Miquel Joan Josep Domènech i Veciana, C.M. (; 1816–1878) was a Spanish Catholic prelate who served as the only Bishop of Allegheny from 1876 to 1877. He previously served as Bishop of Pittsburgh from 1860 to 1876. He was a member of the

Vincentians Vincentian can refer to: People *A citizen of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines *A person from Saint Vincent (island), the largest island in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines *A member of one of the orders or societies in the Vincentian Family, both ...

Biography

Early life

Michael Domenec was born on December 27, 1816, and baptized the same day at the parish church of

Saint Peter Saint Peter (born Shimon Bar Yonah; 1 BC – AD 64/68), also known as Peter the Apostle, Simon Peter, Simeon, Simon, or Cephas, was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus and one of the first leaders of the Jewish Christian#Jerusalem ekklēsia, e ...

Reus Reus () is the capital of Baix Camp, in Camp de Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain. The area has long been an important producer of wines and spirits, and gained continental significance during the time of the Phylloxera plague. Currently it is known f ...

, near

Tarragona Tarragona (, ; ) is a coastal city and municipality in Catalonia (Spain). It is the capital and largest town of Tarragonès county, the Camp de Tarragona region and the province of Tarragona. Geographically, it is located on the Costa Daurada ar ...

, Spain. His parents, Josep Domènech and Tecla Viciana, were of a wealthy family of high social standing. (American sources spell the family name "Domenec.") His early education was received at

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

. The outbreak of the

Carlist War The Carlist Wars (, ) were a series of civil wars that took place in Spain during the 19th century. The contenders fought over claims to the throne, although some political differences also existed. Several times during the period from 1833 to 1 ...

interrupted Domenec's studies; when he was age fifteen, his family fled Spain for political reasons. They moved to France, where Domenec studied at the College of Montolieu in

Aude Aude ( ; ) is a Departments of France, department in Southern France, located in the Occitania (administrative region), Occitanie Regions of France, region and named after the river Aude (river), Aude. The departmental council also calls it " ...

, where he joined the

Congregation of the Mission The Congregation of the Mission (), abbreviated CM and commonly called the Vincentians or Lazarists, is a Catholic Church, Catholic society of apostolic life of pontifical right for men founded by Vincent de Paul. It is associated with the Vin ...

, also known as the Vincentians or Lazarites.Canevin, Regis. "Pittsburgh." The Catholic Encyclopedia
Vol. 12. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1911. 1 September 2019 He lived at their motherhouse in Paris until 1838. In Paris, Domenec met Father John Timon, the visitor general of the Vincentians in the United States. At Timon's invitation, Domenec joined the American mission, arriving at St. Mary's of the Barrens, a seminary in

Perryville, Missouri Perryville is a city in Perry County, Missouri, United States. The population was 8,555 at the 2020 United States census. Perryville is the county seat of Perry County. History Perryville was selected the county seat of Perry County by Robert ...

. Domenec became fluent in English and acquired a reputation as an orator.

Priesthood

Domenec was ordained for the Vincentians by Bishop

Joseph Rosati Joseph Rosati, CM (30 January 1789 – 25 September 1843) was an Italian-born Catholic missionary to the United States who served as the first bishop of the Diocese of Saint Louis in the Missouri Territory from 1826 to 1843. He built the first ...

to the priesthood on June 30, 1839. Having acted as professor at St. Mary's seminary, and at the same time serving as a missionary in

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

, he was sent in 1845 to help operated St. Vincent's Seminary at Philadelphia. He was also appointed pastor of St. Stephen's Parish in Nicetown, Pennsylvania, and later of St. Vincent de Paul Parish in Germantown, Pennsylvania.

Bishop of Pittsburgh

On September 28, 1860, Domenec was appointed by

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 ...

as the second bishop of the Diocese of Pittsburgh. Domenec was consecrated in

Saint Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Paul the Apostle, is an Anglican cathedral in London, England, the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London in the Church of Engl ...

by Archbishop

Francis Kenrick Francis Patrick Kenrick (December 3, 1796 or 1797 – July 8, 1863) was an Irish-born Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Philadelphia (1842–1851) and Archbishop of Baltimore (1851–1863). Kenrick grew up in Ireland, where he received ...

on December 9, 1860. Domenec found the diocese in good order: "well-supplied with priests and churches, and finely equipped institutions". However, even though Domenec was opposed to debt, he was unable to deal successfully with financial involvements—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 ...

was a fiscal disaster for the Pittsburgh diocese. In the period after the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, when debts should have been paid off instead of more incurred, improvements upon the cathedral and the building of churches, convents, and schools had rolled up heavy obligations which the diocese could no longer meet. Domenec visited Rome several times—he was present at the invitation of

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 ...

at the canonization of the

Japanese martyrs The were Christian missionaries and followers who were persecuted and executed, mostly during the Tokugawa shogunate period in the 17th century. The Japanese saw the rituals of the Christians causing people to pray, close their eyes with the sign ...

in 1862, and as a council father at 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 1869.

Bishop of Allegheny

The growth of Diocese of Pittsburgh prompted the Vatican in 1875 to erect another diocese to support the Catholic population. The Diocese of Allegheny was split off from the Diocese Pittsburgh on January 11, 1876, and Pius IX appointed Domenec as its first bishop. This division was an unpopular decision in the Diocese of Pittsburgh, as it saddled the diocese with the most debt-ridden institutions. Domenec traveled to Rome in early 1877 to advocate for the Diocese of Pittsburgh. Pius IX then reversed his previous decision and the two dioceses were reunited. Domenec then resigned as bishop of the Diocese of Allegheny.

Resignation and legacy

While awaiting a new assignment from the Vatican, Domenec travelled to

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

in the fall of 1877 to preach in the churches there. After catching pneumonia at Tarragona, Michael Domenec died there on January 7, 1878. He is entombed in the Cathedral of Tarragona.

Notes

Many sources on Domenec's life spell ''Reus'' as "Ruez"; at least one correctly spells the city's name. His full name and the names of his parents are recorded in the parish's baptismal records (Book 20, Folio 109, 27 December 1816).

Sources

References

Bibliography

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Domenec, Michael 1816 births 1878 deaths People from Reus Vincentians Spanish Roman Catholic missionaries Roman Catholic bishops of Pittsburgh Spanish Roman Catholic bishops in North America Vincentian bishops 19th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States Spanish expatriates in the United States