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James Ryan (June 17, 1848 – July 2, 1923) was an Irish-born
James Ryan (June 17, 1848 – July 2, 1923) was an Irish-born 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 Alton in Illinois from 1888 until his death in 1923.
Biography
Early life
James Ryan was born on June 17, 1848, inThurles
Thurles (; ''Durlas Éile'') is a town in County Tipperary, Ireland. It is located in the civil parish of the same name in the barony of Eliogarty and in the ecclesiastical parish of Thurles. The cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Arch ...
, County Tipperary in Ireland. When he was age seven, the family immigrated to the United States, settling in Louisville
Louisville is the most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeast, and the 27th-most-populous city in the United States. By land area, it is the country's 24th-largest city; however, by populatio ...
, Kentucky
Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...
. He studied at St. Thomas' and St. Joseph's Colleges in Bardstown, Kentucky
Bardstown is a list of Kentucky cities, home rule-class city in Nelson County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 13,567 in the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the list of counties in Kentucky, county seat of Nelson Count ...
, and at Preston Park Seminary in Louisville.
Priesthood
Ryan wasordained
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 by Bishop William George McCloskey for what was then the Diocese of Louisville
The Archdiocese of Louisville () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or archdiocese, of the Catholic Church in central Kentucky in the United States. The cathedral church of the archdiocese is the Cathedral of the Assumption (Louisville ...
on December 24, 1871. After his ordination, Ryan spent several years afterwards spent a few years as a missionary
A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group who is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thoma ...
and teacher
A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching.
''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. w ...
In 1877, when John Lancaster Spalding
John Lancaster Spalding (June 2, 1840 – August 25, 1916) was an American Catholic author, poet, advocate for higher education, the first Bishop of Peoria from 1877 to 1908. He was also a co-founder of The Catholic University of America.
Biogra ...
was appointed to the new Diocese of Peoria in Illinois, Ryan incardinated, or transferred to that diocese. After serving pastoral assignments in Illinois at Wataga and Danville, Ryan was named rector of St. Columba's Parish at Ottawa, Illinois
Ottawa is a city in LaSalle County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. It is located at the confluence of the navigable Fox River (Illinois River tributary), Fox River and Illinois River, the latter being a conduit for river barges and ...
, in 1881.
Bishop of Alton
On February 28, 1888, Ryan was appointed as the third bishop of the Diocese of Alton byPope 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
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 May 1, 1888, from Bishop Spalding, with Bishops McCloskey and John Janssen
John Janssen (March 3, 1835 – July 2, 1913) was a German-born prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the first bishop of the new Diocese of Belleville in Illinois from 1888 until his death in 1913.
Biography
Early life
Ja ...
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-long tenure, Ryan established 40 new churches and six hospital
A hospital is a healthcare institution providing patient treatment with specialized Medical Science, health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically ...
s and increased the number of Catholics from 70,000 to over 87,000. He held the first diocesan synod
A synod () is a council of a Christian denomination, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. The word '' synod'' comes from the Ancient Greek () ; the term is analogous with the Latin word . Originally, ...
in February 1889. He began raising funds for a new orphanage
An orphanage is a residential institution, total institution or group home, devoted to the care of orphans and children who, for various reasons, cannot be cared by their biological families. The parents may be deceased, absent, or abusi ...
in 1919 but died before it was completed.
James Ryan died in Alton on June 2, 1923, at age 75.
See also
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ryan, James 1848 births 1923 deaths Christian clergy from County Tipperary 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States Irish emigrants to the United States Roman Catholic Diocese of Peoria Roman Catholic bishops of Alton Religious leaders from Louisville, Kentucky Catholics from Kentucky 19th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States