Richard Luke Concanen, O.P. (December 27, 1747 – June 19, 1810), was an

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

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of the

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, who served as the first

bishop 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 c ...

of the Diocese of New York (1808–1810).

Life

Richard Concanen was born in Kilbegnet, County Galway, then in the Kingdom of Ireland, a descendant of the

Uí Díarmata Uí Díarmata was a local kingdom located in what is now north County Galway. Origins The ruling dynasty took its name from King Diarmait Finn of Connacht (died 833), and the territory in turn was named after them. It seems to have been created ...

dynasty. He completed his

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studies in

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at age 17. (note, V.F. O'Daniel says he likely studied at the Dominican College in Louvain before joining the order at the age of eighteen or nineteen, and taking the name of "Luke").O'Daniel OP, V.F., "The Right Reverend Luke Concanen O.P., the First Bishop of New York (1747-1819)", ''The Catholic Historical Review'', vol.1, January 1916
/ref> He 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 ...

a Dominican

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in partic ...

on December 22, 1770, at the

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. He then served as a

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(and later prior) at the Dominican

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of St. Clement's in

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of Santa Maria sopra Minerva, and

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of the Dominican

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, while also serving as the agent of the Irish bishops. Concanen was fluent in Italian, and also knew Irish, English, Latin, French, and German. Pope Pius VI nominated Concanen as Bishop of Kilfenora and Apostolic Administrator of Kilmacduagh in 1798, but the latter declined due to his delicate health. Concanen was a friend of Baltimore Archbishop

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. Deeply interested in the missions of the

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, Concanen was instrumental in procuring permission for Father

Edward Fenwick Edward Dominic Fenwick, (August 19, 1768 – September 26, 1832) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church, a Dominican Order, Dominican friar and the first Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Bishop of Cincinnati. Early life Edward F ...

OP to leave England to set up a Dominican province in America. He made large contributions to St. Rose Priory in

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, and bequeathed the Priory his library. On April 8, 1808, Concanen was appointed the first

of the newly erected Diocese of New York by Pope Pius VII. 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 the following April 24 from Cardinal

Michele di Pietro Michele di Pietro J.U.D. (18 January 1747 – 2 July 1821) was an Roman Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who served as Major Penitentiary of the Apostolic Penitentiary, Prefect of the Congregation of Propaganda Fide. He was an uncl ...

, with Archbishops Tommaso Arezzo and Benedetto Sinibaldi serving as co-consecrators. However, Concanen never stepped on American soil; due to the

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es enacted during the

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, he was unable to sail from the Port of Naples and was even detained as a British subject by the French forces in possession of the city. He administered his diocese by correspondence with the

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priests working in

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. Concanen later died in Naples, aged 62, where his body rests in the Church of San Domenico Maggiore.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Concanen, Richard Luke 1747 births 1810 deaths Christian clergy from County Galway American Dominicans Irish Dominicans 18th-century Irish Roman Catholic priests Irish expatriates in Italy Dominican bishops 19th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States Roman Catholic bishops of New York Burials at the Basilica of San Domenico, Naples Irish expatriate Catholic bishops