Matthew A. Harkins (November 17, 1845 – May 25, 1921) was an

American Catholic The Catholic Church in the United States is part of the worldwide Catholic Church in communion with the pope, who as of 2025 is Chicago, Illinois-born Leo XIV. With 23 percent of the United States' population , the Catholic Church is the cou ...

prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Minister (Christianity), Christian clergy who is an Ordinary (church officer), ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which me ...

who served as the second Bishop of Providence from 1887 until his death in 1921.

Biography

Early life

Matthew A. Harkins was born on November 17, 1845, in

Boston, Massachusetts Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

to Patrick Harkins, an Irish

immigrant Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not usual residents or where they do not possess nationality in order to settle as permanent residents. Commuters, tourists, and other short- ...

, and his wife, Margaret. He received his early education at a primary school on

Tremont Street Tremont Street is a major thoroughfare in Boston, Massachusetts. Tremont Street begins at Government Center, Boston, Massachusetts, Government Center in Boston's city center as a continuation of Cambridge Street, and forms the eastern edge of ...

in Boston and at a grammar school in

Quincy, Massachusetts Quincy ( ) is a city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the largest city in the county. Quincy is part of the Greater Boston area as one of Boston's immediate southern suburbs. Its population in ...

. Harkins entered

Boston Latin School The Boston Latin School is a Magnet school, magnet Latin schools, Latin Grammar schools, grammar State school, state school in Boston, Massachusetts. It has been in continuous operation since it was established on April 23, 1635. It is the old ...

in 1859. After finishing there, he decided to become a priest. In 1862, he began his studies at the

College of the Holy Cross The College of the Holy Cross is a private Jesuit liberal arts college in Worcester, Massachusetts, United States. It was founded by educators Benedict Joseph Fenwick and Thomas F. Mulledy in 1843 under the auspices of the Society of Jesus. ...

in Worcester, Massachusetts. After a year at Holy Cross, he went to study at the English College, a seminary in Doui, France, and at the seminary of the

Église Saint-Sulpice The Church of Saint-Sulpice () is a Catholic church in Paris, France, on the east side of Place Saint-Sulpice, in the 6th arrondissement. Only slightly smaller than Notre-Dame and Saint-Eustache, it is the third largest church in the city. I ...

in Paris.

Priesthood

While in Paris, Harkins was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...

to the priesthood in Parish by Archbishop Henri Maret for the Diocese of Boston on May 22, 1869. After his ordination, the diocese sent Harkins to Rome to study

theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

and

canon law Canon law (from , , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical jurisdiction, ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its membe ...

at the

Pontifical Gregorian University Pontifical Gregorian University (; also known as the Gregorian or Gregoriana), is a private university, private pontifical university in Rome, Italy. The Gregorian originated as a part of the Roman College, founded in 1551 by Ignatius of Loyo ...

. After ten years in France and Italy, Harkins returned to Massachusetts in 1870. The diocese then appointed him as

curate A curate () is a person who is invested with the ''care'' or ''cure'' () 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 who are as ...

at the Church of the Immaculate Conception Parish in

Salem Salem may refer to: Places Canada * Salem, Ontario, various places Germany * Salem, Baden-Württemberg, a municipality in the Bodensee district ** Salem Abbey (Reichskloster Salem), a monastery * Salem, Schleswig-Holstein Israel * Salem (B ...

. In 1876, Harkins received his first assignment as a pastor at St. Malachi Parish in

Arlington, Massachusetts Arlington is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The town is six miles (10 km) northwest of Boston, Massachusetts, Boston, and its population was 46,308 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History Europe ...

Eight years later, in 1884, the diocese moved him to be pastor of St. James Parish in Boston, then the largest parish in

New England New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...

. That same year, Harkins accompanied Archbishop

John Williams John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932)Nylund, Rob (November 15, 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 ...

to the

Third Plenary Council of Baltimore The Plenary Councils of Baltimore were three meetings of American Catholic bishops, archbishops and superiors of religious orders in the United States. The councils were held in 1852, 1866 and 1884 in Baltimore, Maryland. These three conferenc ...

in Baltimore, Maryland, where he advised Williams on theological questions.

Bishop of Providence

On February 11, 1887, Harkins was appointed the second bishop of Providence by

Pope Leo XIII Pope Leo XIII (; born Gioacchino Vincenzo Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2March 181020July 1903) was head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 until his death in July 1903. He had the fourth-longest reign of any pope, behind those of Peter the Ap ...

. He received his

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

on April 14, 1887, from Archbishop Williams, with Bishops Patrick O'Reilly and Lawrence McMahon 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 Churche ...

, at the still unfinished Cathedral of SS Peter and Paul in Providence. At that time, the Diocese of Providence also included the

Cape Cod Cape Cod is a peninsula extending into the Atlantic Ocean from the southeastern corner of Massachusetts, in the northeastern United States. Its historic, maritime character and ample beaches attract heavy tourism during the summer months. The ...

region of Massachusetts, along with the islands of

Nantucket Nantucket () is an island in the state of Massachusetts in the United States, about south of the Cape Cod peninsula. Together with the small islands of Tuckernuck Island, Tuckernuck and Muskeget Island, Muskeget, it constitutes the Town and Co ...

and

Martha's Vineyard Martha's Vineyard, often simply called the Vineyard, is an island in the U.S. state of Massachusetts, lying just south of Cape Cod. It is known for being a popular, affluent summer colony, and includes the smaller peninsula Chappaquiddick Isla ...

. Harkins in 1889 consecrated the Cathedral of SS Peter Paul, which had been started by his predecessor, Bishop Thomas F. Hendricken, in 1878. During Harkins' tenure, the diocese grew to be one of the largest in the country, with a high percentage of Catholics in the general population. In 1904, Harkins requested that the Vatican split the Massachusetts sections of the Diocese of Providence into a new diocese; the Vatican took action that same year, erecting the

Diocese of Fall River The Diocese of Fall River () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the Catholic Church in southeastern Massachusetts in the United States. It is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdioces ...

. The creation of the Diocese of Fall River in 1904 left 190,000 Catholics in the Diocese of Providence; however, by 1920, that number had increased to 275,180. Over the next 17 years, Harkins expanded the number of parishes in the diocese from 39 to 95. Most of these were

national parish National parish is a type of Catholic parish distinguished by liturgical rites or nationality of the congregation; it is found within a diocese or particular Church, which includes other types of parishes in the same geographical area, each parish ...

es for the different immigrant groups entering the diocese; They were located in the cities and suburbs where the new immigrants lived. He established numerous

charitable organization A charitable organization or charity is an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being (e.g. educational, Religion, religious or other activities serving the public interest or common good). The legal definitio ...

s and

parochial school A parochial school is a private school, private Primary school, primary or secondary school affiliated with a religious organization, and whose curriculum includes general religious education in addition to secular subjects, such as science, mathem ...

s as well. By 1911, Harkins wanted to open a Catholic college in the diocese. He purchased property in Providence and invited the Dominican Province of St. Joseph religious order to come to the diocese and operate it. However, the Dominicans were not ready to assume the task until 1915. They received approval from the Vatican in 1917 and

Providence College Providence College is a Private university, private Roman Catholic university in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1917 by the Dominican Order and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence, it offers 47 undergraduate Academic ...

opened that same year. Due to Harkins' advancing age and declining health, plus the explosive growth of the diocese, the Vatican added two

auxiliary bishop An auxiliary bishop is a bishop assigned to assist the diocesan bishop in meeting the pastoral and administrative needs of the diocese. Auxiliary bishops can also be titular bishops of sees that no longer exist as territorial jurisdictions. ...

s to the diocese in 1914 and 1917. In 1919, it named a

coadjutor bishop A coadjutor bishop (or bishop coadjutor) ("co-assister" in Latin) is a bishop in the Latin Catholic, Anglican and (historically) Eastern Orthodox churches whose main role is to assist the diocesan bishop in administering the diocese. The coa ...

to take over more of Harkin's duties.

Death and legacy

Matthew Harkins died in Providence on May 25, 1921, at age 75. Bishop Harkins Hall, the first building constructed at Providence College in 1917, is named for Harkins.

References

External links

Official site of the Holy See

Episcopal succession

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harkins, Matthew 1845 births 1921 deaths Roman Catholic clergy from Boston American Roman Catholic clergy of Irish descent English College, Douai alumni College of the Holy Cross alumni Seminary of Saint-Sulpice (France) alumni Providence College Roman Catholic bishops of Providence 19th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States