Thomas Bonacum (January 29, 1847 – February 4, 1911) was an Irish-born American prelate of the
Catholic Church
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
. He was the first bishop of the
Diocese of Lincoln
The Diocese of Lincoln forms part of the Province of Canterbury in England. The present diocese covers the ceremonial county of Lincolnshire.
History
The diocese traces its roots in an unbroken line to the Pre-Reformation Diocese of Leice ...
in Nebraska, serving from 1887 until his death in 1911.
Biography
Early life
Thomas Bonacum was born January 29, 1847, in Penane,
near
Thurles
Thurles (; ''Durlas Éile'') is a town in County Tipperary, Ireland. It is located in the civil parish of the same name in the barony of Eliogarty and in the ecclesiastical parish of Thurles. The cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Arch ...
,
County Tipperary
County Tipperary () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. The county is named after the town of Tipperary (tow ...
in Ireland, the youngest of four children of Edmund and Mary (née McGrath) Bonacum.
While he was still an infant, the family immigrated to the United States in 1848, settling in
St. Louis
St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...
,
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 ...
.
Bonacum received his early education in St. Louis before attending
Saint Francis de Sales Seminary
Saint Francis de Sales Seminary is a seminary for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee, located in the Milwaukee suburb of St. Francis, Wisconsin. Its main building, called Henni Hall, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places ...
, near
Milwaukee
Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...
, from 1863 to 1867.
Returning to Missouri, he completed his studies for the priesthood at
St. Vincent's Seminary in Cape Girardeau.
Priesthood
Bonacum was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of St. Louis on June 18, 1870, at
St. Mary of Victories Church in St. Louis.
He was ordained by Bishop
Joseph Melcher
Joseph Melcher (March 18, 1807 – December 20, 1873) was an Austrian-born prelate of the Catholic Church who served as the first bishop of the Diocese of Green Bay in Wisconsin from 1868 until his death in 1873.
Biography Early life
Jos ...
, the
Bishop of Green Bay.
After serving for a few months as assistant pastor of St. Joseph's Parish in
Edina, Missouri
Edina is a city and county seat of Knox County, Missouri, United States, between the North and South Forks of the South Fabius River. As of the 2020 census, its population was 1,012.
Geography
Edina is located in central Knox County at the in ...
, Bonacum served as pastor of St. Stephen's Parish in
Indian Creek, Missouri
Indian Creek is an unincorporated community in northeastern Monroe County, in the U.S. state of Missouri.
The community is located on the banks of Indian Creek and along U.S. Route 24
U.S. Route 24 or U.S. Highway 24 (US 24 ...
, from 1871 to 1874.
He then served as pastor of St. Peter's Parish in
Kirkwood, Missouri
Kirkwood is an inner-ring suburb of St. Louis located in western St. Louis County, Missouri. As of the 2020 census, the city's population was 29,461. Founded in 1853, the city is named after James P. Kirkwood, chief engineer of the Pacific Railr ...
(1874–1877).
Bonacum then furthered his studies in Europe, attending the
University of Würzburg
The Julius Maximilian University of Würzburg (also referred to as the University of Würzburg, in German ''Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg'') is a public research university in Würzburg, Germany. Founded in 1402, it is one of the ol ...
in
Bavaria
Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...
for two years. While there, he studied theology under
Franz Hettinger
Franz Hettinger (13 January 1819, at Aschaffenburg – 26 January 1890, at Würzburg) was a German Catholic theologian.
Life
He attended the Gymnasium (school), gymnasium in his native city and afterwards, from 1836 to 1839, the academy in t ...
and canon law and church history under
Joseph Hergenröther
Joseph Hergenröther (15 September 1824 – 3 October 1890) was a German Church historian and canonist, and the first Cardinal-Prefect of the Vatican Archive.
Biography
Born in Würzburg, he was the second son of Johann Jacob Hergenröther, ...
.
After returning to the United States, Bonacum served as pastor of St. Patrick's Parish in
Rolla, Missouri
Rolla () is a city in and the county seat of Phelps County, Missouri, United States. Its population in the 2020 United States Census was 19,943. It is approximately midway between St. Louis and Springfield along I-44. Its micropolitan sta ...
, until 1880,
when he was transferred to
Immaculate Conception Parish in St. Louis.
He remained there for a year before serving as pastor of Holy Name Parish (1882–1887).
While pastor at Holy Name, Bonacum attended the third
Plenary Council of Baltimore from November to December 1884, as a theological consultant to Archbishop Kenrick.
He greatly impressed the bishops at the council, who nominated Bonacum to be the first bishop of the proposed
Diocese of Belleville
The Diocese of Belleville () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the Catholic Church in the Southern Illinois region of the United States. It is a suffragan see in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Roman Cath ...
.
However, the establishment of the diocese was postponed for three years and Bonacum remained at St. Louis during that time.
Bishop of Lincoln
On July 7, 1887, a cablegram from Rome announced that
Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII (; born Gioacchino Vincenzo Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2March 181020July 1903) was head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 until his death in July 1903. He had the fourth-longest reign of any pope, behind those of Peter the Ap ...
appointed Bonacum to be the first bishop of the newly erected
Diocese of Lincoln
The Diocese of Lincoln forms part of the Province of Canterbury in England. The present diocese covers the ceremonial county of Lincolnshire.
History
The diocese traces its roots in an unbroken line to the Pre-Reformation Diocese of Leice ...
.
The official papal document confirming his appointment was dated August 9, 1887,
arriving the following September.
Bonacum received his episcopal consecration on November 30, 1887, from Archbishop Kenrick, with Bishop
Louis Fink and Bishop
James O'Connor James O'Connor or O'Conner may refer to:
Politics and law
* James O'Connor (Louisiana politician) (1870–1941), U.S Representative from Louisiana
* James F. O'Connor (1878–1945), U.S Representative from Montana
* James Francis Thaddeus O'Connor ...
serving as co-consecrators, at St. John's Church in St. Louis.
Bonacum was installed on December 21, 1887, at St. Teresa's Pro-Cathedral.
In 1888, the first full year of his episcopate, the diocese contained a Catholic population of 23,000 with 32 priests, 29 parishes, and three parochial schools.
By the time of Bonacum's death in 1911, there was a Catholic population of 37,000 with 84 priests, 135 churches and 65 with resident pastors, and 28 parochial schools.
Egan dispute
In 1888, Bonacum sued
Patrick Egan, a prominent Lincoln citizen and later
U.S. Ambassador to Chile, for failing to pay a pledge he had made for the improvement of St. Teresa's Pro-Cathedral.
It was rumored that Egan, a staunch
Republican, was unhappy that Bonacum attended a
Democratic reception.
The case went to the
Nebraska Supreme Court
The Nebraska Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of Nebraska. The court consists of a chief justice and six associate justices. Each justice is initially appointed by the governor of Nebraska; using the Missouri Plan, each ...
, which ruled in Bonacum's favor and ordered Egan to pay the pledge.
Corbett dispute
In 1891, Bonacum brought Rev. Martin Corbett of
Palmyra, Nebraska
Palmyra is a village in northwest Otoe County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 534 at the 2020 census.
History
Palmyra was platted in 1870. Its name commemorates the ancient city of Palmyra. 1925 editionis available for download aUn ...
, with whom he had many quarrels, before a diocesan court that consisted of five other priests.
The charges against Corbett were dismissed, but Bonacum tried to remove Corbett from his position in 1894. Corbett refused and sued Bonacum for
libel
Defamation is a communication that injures a third party's reputation and causes a legally redressable injury. The precise legal definition of defamation varies from country to country. It is not necessarily restricted to making assertions ...
after Bonacum wrote a letter announcing Corbett's suspension to his congregation.
Bonacum gained a victory when the libel suit was dismissed,
but it was still the first time a Catholic bishop had been brought to criminal court in the United States.
Murphy dispute
A group of priests submitted a list of complaints against Bonacum to
Francesco Satolli
Francesco Satolli (21 July 1839 – 8 January 1910) was an Italian theologian, professor, cardinal, and the first Apostolic Delegate to the United States.
Biography
He was born on 21 July 1839, at Marsciano near Perugia. He was educated at ...
, the U.S.
Apostolic Delegate
An apostolic nuncio (; also known as a papal nuncio or simply as a nuncio) is an ecclesiastical diplomat, serving as an envoy or a permanent diplomatic representative of the Holy See to a state or to an international organization. A nuncio is ...
, in 1893.
In retaliation, Bonacum tried in 1895 to expel one of those priests, William Murphy, who had also presided over the diocesan trial that originally ruled in Corbett's favor.
Murphy appealed to church authorities and in 1896 an
ecclesiastical court
In organized Christianity, an ecclesiastical court, also called court Christian or court spiritual, is any of certain non-adversarial courts conducted by church-approved officials having jurisdiction mainly in spiritual or religious matters. Histo ...
of the
metropolitan
Metropolitan may refer to:
Areas and governance (secular and ecclesiastical)
* Metropolitan archdiocese, the jurisdiction of a metropolitan archbishop
** Metropolitan bishop or archbishop, leader of an ecclesiastical "mother see"
* Metropolitan ar ...
Archdiocese of Dubuque
The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Dubuque () 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.
The Diocese of Dubuque was erected in 1837 and ...
reversed Bonacum's decision and ordered him to pay a fine as well as Murphy's legal fees.
In 1900, Bonacum tried to remove Murphy from his position as pastor of St. Vincent's Church in
Seward, Nebraska
Seward is a city in and the county seat of Seward County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 7,643 at the 2020 census. Seward is part of the Lincoln, Nebraska metropolitan area.
History
Seward was platted in 1868. It was named from ...
, which also included charge of Immaculate Conception Church in
Ulysses, Nebraska
Ulysses is a village in Butler County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 171 at the 2010 census.
History
The first post office in Ulysses was established in 1869. The village is named for Ulysses S. Grant.
Geography
According to the ...
.
When Murphy refused to step down, Bonacum
excommunicated
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 communion with other members of the con ...
him and brought action in court to have him removed from the church property.
This litigation would last for more than ten years, moving through both secular and ecclesiastical courts and even coming to the personal attention of
Pope Pius X
Pope Pius 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 Modernism in the Catholic Church, modern ...
.
On June 18, 1909, when Bonacum came to Ulysses to remove Murphy from Immaculate Conception Church.
However, Murphy had strong support from the congregation and a mob of more than 200 people forced Bonacum to leave.
Even when the bishop tried to take a taxi out of town, the mob followed him and forced him to get out of the car and walk several miles to the next town.
That battle only ended in 1911, when both Bonacum and Murphy died; the bishop from natural causes and the priest from a car accident.
[ As a result of their feud, Pius X issued a new rule prohibiting priests or bishops from suing a fellow clergyman in secular court.]
Death and legacy
Thomas Bonacum died from complications of pneumonia
Pneumonia is an Inflammation, inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as Pulmonary alveolus, alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of Cough#Classification, productive or dry cough, ches ...
and Bright's disease
Bright's disease is a historical classification of kidney diseases that are described in modern medicine as acute or chronic nephritis. It was characterized by swelling and the presence of albumin in the urine. It was frequently accompanied ...
on February 4, 1911, aged 64. Upon his death, Lincoln mayor Don Love issued the following proclamation: "By this sad event we have lost not only a great prelate but a distinguished and public-spirited citizen as well...It would be a fitting tribute to display emblems of mourning along our public streets and to close our offices and places of business during the hour of his funeral."
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bonacum, Thomas
1847 births
1911 deaths
People from Thurles
Irish emigrants to the United States
Roman Catholic bishops of Lincoln
19th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States
20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States
Christian clergy from County Tipperary