Mathias Clement Lenihan, (October 6, 1854 – August 19, 1943) was a 20th-century archbishop in the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

in the

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. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Great Falls in the state of

Montana Montana () is a U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West List of regions of the United States#Census Bureau-designated regions and divisions, division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North ...

from 1904-30.

Biography

Early life & ministry

Born in

Dubuque, Iowa Dubuque (, ) is the county seat of Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, located along the Mississippi River. At the time of the 2020 census, the population of Dubuque was 59,667. The city lies at the junction of Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin, a r ...

, Lenihan was educated at

St. Joseph College Saint Joseph's College or Saint Joseph College may refer to: Africa * St Joseph's College, Kgale, Botswana * St. Joseph's College, Sasse, Cameroon * St Joseph's College, Curepipe, Mauritius * St Joseph's Marist College, Rondebosch, South Africa ...

in Dubuque, St. John's College in Prairie du Chien,

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

and the Grand séminaire de Montréal in

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. He was ordained a Catholic

priest 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 particu ...

on December 20, 1879 by Bishop John Hennessy for the

Diocese of Dubuque The Archdiocese of Dubuque ( la, Archidiœcesis Dubuquensis) 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. It includes all the Iowa counti ...

. He was the first native born Iowan to be ordained a priest. From the time of his ordination until 1904 he was involved in parish ministry in the diocese, and later archdiocese, of Dubuque. His first assignment was at Vail and his second was at Marshalltown. In Marshallton he founded St. Thomas Hospital in memory of his brother, the

Rt. Rev. The Right Reverend (abbreviated The Rt Revd, The Rt Rev'd, The Rt Rev.) is a style applied to certain religious figures. Overview *In the Anglican Communion and the Catholic Church in Great Britain, it applies to bishops, except that '' T ...

Thomas Mathias Lenihan Thomas Mathias Lenihan (August 12, 1844 – December 15, 1901) was an Irish-born American prelate of the Catholic Church who served as bishop of the Diocese of Cheyenne in Wyoming from 1896 until his death in 1901. He was the brother of Bishop ...

, who had served as bishop of the Diocese of Cheyenne.

Bishop of Great Falls

On August 26, 1904

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Pius X Pope Pius X ( it, Pio X; born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto; 2 June 1835 – 20 August 1914) was head of the Catholic Church from 4 August 1903 to his death in August 1914. Pius X is known for vigorously opposing modernist interpretations of C ...

named him to be the first bishop of Great Falls. He was consecrated a bishop on September 21, 1904 by Archbishop

John Joseph Keane John Joseph Keane (September 12, 1839 – June 22, 1918) was an Irish-born American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the archbishop of the Archdiocese of Dubuque in Iowa from 1900 to 1911. He previously served as bishop of th ...

of Dubuque. The co-consecrators were Bishops James John Keane of

Cheyenne The Cheyenne ( ) are an Indigenous people of the Great Plains. Their Cheyenne language belongs to the Algonquian languages, Algonquian language family. Today, the Cheyenne people are split into two federally recognized tribe, federally recognize ...

and Joseph Bernard Cotter, of

Winona Winona, Wynona or Wynonna may refer to: Places Canada * Winona, Ontario United States * Winona, Arizona * Winona, Indiana * Winona Lake, Indiana * Winona, Kansas * Winona, Michigan * Winona County, Minnesota ** Winona, Minnesota, the seat of Wi ...

. He was installed on November 5, 1904 at St. Ann Cathedral in Great Falls. Bishop Lenihan served the diocese for 26 years. He was involved in temperance reform, building the

parochial school A parochial school is a private primary or secondary school affiliated with a religious organization, and whose curriculum includes general religious education in addition to secular subjects, such as science, mathematics and language arts. The wor ...

system in the diocese, and constructing a new cathedral. The new St. Ann Cathedral in Great Falls was dedicated on December 15, 1907. He was instrumental in establishing an

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 for by their biological families. The parents may be deceased, absent, or abu ...

staffed by the Sisters of Charity of Providence. The diocese also established several new parishes during his episcopate. Pope Pius XI accepted his resignation as bishop of Great Falls on January 18, 1930. He was named

Titular Archbishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In ...

of ''Preslavus'' on February 14, 1930. He retired to Dubuque and died there on August 19, 1943.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lenihan, Mathias Clement 1854 births 1943 deaths People from Dubuque, Iowa Loras College alumni Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dubuque Roman Catholic bishops of Great Falls 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States People from Marshalltown, Iowa Religious leaders from Iowa Catholics from Iowa