John Tuigg (February 19, 1820 – December 7, 1889) was an Irish-born prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the third

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 ...

of the Diocese of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania from 1876 to 1889.

Biography

Early life

John Tuigg was born in on February 19, 1820, in

Donoughmore Donoughmore (spelt ''Donaghmore'' by Ordnance Survey Ireland; Irish: ''Domhnach Mór'') is a civil and Catholic parish in County Cork, Ireland. This rural district lies west-northwest of Cork city. Donoughmore is divided between the Dáil Cons ...

, Ireland. He was educated 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 ...

in Drumcondra."Tuigg, John", ''The Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature''. (James Strong and John McClintock, eds.); Harper and Brothers; NY; 1880
/ref> In 1849, when Bishop Michael O'Connor traveled to Dublin, to recruit volunteers for missionary work in America, Tuigg was the first to respond. He reached Pittsburgh in December 1849, and finished his studies at St. Michael's Seminary, where he was appointed professor for a brief time.

Priesthood

Tuigg was ordained a priest by Bishop Michael O’Connor on May 14, 1850, and was soon after appointed secretary to Bishop Michael Domenec. He also served as an assistant priest in Saint Paul Cathedral. Tuigg was then transferred to St. Bridget's Parish, and began to erect a new church. Soon, however, he was transferred to mission work in

Altoona, Pennsylvania Altoona ( ) is a city in Blair County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 43,963 at the time of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Altoona Metropolitan statistical area, metropolitan area, w ...

, where he remained until 1876. Tuigg had been appointed vicar general for the eastern part of the diocese of Pittsburgh, but the Diocese of Allegheny was split from the Diocese of Pittsburgh and Domenec was selected to lead the new diocese. Pope Pius IX decided to make Tuigg the new bishop of Pittsburgh and would not accept any declination of the honor.

Bishop of Pittsburgh

Tuigg was appointed bishop of the Diocese of Pittsburgh on January 11, 1876. On March 19, 1876, he was consecrated bishop of Pittsburgh by Archbishop

James Frederick Bryan Wood James Frederick Bryan Wood (April 27, 1813 – June 20, 1883) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He was the fifth Bishop and first Archbishop of Philadelphia, serving between 1860 and his death in 1883. Early life James Wood ...

. Upon his accession he found that the

Panic of 1873 The Panic of 1873 was a financial crisis that triggered an economic depression in Europe and North America that lasted from 1873 to 1877 or 1879 in France and in Britain. In Britain, the Panic started two decades of stagnation known as the "L ...

had left the diocese's property and finances in disarray. Yet Tuigg extricated the diocese from its difficulties. Upon Domenec's retirement as bishop of the Diocese of Allegheny in 1877, the former diocese was left ''

sede vacante In the Catholic Church, ''sede vacante'' is the state during which a diocese or archdiocese is without a prelate installed in office, with the prelate's office being the cathedral. The term is used frequently in reference to a papal interre ...

,'' without a bishop. Tuigg was appointed apostolic administrator of the territory, but this new and increased burden was more than he could bear, and Tuigg's health began to give way. After having suffered a

paralytic stroke Stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to a part of the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop ...

, he took a sabbatical. Though he had begun to recover, Tuigg returned, and suffered another stroke. His bad health forced the Vatican to appoint Richard Phelan as coadjutor bishop to run the diocese. At the time, the combined Pittsburgh and Allegheny dioceses contained 133 churches and 191 chapels, convents, and educational institutions. John Tuigg died in Altoona on December 7, 1889, at age 69. He is buried in the cemetery of St. John Church in that city.

References

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Tuigg, John 1820 births 1889 deaths 19th-century Irish people Christian clergy from County Cork Alumni of All Hallows College, Dublin Roman Catholic bishops of Pittsburgh 19th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States American Roman Catholic clergy of Irish descent