John Hennessy (August 20, 1825 – March 4, 1900) was a 19th-century
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 ...
who served as
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 ...
and
archbishop
In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...
in the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
. He served as bishop and then the first archbishop of the
Archdiocese of Dubuque
The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Dubuque () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or archdiocese, of the Catholic Church in the northeastern quarter of the state of Iowa in the United States.
The Diocese of Dubuque was erected in 1837 and ...
,
Iowa
Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...
, from 1866 to 1900.
Biography
Early life and education
John Hennessy was born August 20, 1825, in Bulgaden,
County Limerick
County Limerick () is a western Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West Region, Ireland, Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Reg ...
,
Ireland
Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
. He was the oldest of twelve children born to William and Mary (Meaney) Hennessy.
He studied for the priesthood initially at
All Hallows College
All Hallows College was a college of higher education in Dublin. It was founded in 1842 and was run by the Vincentians from 1892 until 2016. On 23 May 2014, it was announced that it was closing because of declining student enrollment. The sale ...
, Dublin then at St. Vincent's Seminary in
Cape Girardeau, Missouri
Cape Girardeau ( , ; colloquially referred to as "Cape") is a city in Cape Girardeau County, Missouri, Cape Girardeau and Scott County, Missouri, Scott Counties in the U.S. state of Missouri. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the ...
, and Carondelet Seminary near St. Louis.
Ordination and ministry
He was ordained a priest for the
Archdiocese of Saint Louis
The Archdiocese of St. Louis () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or archdiocese, of the Catholic Church in the eastern part of the U.S. state of Missouri.
As of November 2024, the archdiocese is led by Archbishop Mitchell Thomas Rozans ...
on November 1, 1850. Father Hennessy was assigned to parish work in
New Madrid, Missouri
New Madrid ( ; ) is a city in New Madrid County, Missouri, United States. The population was 2,787 at the 2020 census. New Madrid is the county seat of New Madrid County. The city is located 42 miles (68 km) southwest of Cairo, Illinois, a ...
, and then St. Peter's in Gravois. He then served as a seminary professor and then president at Carondelet, and in 1858 he was sent to the
Holy See
The Holy See (, ; ), also called the See of Rome, the Petrine See or the Apostolic See, is the central governing body of the Catholic Church and Vatican City. It encompasses the office of the pope as the Bishops in the Catholic Church, bishop ...
as a representative of Archbishop Kenrick. From 1860 to 1866 he was a pastor of
St. Joseph's Church in
St. Joseph, Missouri
St. Joseph is a city in and county seat of Buchanan County, Missouri, Buchanan County, Missouri, United States. A small portion of the city extends north into Andrew County, Missouri, Andrew County. Located on the Missouri River, it is the princ ...
.
Bishop and Archbishop of Dubuque, Iowa
On April 24, 1866,
Pope Pius IX
Pope Pius IX (; born Giovanni Maria Battista Pietro Pellegrino Isidoro Mastai-Ferretti; 13 May 1792 – 7 February 1878) was head of the Catholic Church from 1846 to 1878. His reign of nearly 32 years is the longest verified of any pope in hist ...
appointed Hennessy as the third bishop of Dubuque. He was consecrated and installed bishop in
St. Raphael's Cathedral on September 30, 1866, by Archbishop
Peter Richard Kenrick
Peter Richard Kenrick (August 17, 1806 – March 4, 1896) was an Irish Catholic priest who served as Bishop of St. Louis from 1843 to 1895. The see was made an archdiocese in 1847, when he was called as the first archbishop west of the Mississi ...
of Saint Louis. The principal co-consecrators were Bishops
John Martin Henni
John Martin Henni (June 15, 1805 – September 7, 1881) was a Swiss-born Catholic prelate who served as the first Archbishop of Milwaukee from 1843 until his death in 1881.
Biography
Early life and education
John Henni was born on June 15, 1805 ...
of Milwaukee and
James Duggan
James Duggan (May 22, 1825 – March 27, 1899) was an Irish-born American Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Chicago from 1859 until his resignation in 1880. However, from 1869 to 1880, he was held in a sanatorium in Missouri due to insan ...
of Chicago.
Bishop Hennessy attended the
First Vatican Council
The First Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the First Vatican Council or Vatican I, was the 20th ecumenical council of the Catholic Church, held three centuries after the preceding Council of Trent which was adjourned in 156 ...
in Rome from 1869 to 1870. He also took a prominent role in the
Third Plenary Council of Baltimore
The Plenary Councils of Baltimore were three meetings of American Catholic bishops, archbishops and superiors of religious orders in the United States. The councils were held in 1852, 1866 and 1884 in Baltimore, Maryland.
These three conferenc ...
in 1884.
[
In 1878, at his suggestion, the Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis of the Holy Family relocated from ]Iowa City
Iowa City is the largest city in Johnson County, Iowa, United States, and its county seat. At the time of the 2020 census the population was 74,828, making it the state's fifth-most populous city. The Iowa City metropolitan area, which enc ...
to Dubuque to staff a German Catholic Orphan Asylum.
When Hennessy became bishop, the territory of the diocese encompassed the entire state of Iowa
Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...
. He became convinced, as had Bishop Smyth
Smyth is an early variant of the common surname Smith (surname), Smith commonly found in Ireland.Citation: Bardsley, 1901 Shown below are notable people who share the surname "Smyth".
Notable people sharing the Smyth surname
Listed here are peop ...
before him, that the diocese should be divided in two. Archbishop Kenrick and the other bishops of the province advocated splitting Iowa into two with a diocese in the east (Dubuque
Dubuque (, ) is a city in Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, and its county seat. The population was 59,667 at the 2020 United States census. The city lies along the Mississippi River at the junction of Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin, a region ...
) and one in the west (Council Bluffs
Council Bluffs is a city in and the county seat of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States. The population was 62,799 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the state's List of cities in Iowa, te ...
). Others, including the Revs. J.A.M. Pelamourgues and Andrew Trevis, envisioned a new See with Davenport
Davenport may refer to:
Places Australia
*Davenport, Northern Territory, a locality
*Hundred of Davenport, cadastral unit in South Australia
**Davenport, South Australia, suburb of Port Augusta
**District Council of Davenport, former local govern ...
as its headquarters. On May 8, 1881, 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 A ...
established the new Diocese of Davenport
The Diocese of Davenport () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction, or diocese, of the Roman Catholicism in the United States, Catholic Church for the southeastern quarter of the state of Iowa in the United States.
The current bishop of D ...
.[ Davenport was chosen because of the income the new bishop would receive from the commercial properties owned by the church on Church Square ( St. Anthony's Church) in Davenport.][Svendsen, Marls A., Davenport: where the Mississippi Runs west A Survey of Davenport History & Architecture (Davenport: City of Davenport, 1982) 11-2.] The Dubuque Diocese now covered roughly the northern half of Iowa.
An advocate of Catholic education, Hennessy had schools and convents established in all of the large cities in Iowa. He founded St. Joseph's College (now Loras College
Loras College is a private Catholic college in Dubuque, Iowa, United States. It has an enrollment of approximately 1,600 students and is the oldest post-secondary institution in the state of Iowa.
Loras offers both undergraduate and graduat ...
) in Dubuque on September 8, 1873.[Hennessey, John ''Encyclopedia Dubuque'']
/ref> Some Catholics in the diocese opposed the expansion of Catholic schools for economic reasons, and because they felt it was an attack on public school education.[
During his tenure as bishop and archbishop, Hennessy oversaw the expansion of the diocese even though this was a period of ]anti-Catholic
Anti-Catholicism is hostility towards Catholics and opposition to the Catholic Church, its clergy, and its adherents. Scholars have identified four categories of anti-Catholicism: constitutional-national, theological, popular and socio-cul ...
sentiments in Dubuque and across the United States. When he arrived in Dubuque, there were 27 priests, 30 churches, two schools and seven sisters. By 1891 there were 203 priests, 319 churches, 615 sisters, and over 135 parochial schools with 16,257 students.[ This was after the diocese had lost almost half of its territory ten years before.
On June 15, 1893, Pope Leo XIII elevated the Diocese of Dubuque to the status of an archdiocese, and Bishop Hennessy became the first archbishop of Dubuque. The Ecclesial Province of Dubuque included the dioceses of Davenport, ]Omaha
Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...
, Wichita and Sioux Falls
Sioux Falls ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of South Dakota and the 117th-most populous city in the United States. It is the county seat of Minnehaha County and also extends into northern Lincoln County. The population was 192 ...
.[
Archbishop Hennessy died in Dubuque on March 4, 1900. He was a man of some means for his time, as he left an estate of $700,000. It was divided among several Catholic charities.][
In the last years of his life, Hennessy requested that a mortuary chapel be built in St. Raphael's Cathedral. This new chapel was built in the basement of the cathedral and completed two years after his death. The remains of Bishops ]Mathias Loras
Pierre-Jean-Mathias Loras (August 30, 1792 – February 19, 1858) was a Catholic Church in France, French Catholic priest in the United States who served as the first Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dubuque, Bishop of Dubuque, in what would become ...
, Clement Smyth, and Hennessy were brought to the cathedral and buried in this new chapel.
Legacy
Archbishop Hennessy is one of the more prominent figures in the history of the archdiocese, as the latter half of the 19th century was a period of growth for the archdiocese, and as he also served as the leader of the archdiocese for over 30 years. Loras College
Loras College is a private Catholic college in Dubuque, Iowa, United States. It has an enrollment of approximately 1,600 students and is the oldest post-secondary institution in the state of Iowa.
Loras offers both undergraduate and graduat ...
honored Hennessy by naming one of its buildings after him.
A stained glass window in St. Joseph Church in Sioux City, Iowa
Sioux City () is a city in Woodbury County, Iowa, Woodbury and Plymouth County, Iowa, Plymouth counties in the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 85,797 in the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Iowa, fo ...
, contains a portrait of Archbishop Hennessy. His episcopal coat of arms is in the stained glass window above the east side entrance to St. Mary's Church St. Mary's Church, St. Mary the Virgin's Church, St. Mary Church, Saint Mary Church, or other variations on the name, is a commonly used name for specific churches of various Christian denominations.
Notable uses of the term may refer to:
Albania
...
in Iowa City, Iowa
Iowa City is the largest city in Johnson County, Iowa, United States, and its county seat. At the time of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census the population was 74,828, making it the state's List of cities in Iowa, fifth-most populous c ...
, which he dedicated in 1869.
See also
* Catholic Church in the United States
The Catholic Church in the United States is part of the worldwide Catholic Church in full communion, communion with the pope, who as of 2025 is Chicago, Illinois-born Pope Leo XIV, Leo XIV. With 23 percent of the United States' population , t ...
* Historical list of the Catholic bishops of the United States
History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some theorists categ ...
* List of the Catholic bishops of the United States
The following is a list of bishops of the Catholic Church in the United States. The list also includes bishops in the American Territories of the United States, territories of Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, Guam, and ...
* Lists of patriarchs, archbishops, and bishops
This is a directory of patriarchs, archbishops, and bishops across various Christian denominations. To find an individual who was a bishop, see the most relevant article linked below or :Bishops.
Lists
Catholic
* Bishops in the Catholic Chu ...
References
External links
Bishops Archbishops of Dubuque
*
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dubuque
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hennessy, John (Archbishop)
1825 births
1900 deaths
Irish emigrants to the United States
Christian clergy from County Limerick
19th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in the United States
American Roman Catholic clergy of Irish descent
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Louis
Roman Catholic bishops of Dubuque
Roman Catholic archbishops of Dubuque
Religious leaders from Missouri