John Thomas Troy, OP (10 May 1739 – 11 May 1823) was an Irish Dominican friar who served as

Archbishop of Dublin The Archbishop of Dublin () is an Episcopal polity, archiepiscopal title which takes its name from Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Since the Reformation in Ireland, Reformation, there have been parallel apostolic successions to the title: ...

from 1786 to 1823.

Life

Dominican

Of Anglo-Norman stock, Troy was born at Annefield House, near Porterstown,

County Dublin County Dublin ( or ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland, and holds its capital city, Dublin. It is located on the island's east coast, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. Until 1994, County Dubli ...

and received his early education at Liffey Street, Dublin. At the age of sixteen he joined the Dominican Order and proceeded to their house of St. Clement at Rome. Amenable to discipline, diligent in his studies, and talented, he made rapid progress, and while still a student was appointed to give lectures in philosophy. Subsequently, he professed theology and

canon law Canon law (from , , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical jurisdiction, ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its membe ...

, and finally became prior/rector of the convent in 1772.D'Alton, Edward. "John Thomas Troy." The Catholic Encyclopedia
Vol. 15. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1912. 4 Feb. 2018

Bishop of Ossory

When the

Bishop of Ossory . The Bishop of Ossory () is an Episcopal polity, episcopal title which takes its name after the ancient of Kingdom of Ossory in the Provinces of Ireland, Province of Leinster, Ireland. In the Catholic Church it remains a separate title, but i ...

died, in 1776, the priests of the diocese recommended one of their number, Father Molloy, to Rome for the vacant see, and the recommendation was endorsed by many of the Irish bishops. But Troy, who was held in high esteem at Rome, had already been appointed Bishop of Ossory. He was consecrated at Louvain in June 1777 by the nuncio to

Flanders Flanders ( or ; ) is the Dutch language, Dutch-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, la ...

, Archbishop (later Cardinal)

Ignazio Busca Ignazio Busca (31 August 1731 – 12 August 1803) was an Italian Catholic prelate who served as Secretary of State of the Holy See. He was made a cardinal in 1789 Biography Busca was born in Milan as the last son of Lodovico Busca, marquess of ...

. Troy arrived at

Kilkenny Kilkenny ( , meaning 'church of Cainnech of Aghaboe, Cainnech'). is a city in County Kilkenny, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is located in the South-East Region, Ireland, South-East Region and in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinst ...

in August 1777 and for the next nine years he laboured hard for the spiritual interests of his diocese. Maddened by excessive rents and

tithe A tithe (; from Old English: ''teogoþa'' "tenth") is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a contribution to a religious organization or compulsory tax to government. Modern tithes are normally voluntary and paid in money, cash, cheques or v ...

s, and harried by grinding tithe-proctors, farmers had banded themselves together in a secret society called the "Whiteboys", so called from the white smocks the members wore in their nightly raids. They attacked landlords, bailiffs, agents, and tithe-proctors, and often committed fearful outrages. Bishop Troy frequently and sternly denounced them, declaring any who joined the secret society to be excommunicated.Falkiner, Cæsar Litton. "Troy, John Thomas", ''Dictionary of National Biography'', 1885-1900, vol. 57 Troy had no sympathy with oppression, but he had lived long in Rome, and did not fully appreciate the extent of misery in which the poor Catholic masses lived. He was ready to condemn all violent efforts for reform, and had no hesitation in denouncing not only all secret societies in Ireland, but also "our American fellow-subjects, seduced by specious notions of liberty". This made him unpopular. He was zealous in correcting abuses in his diocese and in promoting education. So well was this recognized at Rome that in 1781, in consequence of some serious troubles which had arisen between the primate and his clergy, Troy was appointed Administrator of Armagh. This office he held till 1782.

Archbishop of Dublin

Upon the death of Archbishop John Carpenter of Dublin) in 1786, Troy was appointed to succeed him. At Dublin, as at Ossory, he showed his zeal for religion, his sympathy with authority, and his distrust of popular movements, especially when violent means were employed. Though his circular, issued on 15 March 1792, disavowing the authority of any ecclesiastical power to absolve subjects from their allegiance, is believed to have influenced the concession in that year of the relaxations embodied in Langrishe's Act, and the extension of the franchise to Roman Catholics in 1793, he declined to associate himself with

John Keogh John Keogh (1740 – 13 November 1817) was an Irish merchant and Catholic political activist. He was a leading campaigner for Catholic Emancipation and reform of the Irish Parliament, active in Dublin on the Catholic Committee and, ...

and other Catholic reformers in their demands for further relief. In 1798, he issued a sentence of

excommunication Excommunication is an institutional act of religious censure used to deprive, suspend, or limit membership in a religious community or to restrict certain rights within it, in particular those of being in Koinonia, communion with other members o ...

against all those of his flock who would join the

rebellion Rebellion is an uprising that resists and is organized against one's government. A rebel is a person who engages in a rebellion. A rebel group is a consciously coordinated group that seeks to gain political control over an entire state or a ...

. In a pastoral read in all the churches, he spoke of the clerical organisers of the rebellion as "vile prevaricators and apostates from religion, loyalty, honour, and decorum, degrading their sacred character, and the most criminal and detestable of rebellious and seditious culprits". Troy's action at this time appears to have endangered his life. But the influence he had acquired with the government enabled him to moderate the repressive measures taken by the authorities. Believing that Catholic emancipation could never be conceded by the Irish parliament, he was one of the most determined supporters of the Union. In 1799, he agreed to accept the

veto A veto is a legal power to unilaterally stop an official action. In the most typical case, a president (government title), president or monarch vetoes a bill (law), bill to stop it from becoming statutory law, law. In many countries, veto powe ...

of government on the appointment of bishops in Ireland, and even when the other bishops, feeling they had been tricked by Pitt and Castlereagh, repudiated the veto, Troy continued to favour it. However, in 1809, he recommended Daniel Murray be appointed his coadjutor. Murray was an uncompromising opponent of the "veto", and while Troy's co-adjutor, made trips in 1814 and 1815 to Rome concerning the controversy. In April 1815, Archbishop Troy laid the foundation of

St Mary's Pro-Cathedral St Mary's Church (), known also as St Mary's Pro-Cathedral or simply the Pro-Cathedral, the Chapel in Marlborough Street or the Pro, is a pro-cathedral and is the episcopal seat of the Archbishop of Dublin (Catholic Church), Catholic Archbisho ...

in Marlborough Street, Dublin, but did not live to see it completed.Webb, Alfred. "Troy, John Thomas", ''A Compendium of Irish Biography'', Dublin: M. H. Gill & son. Archbishop Troy died on 11 May 1823 at the age of eighty-four. He died in Dublin very poor, leaving scarce sufficient to pay for his burial, and was interred in the unfinished St Mary's Pro-Cathedral. In the administration of his diocese and in his private life, Troy was eminently zealous, pious, and charitable. Although his cordial relations with the government exposed him to many suspicions and accusations, there is no ground for questioning the integrity of his motives and conduct, which were inspired by his views of the interest of his church. His distrust of revolutionary tendencies in civil affairs was fully aligned with the policy of the Vatican throughout his career.

John D'Alton John Francis Cardinal D'Alton (11 October 1882 – 1 February 1963) was an Irish Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who served as Archbishop of Armagh and thus Primate of All Ireland from 1946 until his death. He was elevated to the cardina ...

, speaks of Troy as "a truly learned and zealous pastor, … a lover and promoter of the most pure Christian morality, vigilant in the discharge of his duty, and devotedly solicitous not only for the spiritual good of those consigned to his charge, but also for the public quiet of the state".D'Alton, John. ''Archbishops of Dublin, Memoirs of:'', Dublin, 1838.

References

* *

Sources

* D'Alton, History of the Archbishops of Dublin (Dublin, 1838) * McNally, Vincent J., ''Reform, Revolution and Reaction: Archbishop John Thomas Troy and the Catholic Church in Ireland 1787-1817''. London: University Press of America, 1995, p. 10

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Troy, John 1739 births 1823 deaths Irish Dominicans Roman Catholic archbishops of Dublin Roman Catholic bishops of Ossory Christian clergy from County Dublin