Thomas Francis Hickey (February 4, 1861 – December 10, 1940) 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 Rochester The Diocese of Rochester is a Church of England diocese in the English county of Kent and the Province of Canterbury. The cathedral church of the diocese is Rochester Cathedral in the former city of Rochester. The bishop's Latin episcopal si ...

in New York (1909–1928).

Biography

Early life

Hickey was born in

Rochester, New York Rochester is a city in and the county seat, seat of government of Monroe County, New York, United States. It is the List of municipalities in New York, fourth-most populous city and 10th most-populated municipality in New York, with a populati ...

on February 4, 1861, to Jeremiah and Margaret Hickey. He studied at St. John's Seminary and Fordham University, both in New York City, and at St. Joseph's Seminary in Troy New York. Hickey 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 on March 25, 1884. After his ordination, he held pastoral positions in parishes in

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

and Moravia, New York. Hickey then became chaplain of the New York State Industrial School in Rochester. He was later appointed rector of St. Patrick's Cathedral in Rochester.

Coadjutor Bishop and Bishop of Rochester

On February 18, 1905, Hickey was appointed as

coadjutor bishop A coadjutor bishop (or bishop coadjutor) ("co-assister" in Latin) is a bishop in the Latin Catholic, Anglican and (historically) Eastern Orthodox churches whose main role is to assist the diocesan bishop in administering the diocese. The coa ...

of the Diocese of Rochester and

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 ''Berenice'' by

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 ...

. 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 May 24, 1905, from Cardinal John Farley, with Bishops Bernard McQuaid and Patrick Ludden 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 ...

. Upon the death of Bishop McQuaid, Hickey automatically succeeded him as bishop of Rochester on January 18, 1909. During his tenure, Hickey was a strong advocate of

Catholic education Catholic education may refer to: * Catholic school, primary and secondary education organised by the Roman Catholic Church or affiliated organisations * Catholic higher education, higher education run by the Catholic Church or affiliated organisat ...

, and established a catechetical program for Catholic children enrolled in public schools. He supported the apostolate to

deaf Deafness has varying definitions in cultural and medical contexts. In medical contexts, the meaning of deafness is hearing loss that precludes a person from understanding spoken language, an audiological condition. In this context it is written ...

persons, pioneered the work of Catholic Charities within the diocese, and helped the bishops of New York State to establish an office to communicate with the state legislature about Catholic concerns. Hickey led the creation of the Aquinas Institute for Boys for and Nazareth Academy for girls in Rochester, and the founding of Nazareth College in Pittsford, New York. Hickey's resignation as bishop of the Diocese of Rochester was accepted by

Pope Pius XI Pope Pius XI (; born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti, ; 31 May 1857 – 10 February 1939) was head of the Catholic Church from 6 February 1922 until his death in February 1939. He was also the first sovereign of the Vatican City State u ...

on October 30, 1928; he was appointed

titular archbishop 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 ...

Viminacium Viminacium (also ''Viminatium)'' was a major city, military camp, and the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman province of Moesia (modern-day Serbia). Following the division of Moesia in 87, following Domitian's Domitian's Dacian War, Dacian War, i ...

on the same date. Thomas Hickey died in Rochester of what was termed a "toxic condition" at St. Mary's Hospital on December 10, 1940, at age 79.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hickey, Thomas Francis 1861 births 1940 deaths Saint Joseph's Seminary (Dunwoodie) alumni Fordham University alumni Religious leaders from Rochester, New York Roman Catholic bishops in New York (state) 20th-century American Roman Catholic titular archbishops