by actively promoting the use of the English language by large numbers of German immigrants. He was very politically outspoken and was a close friend to two presidents. He was the author of The Church and Modern Society (1897).
Relations with the Orthodox
Ireland refused to accept the credentials of Greek-Catholic priest Alexis Toth, citing the decree that married priests of the Eastern Catholic Churches were not permitted in the United States, despite Toth being a widower. Ireland then forbade Toth to minister to his own flock, despite the fact that Toth had jurisdiction from his own Bishop, and did not depend on Ireland. Ireland was also involved in efforts to expel all Eastern Catholic clergy from the United States of America. Forced into an impassé, Toth went on to lead thousands of Greek-Catholics to leave the Catholic Church to join the Russian Orthodox Church. Because of this, Archbishop Ireland is sometimes referred to, ironically, as "The Father of the Orthodox Church in America".
Building Projects
St. Paul Seminary
In 1894 he started the Saint Paul Seminary, with the financial help of Methodist James J. Hill, on the bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River.
St. Paul's Cathedral
In 1904 Ireland commissioned the building of the current Cathedral of Saint Paul.
St. Mary's Basilica
At the same time, in 1906 he also commissioned the construction of the almost equally as large Church of St Mary, the Immaculate Conception in the neighboring city of Minneapolis. It became the Pro-Cathedral of Minneapolis and was later to become the first basilica in the United States in 1926. Both were designed and built under the direction of the French architect, Emmanuel Masqueray.
A street in St. Paul, which runs near the capitol, is named in his honor (John Ireland Blvd).