John Loughlin (bishop)

Irish-born prelate

John Loughlin

Born	(1817-12-20)December 20, 1817 Drumbonniff, County Down, Ireland
Died	December 29, 1891(1891-12-29) (aged 74) Brooklyn, New York, United States
Nationality	American
Title	Bishop
Signature

John Loughlin (December 20, 1817 – December 29, 1891) was an Irish-born prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He was the first Bishop of Brooklyn, of the U.S. state of New York (1853–1891).

Early life

John Loughlin was born in Drumbonniff, County Down, Ireland to John and Mary (née McNulty) Loughlin.^[1] At the age of six he came with his parents to the United States, where they settled in Albany, New York. He received his early education at The Albany Academy, and entered the college of Chambly in Quebec, Canada, at age fourteen. After three years at Chambly, he returned to the United States and enrolled at Mount St. Mary's Seminary in Emmitsburg, Maryland.^[2] He was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop John Hughes on October 18, 1840.^[3] He then served as a curate at St. John's Church in Utica^[4] until 1841, when he was transferred to St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City. In 1850, he was named vicar general of the Archdiocese of New York.^[5]

Tenure as Bishop

On June 19, 1853, Loughlin was appointed the first Bishop of the newly erected Diocese of Brooklyn by Pope Pius IX.^[3] He, along with James Roosevelt Bayley, first Bishop of Newark, received their episcopal consecration on the following October 30 from Archbishop Gaetano Bedini, with Bishops John McCloskey and Louis Amadeus Rappe serving as co-consecrators.^[1]

During his 38-year-long tenure, the Catholic population of the diocese increased from about 15,000 to nearly 400,000. Bishop Loughlin erected 125 churches and chapels, 93 parochial schools, two colleges, 10 orphanages, five hospitals, two homes for the aged, a home for destitute boys, and a seminary.^[2] He erected the Chapel of the Resurrection at Holy Cross Cemetery in 1855.^[6]

In 1861, he expressed his support for the Union during the Civil War.^[2] He attended the Plenary Councils of Baltimore (1852, 1866, 1884) as well as the First Vatican Council (1869–1870) in Rome, where he was named an Assistant at the Pontifical Throne.^[2]

Loughlin died at his residence in Brooklyn, New York, aged 74.^[1]^[7]

Legacy

Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School in Brooklyn is named for him.^[8]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Johnson, Rossiter; Brown, John Howard, eds. (1904). The Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans. Vol. VII. Boston: The Biographical Society. Retrieved May 9, 2022 – via Internet Archive.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Meehan, Thomas. "Diocese of Brooklyn". Catholic Encyclopedia.
^ ^a ^b "Bishop John Loughlin". Catholic-Hierarchy.org.
^ Historic Old St John's Catholic Church
^ Historical Records and Studies. Vol. II. New York: United States Catholic Historical Society. 1901.
^ Catholic Cemeteries, Diocese of Brooklyn; accessed July 12, 2020.
^ "The Bishop is Dead". New York World. December 29, 1891. p. 1. Retrieved May 9, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "History", Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School

Catholic Church titles
Preceded by None	Bishop of Brooklyn 1853–1891	Succeeded by Charles Edward McDonnell

Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn

Bishops

Ordinaries: John Loughlin; Charles Edward McDonnell; Thomas Edmund Molloy; Bryan Joseph McEntegart; Francis Mugavero; Thomas Vose Daily; Nicholas Anthony DiMarzio; Robert J. Brennan

Auxiliary bishops: Gerald Barbarito; Anthony Bevilacqua; John Joseph Boardman; Frank Joseph Caggiano; Ignatius Anthony Catanello; Raymond Francis Chappetto; Octavio Cisneros; Joseph Peter Michael Denning; Raymond Augustine Kearney; Charles Richard Mulrooney; George Mundelein; Edmund Joseph Reilly; Paul Robert Sanchez; Guy Sansaricq; John J. Snyder; Joseph Michael Sullivan; René Arnold Valero

Bishops who served as priests in the diocese: Vincent DePaul Breen; Edward Bernard Scharfenberger

Churches

List: List of churches in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn

Cathedral: Cathedral Basilica of St. James, Brooklyn

Co-cathedral: Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph, Brooklyn

Basilicas: Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Brooklyn; Basilica of Regina Pacis, Brooklyn

Parishes: Church of St. Francis of Assisi and St. Blaise, Brooklyn; Church of the Holy Innocents, Brooklyn; Holy Cross Church, Queens; Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, Queens; Our Lady of Mount Carmel; Our Lady of Victory Church, Brooklyn; Queen of All Saints Church, Brooklyn; St. Adalbert, Queens; St. Barbara's Church, Brooklyn; Saint Benedict Joseph Labre Church, Queens; Saint Cecilia's Catholic Church, Brooklyn; St. Michael's Church, Brooklyn; St. Sebastian Church, Queens; St. Stanislaus Kostka Church, Queens; Transfiguration, Queens; St. Matthias Church, Queens