Edmond John Fitzmaurice (June 24, 1881 – July 26, 1962) was an Irish-born American

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 ...

of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Wilmington in Delaware from 1925 to 1960.

Biography

Early life and education

Edmond Fitzmaurice was born on June 24, 1881, in Leitrim West,

County Kerry County Kerry () is a Counties of Ireland, county on the southwest coast of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. It is bordered by two other countie ...

in Ireland to William and Johanna (née Costello) Fitzmaurice. His uncle, John Edmund Fitzmaurice, became bishop of the Diocese of Erie in Pennsylvania. Fitzmaurice studied at St. Brendan's College in Killarney, Ireland, and at the College of Sint-Truiden in Sint-Truiden, Belgium. He continued his studies at the

Pontifical North American College The Pontifical North American College (NAC) is a Catholic Church, Roman Catholic educational institution in Rome, Italy, that prepares seminarians to become priests in the United States and elsewhere. The NAC also provides a residence for Prie ...

in Rome, where he earned a

Doctor of Sacred Theology The Doctor of Sacred Theology (, abbreviated STD), also sometimes known as Professor of Sacred Theology (, abbreviated STP), is the final theological degree in the pontifical university system of the Catholic Church, being the ecclesiastical equ ...

degree.

Ordination and ministry

Fitzmaurice 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 for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia in Rome by Cardinal

Pietro Respighi Pietro Respighi S.T.D. JUD (22 September 1843 – 22 March 1913) was an Italian Catholic prelate who served as Archpriest of the Basilica of Saint John Lateran and vicar general of Rome. He was made a cardinal in 1899. Biography H ...

on May 28, 1904. After his ordination, Fitzmaurice immigrated to the United States in 1904, becoming a

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 Annunciation Parish in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

. He served as professor of

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 ...

at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania, from 1906 to 1914. During this period, Fitzmaurice became a naturalized U.S. citizen. He was appointed

chancellor Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...

of the archdiocese, serving in this role until 1920. From 1920 to 1925, Fitzmaurice served as rector of St. Charles Seminary.

Bishop of Wilmington

On July 24, 1925, Fitzmaurice was appointed the fourth bishop of the Diocese of Wilmington by

Pope Pius XI Pope Pius XI (; born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti, ; 31 May 1857 – 10 February 1939) was head of the Catholic Church from 6 February 1922 until his death in February 1939. He was also the first sovereign of the Vatican City State u ...

. He received his

episcopal Episcopal may refer to: *Of or relating to a bishop, an overseer in the Christian church *Episcopate, the see of a bishop – a diocese *Episcopal Church (disambiguation), any church with "Episcopal" in its name ** Episcopal Church (United States ...

consecration Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects ( ...

on November 30, 1925, from Cardinal Dennis Dougherty, with Bishops John Swint and Andrew Brennan 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 ...

. During his 35-year tenure, Fitzmaurice oversaw an increase in the Catholic population from 34,000 to 85,000. To accommodate these numbers, he founded 17 new parishes, 8 missions, and 19 elementary and 9 secondary schools. He donated his personal residence in 1959 to provide a location for the founding of

St. Edmond's Academy Saint Edmond's Academy is an independent Roman Catholic Church, Catholic primary school for boys founded by the Congregation of Holy Cross in Wilmington, Delaware, United States in 1959. The school's patron saint is André Bessette, Saint André ...

, which was named in his honor. Fitzmaurice encouraged participation in

Catholic Charities The Catholic Church operates numerous charitable organizations. Catholic spiritual teaching includes spreading the Gospel, while Catholic social teaching emphasises support for the sick, the poor and the afflicted through the corporal and spir ...

, and founded the Catholic Welfare Guild,

Catholic Youth Organization Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) is an international Catholic youth movement founded by Bishop Bernard Sheil in Chicago in 1930. It became a major factor in the development of race relations in the US Catholic Church following World War II. ...

Society for the Propagation of the Faith The Society for the Propagation of the Faith (Latin: ''Propagandum Fidei'') is an international association coordinating assistance for Catholic missionary priests, brothers, and nuns in mission areas. The society was founded in Lyon, France, in ...

, and

Knights of Columbus The Knights of Columbus (K of C) is a global Catholic Church, Catholic Fraternal and service organizations, fraternal service order founded by Michael J. McGivney, Blessed Michael J. McGivney. Membership is limited to practicing Catholic men. ...

chapter in the diocese. He also established the Catholic Interracial Council, the Catholic Forum of the Air, the Catholic Television Guild, the Diocesan Book Forum, the Catholic Education Guild, and the Young Christian Workers. In 1945, Fitzmaurice ordered the Catholic parents of students in public high schools in the diocese to prohibit their children from attending

sex education Sex education, also known as sexual education, sexuality education or sex ed, is the instruction of issues relating to human sexuality, including human sexual anatomy, Human sexual activity, sexual activity, sexual reproduction, safe sex, birth ...

courses, which he described as "offensive to the Catholic conscience." In 1956, Pope Pius XII appointed

Hubert James Cartwright Hubert James Cartwright (August 22, 1900 – March 6, 1958) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as Coadjutor Bishop of the Diocese of Wilmington, Delaware from 1956 to 1958. Biography Born in Philadelphia, Penns ...

as coadjutor bishop of the Diocese of Wilmington to assist Fitzmaurice. When Cartwright died in 1958, Pope Pius appointed Michael William Hyle as the new coadjutor bishop.

Retirement and legacy

Pope John XXIII Pope John XXIII (born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli; 25 November 18813 June 1963) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 28 October 1958 until his death on 3 June 1963. He is the most recent pope to take ...

accepted Fitzmaurice's resignation as bishop of Wilmington on March 2, 1960, and appointed him as

titular archbishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox an ...

of ''Constantia in Scythia''. He became the first priest of the Diocese of Wilmington to be named archbishop. Edmond Fitzmaurice died at St. Francis Hospital in Wilmington on July 26, 1962, at age 81.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fitzmaurice, Edmond John 1881 births 1962 deaths Roman Catholic bishops of Wilmington 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States Clergy from Philadelphia Clergy from Wilmington, Delaware Politicians from County Kerry Christian clergy from County Kerry