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, United States. Founded in 1889, it is named after Saint Anselm of Canterbury. As of 2024, the college's enrollment was 2,094 students. History ...

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 Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The town is known for the width of its main street. As of the 2022 census of Ireland, 2022 census, Castleisland had a population of 2,5 ...

, 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 the List of municipalities in New Hampshire, most populous city in the U.S. state of New Hampshire. Located on the banks of the Merrimack River, it had a population of 115,644 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Manches ...

. 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, 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. 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 in and the county seat of Rensselaer County, New York, United States. It is located on the western edge of the county, on the eastern bank of the Hudson River just northeast of the capital city of Albany, New York, Albany. At the ...

Priesthood

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

Diocese of Portland The Diocese of Portland () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the Catholic Church for the entire state of Maine in the United States. It is a suffragan diocese of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Boston. The mother church ...

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

Maine Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...

and

New Hampshire New Hampshire ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders 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 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 ...

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 (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 ...

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 The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...

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, the county seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, and a principal city of the New York metropolitan area. ...

, about creating a Catholic college in New Hampshire.

opened in

Goffstown, New Hampshire Goffstown is a New England town, town in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 18,577 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The compact center of town, where 3,366 people resided at the 2020 census, is def ...

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 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)

External links

{{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