Thomas Daniel Beaven (March 1, 1851 – October 5, 1920) was an American prelate of the

Roman 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 served as the second bishop of the Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts from 1892 to 1920.

Biography

Early life

Thomas Beaven was born on March 1, 1851, in Springfield,

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

. He received his early education there. After graduating from the

College of the Holy Cross The College of the Holy Cross is a private Jesuit liberal arts college in Worcester, Massachusetts, United States. It was founded by educators Benedict Joseph Fenwick and Thomas F. Mulledy in 1843 under the auspices of the Society of Jesus. ...

in Worcester, Massachusetts, in 1870, he taught mathematics at Loyola College in Baltimore, Maryland for a year. Beaven then studied

theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

at the Grand Seminary of Montreal in Montreal, Quebec. Beaven 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 ...

to the priesthood in Montreal by Archbishop

Édouard-Charles Fabre Édouard-Charles Fabre (; February 28, 1827 – December 30, 1896) was Bishop of Montréal in 1876 and first Archbishop of Montreal in 1886. Life Fabre was the eldest of 11 children in an important Montreal business family. His father Édou ...

for the Diocese of Springfield on December 18, 1875. He then served as assistant pastor of a parish in

Spencer, Massachusetts Spencer is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 11,992 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. For geographic and demographic information on the census-designated pl ...

, until 1879, when he became its

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 ...

. In 1888, he was appointed pastor of Holy Rosary Parish in

Holyoke, Massachusetts Holyoke is a city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States, that lies between the western bank of the Connecticut River and the Mount Tom Range. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 38,247. Loca ...

Bishop of Springfield

On August 9, 1892, Beaven was appointed bishop of the Diocese of Springfield by

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 ...

.Kiltonic, Stephen. "History of the Diocese", Part 2, 150th Anniversary Celebration
/ref> He received his episcopal

consecration 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 ( ...

on October 18, 1892, from Archbishop

John Williams John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932)Nylund, Rob (November 15, 2022)Classic Connection review, ''WBOI'' ("For the second time this year, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic honored American composer, conductor, and arranger John Williams, who w ...

, with Bishops Denis Bradley and John Michaud serving as

co-consecrators A consecrator is a bishop who ordains someone to the episcopacy. A co-consecrator is someone who assists the consecrator bishop in the act of ordaining a new bishop. The terms are used in the canon law of the Catholic Church, Lutheran Churche ...

, at St. Michael's Cathedral in Springfield. A humble individual, Beaven preferred to ride the trolley rather than use a private carriage to get around Springfield. In addition to French and Irish parishes, Beaven established churches in the diocese for Polish, Italian,

Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...

n, Slovakian and Maronite Rite Catholics. During his tenure, he opened the Beaven-Kelly Home for senior men; a home for abandoned infants;

hospital A hospital is a healthcare institution providing patient treatment with specialized Medical Science, health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically ...

s in Worcester, Springfield, Montague, and Adams;

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 ...

s in Holyoke, Worcester, and

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...

; a House of the Good Shepherd at Springfield; and residences for single working women in many places. Thomas Beaven died in Springfield on October 5, 1920, at age 69. He was buried in St. Augustine’s Chapel at St. Michael’s Cathedral in Springfield.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Beaven, Thomas Daniel 1851 births 1920 deaths 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States College of the Holy Cross alumni Roman Catholic bishops of Springfield in Massachusetts 19th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States