James Rogers (11 July 1826 – 22 March 1903) was an

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priest who was the

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Roman Catholic Diocese of Chatham The Diocese of Bathurst (originally Diocese of Chatham) () is a Roman Catholic suffragan of the Archdiocese of Moncton. It has its cathedral episcopal see, Sacred Heart Cathedral, in Bathurst, New Brunswick, Canada. History On 8 May, 1860 ...

. Born in Mountcharles, Ireland, he immigrated to

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...

alongside his parents in 1931. His father, John Rogers, was a sickly man; James, an only child, became the primary income earner for his family when he was in his teenage years. Rogers entered the seminary in 1847, following John's death, and was ordained a priest on 2 July 1851. To the surprise of many of his contemporaries, he became the first bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Chatham at age 33 on 15 August 1860, when he was

consecrated bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

Charlottetown Charlottetown is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Prince Edward Island, and the county seat of Queens County, Prince Edward Island, Queens County. Named after Queen Charlotte, Charlott ...

. On his arrival at Chatham, Rogers found only seven priests to attend an immense stretch of country. During his episcopate of forty-two years, the diocese substantially grew, and when he resigned, on 7 August 1902, he left a diocese of 47 parishes and 51 priests. Bishop Rogers attended the

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where he opposed the declaration of

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. He invited the

Congregation of Notre Dame The Congrégation de Notre Dame (CND) is a religious community for women founded in 1658 in Ville Marie (Montreal), in the colony of New France, now part of Canada. It was established by Marguerite Bourgeoys, who was recruited in France to creat ...

to open convents in

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, and Saint-Louis de Kent.

References

1826 births 1902 deaths 19th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Canada 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Canada Canadian people of Irish descent Roman Catholic bishops of Bathurst in Canada Christian clergy from County Donegal Irish emigrants to pre-Confederation Canada {{Canada-RC-bishop-stub