''For the Irish former PSNI vice-chairman, former priest, and current freelance journalist, see

Denis Bradley Denis Bradley is a former vice-chairman of the Northern Ireland Policing Board, which oversees the running of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) in Northern Ireland. Bradley is a freelance journalist and a former priest. Early life Bor ...

.'' Denis Mary Bradley (February 25, 1846 – December 13, 1903) was an Irish-born American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the first bishop of the Diocese of Manchester in New Hampshire from 1884 until his death in 1903. Bradley was a co-founder of

Saint Anselm College Saint Anselm College is a private Benedictine liberal arts college in Goffstown, New Hampshire. Founded in 1889, it is the third-oldest Catholic college in New England. Named for Saint Anselm of Canterbury (Archbishop of Canterbury from 1093 to 1 ...

in Goffstown, New Hampshire.

Biography

Early life

Denis Bradley was born on February 25, 1846, in

Castleisland Castleisland () is a town and commercial centre in County Kerry in south west Ireland. The town is known for the width of its main street. As of the 2016 Census, Castleisland had a population of 2,486. Castleisland was described by one of its ...

, County Kerry in Ireland. When Bradley was eight years old, his father died. His mother immigrated with the family to the United States, settling in

Manchester, New Hampshire Manchester is a city in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. It is the most populous city in New Hampshire. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 115,644. Manchester is, along with Nashua, one of two seats of New Ha ...

. Bradley attended Park Street Grammar School and other Catholic schools in Manchester. In 1863, Bradley entered the

College of the Holy Cross The College of the Holy Cross is a private, Jesuit liberal arts college in Worcester, Massachusetts, about 40 miles (64 km) west of Boston. Founded in 1843, Holy Cross is the oldest Catholic college in New England and one of the oldest in ...

in Worcester, Massachusetts. According to a contemporary account, Bradley was an introspective and serious student. He graduated from Holy Cross in June 1867. In September 1867, Bradley enrolled at St. Joseph's Seminary in

Troy, New York Troy is a City (New York), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and the county seat of Rensselaer County, New York, Rensselaer County. The city is located on the western edge of Rensselaer County and on the eastern bank of the Huds ...

Priesthood

Bradley was ordained a priest in Troy by Bishop Bernard McQuaid for the

Diocese of Portland The Diocese of Portland is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the New England region of the United States comprising the entire state of Maine. It is led by a bishop, and its cathedral, or mother church, is the Ca ...

in Maine on June 3, 1871. At that time, this diocese included both

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and nor ...

and

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

. After his ordination, Bradley was given a pastoral assignment to the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Portland, Maine. He was eventually appointed as rector of the cathedral and chancellor of the diocese. In 1879, Bradley took a six-month trip to Europe for health reasons. After returning to Maine, he was still not able to keep up with all of his job responsibilities. In June 1880, Bishop James Healy moved Bradley to the less demanding position of pastor of St. Joseph's Parish in Manchester, New Hampshire.

Bishop of Manchester

On April 18, 1884, Pope Leo XIII appointed Bradley as the first bishop of the new Diocese of Manchester. He was consecrated on June 11, 1884, by Archbishop

John Williams John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932)Nylund, Rob (15 November 2022)Classic Connection review '' WBOI'' ("For the second time this year, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic honored American composer, conductor, and arranger John Williams, who w ...

at St. Joseph's Church in Manchester. Bradley was the first graduate of St. Joseph's Seminary to be appointed bishop. In the rural parts of New Hampshire, there were many scattered Catholics, and Bradley's first efforts were directed towards providing for them. He held the first synod of the diocese on October 24, 1886. At some point in the 1880s, Bradley contacted the

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

monks at Saint Mary's Abbey in

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat, seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County and the second largest city within the New Yo ...

, about creating a Catholic college in New Hampshire.

opened in

Goffstown, New Hampshire Goffstown is a town in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 18,577 at the 2020 census. The compact center of town, where 3,366 people resided at the 2020 census, is defined by the U.S. Census Bureau as the Goff ...

in 1889.

Death and legacy

During a mass in early December 1903, Bradley collapsed at the altar. Denis Bradley died in Manchester of

chronic gastritis Gastritis is inflammation of the lining of the stomach. It may occur as a short episode or may be of a long duration. There may be no symptoms but, when symptoms are present, the most common is upper abdominal pain (see dyspepsia). Other possi ...

on December 13, 1903, at age 57. Bradley House at Saint Anselm College was named after him.

References

Other Sources

*''Catholic News'' files (New York, December, 1903) at ''

Catholic Directory Catholic Directories are various publications and reference works about or produced for the Catholic Church. Early history The earliest English attempt at anything of the sort seems to have been a little ''Catholic Almanac'', which appeared for ...

'' (Milwaukee, WI: 1904) * Reuss, ''Biog. Encyl. Of the Cath. Hierarchy'' (Milwaukee, WI: 1898) * Gabriels, ''History of St. Joseph's Seminary, Troy'' (New York: 1906) {{DEFAULTSORT:Bradley, Denis Mary 1846 births 1903 deaths People from Castleisland Irish emigrants to the United States College of the Holy Cross alumni Roman Catholic bishops of Manchester Bishops appointed by Pope Leo XIII 19th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States Religious leaders from Maine Christian clergy from County Kerry