John Bernard Delany (August 9, 1864 – June 11, 1906) was an American prelate of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Manchester in New Hampshire from 1904 to 1906.

Biography

Early life

John Delany was born on August 9, 1864, in

Lowell, Massachusetts Lowell () is a city in Massachusetts, in the United States. Alongside Cambridge, It is one of two traditional seats of Middlesex County. With an estimated population of 115,554 in 2020, it was the fifth most populous city in Massachusetts as ...

, to Thomas Delany and Catherine Fox Delany, both Irish immigrants. As a young man, he studied the

classics Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classics ...

and philosophy for two years at 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. He then entered

Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Founded in 1863, the university has more than 9,300 full-time undergraduates and nearly 5,000 graduate students. Although Boston College is classified ...

, graduating in June 1887. After his graduation, Delany met with Bishop

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 ...

and asked to be part of the new Diocese of New Hampshire. At Bradley's suggestion, Delany went to Paris in 1887 to study for the priesthood at the Seminary of Saint-Sulpice in Paris.

Priesthood

Delany was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform ...

to the priesthood for the Diocese of Manchester in Rome by Cardinal

François-Marie-Benjamin Richard François-Marie-Benjamin Richard de la Vergne (; 1 March 1819 – 27 January 1908) was a French cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church and served as the Archbishop of Paris. His cause of canonization has commenced and he has the title of Servant o ...

on May 23, 1891. When asked by his peers why Delany wanted to serve in a new, poor parish, he replied: "I am not to be a priest for what I can get out of it, but for what I can put into it. I go to New Hampshire." Following his return to New Hampshire in 1891, Delany was appointed as

curate A curate () is a person who is invested with the ''care'' or ''cure'' (''cura'') ''of souls'' of a parish. In this sense, "curate" means a parish priest; but in English-speaking countries the term ''curate'' is commonly used to describe clergy ...

at St. Anne's Parish in

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The ...

. After two and a half years, he was transferred to Immaculate Conception Parish in

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most d ...

. According to contemporary accounts, he was a frequent visitor to the sick in the hospitals. On several occasions, he paid out of his own pocket for children to see medical specialists in Boston. He was respectful of others and made many friendships with non-Catholics. In 1898, Delany became

chancellor Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...

of the diocese and secretary to Bishop

. Delany was founder and

editor Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, photographic, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, or ...

of the diocesan

newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as politics, business, spor ...

''The Guidon''. When the Sisters of the Sacred Blood moved into the diocese, he was appointed as their chaplain. Delany also served as state chaplain for the

Knights of Columbus The Knights of Columbus (K of C) is a global Catholic fraternal service order founded by Michael J. McGivney on March 29, 1882. Membership is limited to practicing Catholic men. It is led by Patrick E. Kelly, the order's 14th Supreme Knight. ...

and director of the Priests Temperance League. When a railroad was being constructed in the diocese, Delany visited the workers, many of whom were Catholic, in their camp. In September 1902, he accompanied other clergy on a mission trip to

Havana, Cuba Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

Bishop of Manchester

On April 18, 1904, Delany was appointed as the second bishop of the Diocese of Manchester by

Pope Pius X Pope Pius X ( it, Pio X; born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto; 2 June 1835 – 20 August 1914) was head of the Catholic Church from 4 August 1903 to his death in August 1914. Pius X is known for vigorously opposing modernist interpretations of ...

. He received his

episcopal consecration A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

on September 8, 1904, from Archbishop

Diomede Falconio Diomede Angelo Raffaele Gennaro Falconio, O.F.M. (20 September 1842 – 8 February 1917) was an Italian Cardinal of the Catholic Church. He served as Prefect of the Congregation for Religious from 1916 until his death, and was elevated to ...

, with Bishops William O'Connell and Edward Allen serving as

co-consecrators A consecrator is a bishop who ordains someone to the episcopacy. A co-consecrator is someone who assists the consecrator bishop in the act of ordaining a new bishop. The terms are used in the canon law of the Catholic Church, Lutheran Churches ...

, at St. Joseph's Cathedral. John Delany died at Sacred Heart Hospital in Manchester after an

appendicitis Appendicitis is inflammation of the appendix. Symptoms commonly include right lower abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and decreased appetite. However, approximately 40% of people do not have these typical symptoms. Severe complications of a r ...

, on June 11, 1906, at age 41. His tenure as bishop lasted only 21 months.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Delany, John Bernard 1864 births 1906 deaths College of the Holy Cross alumni Boston College alumni Seminary of Saint-Sulpice (France) alumni Politicians from Lowell, Massachusetts Roman Catholic bishops of Manchester 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States Catholics from Massachusetts 19th-century American Roman Catholic priests