Leonard Neale
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Leonard Neale (October 15, 1746 – June 18, 1817) was an
American Catholic The Catholic Church in the United States is part of the worldwide Catholic Church in communion with the pope, who as of 2025 is Chicago, Illinois-born Leo XIV. With 23 percent of the United States' population , the Catholic Church is the cou ...
prelate and
Jesuit The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...
who became the second
Archbishop of Baltimore The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Baltimore () is the archdiocese of the Latin Church of the Catholic Church in northern and western Maryland in the United States. It is the metropolitan see of the Ecclesiastical Province of Baltimore. The Archd ...
and the first Catholic
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 ...
to be ordained in the United States. While president of Georgetown College, Neale became the coadjutor bishop to Bishop John Carroll and founded the Georgetown Visitation Monastery and
Academy An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...
. Neale was born in the British
Province of Maryland The Province of Maryland was an Kingdom of England, English and later British colonization of the Americas, British colony in North America from 1634 until 1776, when the province was one of the Thirteen Colonies that joined in supporting the A ...
to a prominent family that produced many Catholic leaders, including his brothers,
Francis Francis may refer to: People and characters *Pope Francis, head of the Catholic Church (2013–2025) *Francis (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Francis (surname) * Francis, a character played by YouTuber Boogie2 ...
and
Charles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''* ...
. He was educated in Europe, where he entered the Society of Jesus in 1767. Neale then volunteered to become 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 ...
in a Dutch colony in South America in 1779. He spent four years there, before becoming discouraged by the resistance from both the European colonists and
indigenous people There is no generally accepted definition of Indigenous peoples, although in the 21st century the focus has been on self-identification, cultural difference from other groups in a state, a special relationship with their traditional territ ...
to his
proselytism Proselytism () is the policy of attempting to convert people's religious or political beliefs. Carrying out attempts to instill beliefs can be called proselytization. Proselytism is illegal in some countries. Some draw distinctions between Chris ...
. He returned to Maryland, where he rejoined his former Jesuit colleagues from Europe at St. Thomas Manor. In 1793, Neale was appointed
pastor A pastor (abbreviated to "Ps","Pr", "Pstr.", "Ptr." or "Psa" (both singular), or "Ps" (plural)) is the leader of a Christianity, Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutherani ...
of Old St. Joseph's and Old St. Mary's Churches in
Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
. Bishop Carroll also made him
vicar general A vicar general (previously, archdeacon) is the principal deputy of the bishop or archbishop of a diocese or an archdiocese for the exercise of administrative authority and possesses the title of local ordinary. As vicar of the bishop, the vica ...
for Philadelphia and the northern states. During the yellow fever epidemic in Philadelphia, Neale established the first Catholic
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 ...
there to care for the many orphaned children. Neale served as president of Georgetown College in Washington from 1799 to 1806, where his imposition of strict discipline helped cause declining student enrollment. Though he was appointed coadjutor bishop in 1795, Neale was not
consecrated 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 (a ...
until 1800. Neale supported the restoration of the Jesuits in the United States, which occurred in 1805. Neale became the Archbishop of Baltimore in 1815. He faced several conflicts with lay trustees, one resulting in a temporary
schism A schism ( , , or, less commonly, ) is a division between people, usually belonging to an organization, movement, or religious denomination. The word is most frequently applied to a split in what had previously been a single religious body, suc ...
at a parish in
Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the List of municipalities in South Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint of South Carolina's coastline on Charleston Harbor, an inlet of the Atla ...
.


Early life

Leonard Neale was born on October 15, 1746, at Chandler's Hope, the Neale family estate near Port Tobacco Village in the British Province of Maryland. His ancestors included Captain
James Neale Captain James Neale (1615 – 1684) was an influential early immigrant to Maryland. Early life Neale was born in 1615, to Jane Baker and Raphael Neale of Drury Lane, London and of Wollaston, Northamptonshire, England. One of his daughters was ...
, who arrived from England in 1637 after receiving a royal grant of in the future Port Tobacco. Neale's parents, William Neale and Anne Neal ''née'' Brooke, had thirteen children. Two of Neale's brothers died early, while the four surviving brothers became Catholic
priests A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, ...
. Reverend Charles Neale served as superior of the American Jesuit community. Another brother, Reverend Francis Neale, became president of Georgetown College. A sister, Anne Neale, served in the Order of Poor Clares in Aire-sur-la-Lys, France Another sister, Mary Neale Williams, was the mother of Reverend William Matthews, another president of Georgetown College. As a young boy, Neale attended the Bohemia Manor School in Bohemia Manor, Maryland. Anne Neale wanted to further her sons' education in a Catholic college in Maryland, but the provincial government had banned them. She was forced to send them all to the College of English Jesuits at
Saint-Omer Saint-Omer (; ; Picard: ''Saint-Onmé'') is a commune and sub-prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais department in France. It is west-northwest of Lille on the railway to Calais, and is located in the Artois province. The town is named after Sa ...
in France. Leonard Neale left for Saint-Omer in 1758 at age 12, where he achieved a good academic record. As a child, Neale had decided to become a priest and now decided to fulfill that ambition. He moved to
Bruges Bruges ( , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders, in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is in the northwest of the country, and is the sixth most populous city in the country. The area of the whole city amoun ...
in
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 ...
in the
Austrian Netherlands The Austrian Netherlands was the territory of the Burgundian Circle of the Holy Roman Empire between 1714 and 1797. The period began with the acquisition by the Austrian Habsburg monarchy of the former Spanish Netherlands under the Treaty of Ras ...
to continue his studies when the college relocated there in 1762. Neale entered the Society of Jesus on September 7, 1767. When the college relocated a second time to
Liège Liège ( ; ; ; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality of Wallonia, and the capital of the Liège Province, province of Liège, Belgium. The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east o ...
in the Austrian Netherlands, Neale completed his study of philosophy and theology in that city.


Priest in Europe

Neale was
ordained 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 ...
a priest for the Society of Jesus in Liège on June 5, 1773, by Bishop Franz Karl von Velbrück. Immediately after his ordination, Neale returned to the College of Liège to join the faculty there. However, his tenure at the college was very short lived. On July 7, 1773,
Pope Clement XIV Pope Clement XIV (; ; 31 October 1705 – 22 September 1774), born Giovanni Vincenzo Antonio Ganganelli, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 19 May 1769 to his death in September 1774. At the time of his elec ...
published ''
Dominus ac Redemptor ''Dominus ac Redemptor'' (''Lord and Redeemer'') is the papal brief promulgated on 21 July 1773 by which Pope Clement XIV suppressed the Society of Jesus. The Society was restored in 1814 by Pius VII. Background The Jesuits had been expelled ...
'', which ordered the worldwide suppression of the Jesuits. In response, the
Austrian Empire The Austrian Empire, officially known as the Empire of Austria, was a Multinational state, multinational European Great Powers, great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the Habsburg monarchy, realms of the Habsburgs. Duri ...
seized the College of Liège and expelled all the Jesuits priests from the Austrian Netherlands. Neale then moved to England, along with the rest of the English Jesuits. He spent the next four years ministering to a small Catholic congregation in Hardwick, County Durham. Neale was later able to return to Liège, where he spent two years, then to
Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...
. Neale spent his final time in Europe working as a chaplain at the
convent A convent is an enclosed community of monks, nuns, friars or religious sisters. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The term is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglican ...
of the
Canonesses Regular of the Holy Sepulchre The Canonesses Regular of the Holy Sepulchre (CRSS), or ''Sepulchrine Canonesses'', are a Catholic female religious order first documented in 1300. They were originally the female branch of the ancient religious order of that name, the Canons Regu ...
in Bruges.


Missionary in South America

In 1779, at Neale's request, the Jesuit Order sent him to
Demerara Demerara (; , ) is a historical region in the Guianas, on the north coast of South America, now part of the country of Guyana. It was a colony of the Dutch West India Company between 1745 and 1792 and a colony of the Dutch state from 1792 unti ...
, a
Dutch West India Company The Dutch West India Company () was a Dutch chartered company that was founded in 1621 and went defunct in 1792. Among its founders were Reynier Pauw, Willem Usselincx (1567–1647), and Jessé de Forest (1576–1624). On 3 June 1621, it was gra ...
colony that is part of present-day
Guyana Guyana, officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern coast of South America, part of the historic British West Indies. entry "Guyana" Georgetown, Guyana, Georgetown is the capital of Guyana and is also the co ...
, to serve as a missionary. Neale initially worked on evangelizing the European colonists, but they rejected his attempts and barred him from building a chapel in the colony. Neale then turned his attention to the conversion of the
indigenous people There is no generally accepted definition of Indigenous peoples, although in the 21st century the focus has been on self-identification, cultural difference from other groups in a state, a special relationship with their traditional territ ...
who lived in the forests. Neale found that
proselytizing Proselytism () is the policy of attempting to convert people's religious or political beliefs. Carrying out attempts to instill beliefs can be called proselytization. Proselytism is illegal in some countries. Some draw distinctions between Chris ...
the indigenous people was equally difficult. On one occasion, Neale was passing through a tribal village when he saw a small child who was dying. His father, a
tribal chief A tribal chief, chieftain, or headman is a leader of a tribe, tribal society or chiefdom. Tribal societies There is no definition for "tribe". The concept of tribe is a broadly applied concept, based on tribal concepts of societies of weste ...
implored Neale to cure him. Neale
baptized Baptism (from ) is a Christian sacrament of initiation almost invariably with the use of water. It may be performed by sprinkling or pouring water on the head, or by immersing in water either partially or completely, traditionally three ...
the boy, who then miraculously recovered from his illness. The chief and his family all converted to Catholicism along with a few other villagers. However, the indigenous people generally resisted Neale's efforts and also refused to permit construction of a chapel on their lands. Discouraged and weakened from
malaria Malaria is a Mosquito-borne disease, mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects vertebrates and ''Anopheles'' mosquitoes. Human malaria causes Signs and symptoms, symptoms that typically include fever, Fatigue (medical), fatigue, vomitin ...
, Neale left Demerara in January 1783, setting sail for Maryland. His voyage was delayed briefly when the
Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...
seized his ship near Demerara during the
Fourth Anglo-Dutch War The Fourth Anglo-Dutch War (; 1780–1784) was a conflict between the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Dutch Republic. The war, contemporary with the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783), broke out over British and Dutch disagreements on t ...
. Neale arrived in Maryland in April 1783 after 25 years in Europe and South America.


Priest in Maryland

Once back in Maryland, Neale started serving at St. Thomas Manor near Chandler's Hope, the family estate. With the end of the
American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...
, Reverend John Carroll, a Jesuit colleague from Europe, started meeting with the few priests in the area to lay the foundations for the new American Catholic Church. Neale attended the first meeting of the Corporation of Roman Catholic Clergymen of Maryland at White Marsh Manor in Bowie, Maryland, in 1783. He remained an active member of this group in the succeeding years. In 1793, Carroll and a group of supporters started raising money to fund the establishment of the Academy of Georgetown in present-day Washington, D.C. Neale led a group of priests opposed to Carroll's selling corporation land owned to finance the new institution.


Vicar General of Philadelphia

In 1793, Neale volunteered to go to
Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
to help the church there during a yellow fever epidemic, despite his own weak health. The disease had killed ten percent of the city's population. At
Old St. Joseph's Church Old St. Joseph's Church is a church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and was the first Catholic Church, Roman Catholic church in the city. The church was founded in 1733; the current building was dedicated in 1839. History Old St. Joseph's Chu ...
, the pastor, Dominic Graessel, two assistant priests and hundreds of parishioners had died during the epidemic. Neale started serving as pastor of both Old St. Joseph's Church and Old St. Mary's Church. Carroll also named Neale as
vicar general A vicar general (previously, archdeacon) is the principal deputy of the bishop or archbishop of a diocese or an archdiocese for the exercise of administrative authority and possesses the title of local ordinary. As vicar of the bishop, the vica ...
, responsible for supervising Catholics in Philadelphia and all the northern states. Neale himself contracted yellow fever at one point; he survived the illness, but never fully recovered his health. While serving in Philadelphia, Neale met Alice Lalor, a young woman who was a devout Catholic. Before coming to the United States, Lalor had promised to help her bishop in Ireland found a religious order in
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 ...
. However, her family insisted that she immigrate with them. Lalor vowed to return to Ireland in two years to set up the community. Neale convinced her to instead found a religious community in Philadelphia. Lalor and two other women, with Neale's assistance, established a small Catholic school for girls in Philadelphia. However, Lalor was soon forced to close the school after her two co-founders died of yellow fever. In 1796, Neale faced a challenge of his authority from the lay board of trustees at one of Philadelphia's parishes. Used to their independence, the board believed that it, not the bishop, had the right to control parish property and the selection of priests. After yellow fever broke out again in Philadelphia in 1797 and 1798, Neale established the first Catholic
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 the city to care for children orphaned by the disease. According to legend, Neale converted former President
George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...
to Catholicism while he was dying in 1799. Neale received a summons to come to
Mount Vernon Mount Vernon is the former residence and plantation of George Washington, a Founding Father, commander of the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War, and the first president of the United States, and his wife, Martha. An American landmar ...
, the Washington estate in Virginia. Travelling down the
Potomac River The Potomac River () is in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and flows from the Potomac Highlands in West Virginia to Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. It is long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography D ...
from St. Thomas Manor, Neale allegedly met with Washington. He heard his
confession A confession is a statement – made by a person or by a group of people – acknowledging some personal fact that the person (or the group) would ostensibly prefer to keep hidden. The term presumes that the speaker is providing information that ...
and then conditionally baptized him, receiving him into the Catholic Church. The story was passed along over time by other Jesuit priests and enslaved people at Mount Vernon. However, the Catholic historian Martin I. J. Griffin concluded that it was probably untrue. Written accounts by witnesses of Washington's final hours did not mention the presence of Neale or any other clergy.


Coadjutor Bishop of Baltimore

As the Diocese of Baltimore grew in size and population, Carroll requested that the Sacred Congregation ''de Propaganda Fide'' appoint Neale as coadjutor bishop of Baltimore to assist him. On March 23, 1795, the ''Propaganda Fide'' selected Neale as coadjutor bishop and
Pope Pius VI Pope Pius VI (; born Count Angelo Onofrio Melchiorre Natale Giovanni Antonio called Giovanni Angelo or Giannangelo Braschi, 25 December 171729 August 1799) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 15 February 1775 to hi ...
confirmed its selection on April 17. The pope also named Neale as the
titular bishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox an ...
of
Gortyna Gortyna (; also known as Gortyn (Γορτύν)) was a town of ancient Crete which appears in the Homeric poems under the form of Γορτύν; but afterwards became usually Gortyna (Γόρτυνα). According to Stephanus of Byzantium it was or ...
. Neale's tenure as pastor of St. Joseph's and St. Mary's ended in March 1799 when he left Philadelphia to become president of Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. Due to the ongoing turmoil in Europe resulting from the French Revolution, the
bulls Bulls may refer to: *The plural of bull, an adult male bovine * Bulls, New Zealand, a small town in the Rangitikei District Sports *Bucking bull, used in the sport of bull riding *Bulls (rugby union), a South African rugby union franchise operated ...
of appointment were twice lost in transit. Cardinal
Stefano Borgia Stefano Borgia (3 December 1731 – 1804) was an Italian Cardinal, theologian, antiquarian, and historian. Life Cardinal Borgia belonged to a well-known family of Velletri, where he was born, and was a member of the collateral branch of House ...
was finally able to forward them to Carroll in the summer of 1800. Neale was
consecrated 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 (a ...
a bishop on December 7, 1800, at St. Peter's Pro-Cathedral in Baltimore by Carroll, with Reverend Reverend Francis Nagot and Reverend Francis Beeston serving as co-consecrators. With this ceremony, Neale became the first bishop to be consecrated in the United States. Despite his elevation to coadjutor bishop, Neale continued to reside in Washington.


Georgetown University

In 1799, Carroll named Neale as president of Georgetown College, the successor institution to the Academy of Georgetown . Carroll also named Francis Neale as vice president of the college, responsible for its finances. Leonard Neale assumed office on March 30, 1799. Neale moved from Philadelphia to Washington to live on the Georgetown campus, as requested by the college board of directors. To save money, Neale slept on a folding bed in the college library. He also served as a tutor at the college. Neale would continue to serve as president of Georgetown after he was named coadjutor bishop of Baltimore in 1800. As president of Georgetown, Neale instituted strict discipline on the student body, adopting a quasi-
monastic Monasticism (; ), also called monachism or monkhood, is a religious way of life in which one renounces worldly pursuits to devote oneself fully to spiritual activities. Monastic life plays an important role in many Christian churches, especially ...
regimen. To eliminate fraternization between the seminarians and the lay students, he segregated the seminarians from all lay students and moved the non-Catholic lay students to off-campus housing. Enrollment at Georgetown started to drop. The low enrollment meant that the college did not have enough revenue to finish the
Old North building The Old North Building, or simply Old North, is the oldest extant academic building on the campus of Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., and was the second major building built on the campus. To the east, the building is joined to Healy Ha ...
or even guarantee food for its students. Carroll complained that Neale's strict rules were driving lay students away from Georgetown, causing the financial problems. The college also faced increase competition for lay students from St. Mary's Seminary in Baltimore. Its leader, former Georgetown president Louis DuBourg, had opened a program for these students. Neale responded by expanding the course of studies at Georgetown, adding philosophy in 1801 as the final course in the full Jesuit curriculum.


Jesuit restoration

The 1773 suppression of the Jesuits, which prohibited them in the United States and elsewhere around the world, had not been enforced by the Russian tsars against the small Jesuit community in the
Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...
. In 1805,
Pope Pius VII Pope Pius VII (; born Barnaba Niccolò Maria Luigi Chiaramonti; 14 August 1742 – 20 August 1823) was head of the Catholic Church from 14 March 1800 to his death in August 1823. He ruled the Papal States from June 1800 to 17 May 1809 and again ...
, at the request of Emperor
Paul I of Russia Paul I (; – ) was Emperor of Russia from 1796 until his assassination in 1801. Paul remained overshadowed by his mother, Catherine the Great, for most of his life. He adopted the Pauline Laws, laws of succession to the Russian throne—rules ...
, issued a
papal bull A papal bull is a type of public decree, letters patent, or charter issued by the pope of the Catholic Church. It is named after the leaden Seal (emblem), seal (''bulla (seal), bulla'') traditionally appended to authenticate it. History Papal ...
that officially lifted the order of suppression in Russia. Leonard Neale and his brothers, Francis and Charles, told Carroll that if Jesuit priests in the United States affiliated with the Jesuit province in Russia, it would under church law restore the Jesuit community in the United States. Though initially dubious of the feasibility of this scheme, Carroll eventually consented to it. He and Leonard Neale then petitioned Reverend
Gabriel Gruber Gabriel Gruber, SJ (4 May 1740 – 7 April 1805) was an Austrian Jesuit and polymath of Slovenian descent. Aside from his classical formation for the priesthood, his interests ranged across agriculture, architecture, astronomy, engineering, hy ...
, the Jesuit Superior General, to make the affiliation. In 1805, the Society of Jesus was allowed to reestablish in the United States, with two new Jesuit priests arriving from Europe that same year. Neale was now able to open a Jesuit
novitiate The novitiate, also called the noviciate, is the period of training and preparation that a Christian ''novice'' (or ''prospective'') monastic, apostolic, or member of a religious order undergoes prior to taking vows in order to discern whether ...
at Georgetown College. Carroll succeeded in recruiting several European Jesuits, such as Reverend
Anthony Kohlmann Anthony Kohlmann (born Anton; July 13, 1771 – April 11, 1836) was an Alsatian Catholic priest, missionary, theologian, and Jesuit educator. He played a decisive role in the early formation of the Archdiocese of New York, where he was ...
, to come to Georgetown to serve as priests and teach. With the addition of several Jesuit priests, Neale was able to phase out all the lay faculty at the college. The college faculty now consisted of Jesuit priests, Sulpician priests, secular priests and seminarians. He also expanded the course of studies by adding philosophy, the final course in the full Jesuit curriculum.


Georgetown Visitation Monastery and Academy

As the Catholic population of Washington grew, a need arose for a Catholic girls school. Neale suggested to Lalor, his friend from Philadelphia, that she start a religious community to operate a girls school in Washington. Lalor and two of her associates, Maria McDermott and Maria Sharpe, moved to the District of Columbia, taking up temporary residence at a
Poor Clares The Poor Clares, officially the Order of Saint Clare (Latin language, Latin: ''Ordo Sanctae Clarae''), originally referred to as the Order of Poor Ladies, and also known as the Clarisses or Clarissines, the Minoresses, the Franciscan Clarist Or ...
community in Georgetown. The women soon became known as the "three pious ladies". With Neale's guidance, the women decided to enter the
Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary The Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary (), abbreviated VSM and also known as the Visitandines, is a Catholic Church, Catholic religious order of Pontifical Right for women. Members of the order are also known as the Salesian Sisters (not to be ...
. Neale drew up the rules for the new enclosed religious community. When the Poor Clares sisters decided to return to Europe, Neale purchased their building in Georgetown and turned it over to the Visitation sisters on June 29, 1808. The sisters then opened Georgetown Visitation Academy, the forerunner of
Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School is a private college-preparatory school for girls located in the historic Washington, D.C. neighborhood of Georgetown. Founded in 1799 by the Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary (also known as the ...
. Neale received the nuns'
simple vows A solemn vow is a certain vow ("a deliberate and free promise made to God about a possible and better good") taken by an individual after completion of the novitiate in a Catholic religious institute. It is solemn insofar as the Church recogni ...
in 1813 and remained their spiritual director for the rest of his life. Neale resigned as president of Georgetown College in 1806. When Neale departed, the college had only 26 lay students and its main building was in disrepair. However, the number of Jesuit
novices A novice is a person who has entered a religious order and is under probation, before taking vows. A ''novice'' can also refer to a person (or animal e.g. racehorse) who is entering a profession with no prior experience. Religion Buddhism ...
at the college had risen. Neale moved off campus to a residence near the Georgetown Visitation Monastery, living there until his death.


Archbishop of Baltimore

When Carroll died, Neale automatically succeeded him as the second archbishop of Baltimore on December 3, 1815. He received the
pallium The pallium (derived from the Roman ''pallium'' or ''palla'', a woolen cloak; : pallia) is an ecclesiastical vestment in the Catholic Church, originally peculiar to the pope, but for many centuries bestowed by the Holy See upon metropolitan bish ...
from Pope Pius VII in 1816. Neale was age 70 when he became archbishop and his already fragile health had deteriorated further One of Neale's first acts as archbishop was to request that Pius VII formally recognize the Visitation nuns' community. With the pope's approval, Neale officially recognized the community as the Georgetown Visitation Monastery. For this action, he is recognized as the founder of the institution.


Charleston schism

In 1813, Carroll assigned Reverend Pierre-Joseph de Clorivière as assistant pastor of St. Mary of the Annunciation Parish in
Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the List of municipalities in South Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint of South Carolina's coastline on Charleston Harbor, an inlet of the Atla ...
, after receiving complaints from the parish about their pastor, Reverend Felix Gallagher. When Clorivière went to France to visit family and Gallagher left on a trip up north, Carroll brought in Reverend Robert Browne from
Augusta, Georgia Augusta is a city on the central eastern border of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. The city lies directly across the Savannah River from North Augusta, South Carolina at the head of its navigable portion. Augusta, the third mos ...
, to serve as interim pastor. When Clorivière returned to the United States in 1815, Carroll assigned him as permanent pastor of St. Mary's. However, the trustees of St. Mary were offended that Carroll did not consult with them on the pastor's appointment. They also preferred an Irish priest to reflect the ethnic makeup of the parish. The board appointed Browne as pastor at St. Mary's and dismissed Clorivière, defying Neale, who was now archbishop. Gallagher argued that Neale had no authority to appoint a new pastor without his assent, and that doing so was causing a
schism A schism ( , , or, less commonly, ) is a division between people, usually belonging to an organization, movement, or religious denomination. The word is most frequently applied to a split in what had previously been a single religious body, suc ...
. In response, Neale suspend the priestly faculties of both Gallagher and Browne on February 21, 1816. Browne ignored Neale's order and resumed the pastorate at St. Mary's on March 28. Neale then placed St. Mary's under an
interdict In Catholic canon law, an interdict () is an ecclesiastical censure, or ban that prohibits certain persons or groups from participating in particular rites, or that the rites and services of the church are prohibited in certain territories for ...
, prohibiting Catholic rites at the church In May 1816, Browne traveled to Rome to appeal the interdict and his suspension to the Vatican. Cardinal
Lorenzo Litta Lorenzo Litta (23 February 1756 – 1 May 1820) was an Italian littérateur and churchman, who became a Cardinal. Biography Litta was born in Milan, a member of the noble Litta family. As a youth he was sent by his parents to the Clementine C ...
, the prefect of the ''
Propaganda Fide The Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples (CEP; ) was a congregation of the Roman Curia of the Catholic Church in Rome, responsible for missionary work and related activities. It is also known by its former title, the Sacred Congregati ...
'', lifted the St. Mary's interdict and allowed Browne to remain as pastor there. Neale appealed Litta's decision to Pius VII, who reversed it on July 6, 1817, a few weeks after Neale's death. Clorivière, at his own request, was later assigned to the Visitation school in Washington as chaplain, Browne remained pastor at St. Mary's and the trustees submitted to the new archbishop's authority.


Death and legacy

Due to his declining health, Neale requested that the Vatican appoint Bishop
Jean-Louis Lefebvre de Cheverus Jean-Louis Anne Madelain Lefebvre de Cheverus (also known as John Cheverus; 28 January 1768 – 19 July 1836) was a French people, French-born Catholic Church, Catholic prelate who served as the first Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston, Bishop ...
as coadjutor archbishop of Baltimore to assist him. However, Cheverus, then bishop of the Diocese of Boston, did not want to leave Boston. Leonard Neale died in Washington on June 18, 1817. Unaware of Neale's death, the Vatican named Reverend
Ambrose Maréchal Ambrose Maréchal, P.S.S. (August 28, 1764 – January 29, 1828) was a French-born Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of Baltimore from 1817 until his death. He was a member of the Sulpicians. Maréchal dedicated the Cathedral of the As ...
as coadjutor archbishop on July 24, 1817. Maréchal would ultimately succeed Neale as archbishop. Neale was buried in the
crypt A crypt (from Greek κρύπτη (kryptē) ''wikt:crypta#Latin, crypta'' "Burial vault (tomb), vault") is a stone chamber beneath the floor of a church or other building. It typically contains coffins, Sarcophagus, sarcophagi, or Relic, religiou ...
of the chapel at the Visitation Monastery. The Leonard Neale House in Washington served as the home of a Jesuit community from the 1960s until 2016, when the community merged with the Jesuits at
Gonzaga College High School Gonzaga College High School is a private Catholic college-preparatory high school for boys in Washington, D.C. Founded by the Jesuits in 1821 as the Washington Seminary, Gonzaga is named in honor of Aloysius Gonzaga, an Italian saint from the ...
in Washington. The Archbishop Neale School in
La Plata, Maryland La Plata ( ) is a town in Charles County, Maryland, Charles County, Maryland, United States. The population was 10,159 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the county seat of Charles County. History According to an unconfirmed loc ...
, is named after Leonard Neale.


See also

*
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 ...
*
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 ...


Informational notes


References


Citations


Bibliography

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Further reading

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Neale, Leonard 1746 births 1817 deaths People from Port Tobacco Village, Maryland People educated at Stonyhurst College 18th-century American Jesuits 19th-century American Jesuits American Roman Catholic missionaries Presidents of Georgetown University Jesuit archbishops Roman Catholic archbishops of Baltimore 19th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in the United States 18th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States