Thomas Grant (bishop)
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Thomas Grant (1816–1870) was a Roman Catholic bishop. He was born in France to British parents in the years following the defeat of the French at Waterloo. He became known as a great negotiator as the Roman Catholic hierarchy was rebuilt in the United Kingdom. He died of cancer while in Rome to attend the first Vatican Council.


Biography


Early life

Born at Ligny-les-Aires,
Arras Arras ( , ; ; historical ) is the prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais department, which forms part of the region of Hauts-de-France; before the reorganization of 2014 it was in Nord-Pas-de-Calais. The historic centre of the Artois region, with a ...
, France, on 25 November 1816, Thomas Grant was the son of Bernard Grant, an Irishman from Acheson's Mill, near
Newry Newry (; ) is a City status in Ireland, city in Northern Ireland, standing on the Newry River, Clanrye river in counties County Down, Down and County Armagh, Armagh. It is near Republic of Ireland–United Kingdom border, the border with the ...
. At about the age of fourteen, during an Orange riot, Bernard's family was burnt out of their home and moved to Drogheda, where he learned the trade of a weaver. At the age of eighteen, Bernard enlisted in the 71st Highlanders, became sergeant, and finally purchased a commission. His mother, Ann M'Gowan, was also Irish by birth, but had moved to Glasgow when still a child. She accompanied her husband to France during the Napoleonic wars, where his regiment saw action as part of the 3rd Brigade at the Battle of Waterloo in June 1815. Thomas had an older brother, John, who at the age of five was left in the care of an uncle in London to be educated rather than to follow the regiment which was frequently on the move. Thomas grew up as "a child of a regiment", which subsequently had postings in Bermuda, and England, Cork, and Malta."Thomas Grant, First Bishop of Southwark", ''The Irish Monthly'', Vol. 7 (1879), pp. 89-96
/ref> In 1824, the regiment sailed from Hull for Canada. Young Thomas was joined by his older brother, John and a younger brother, William. John died in an accident, and his mother, her health undermined by caring for him and with grief, it was thought that a return to England might bring some improvement, but she died on the voyage home and was buried at sea. Thomas was ten years old. O'Meara, Kathleen (Grace Ramsay). ''Thomas Grant, First Bishop of Southwark'', Smith, Elder & Co., London, 1874
As Thomas had indicated that he wished to become a priest, when the regiment moved from Chester, Thomas remained in the care of the local pastor, John Briggs, later bishop of the
Diocese of Beverley The Roman Catholic Diocese of Beverley is an historical diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in England. It took its name after St John of Beverley, 8th century bishop of York. The episcopal see was located in the city of York. The diocese was ...
, who continued the boy's education.


Rome

In January 1829 he was sent to St Cuthbert's College, at Ushaw, where he studied until 1836. He was then sent to study philosophy and theology at the English College at Rome, where
Nicholas Wiseman Nicholas Patrick Stephen Wiseman (3 August 1802 – 15 February 1865) was an English Roman Catholic prelate who served as the first Archbishop of Westminster upon the re-establishment of the Roman Catholic hierarchy in England and Wales in 1 ...
was rector. There he developed a particular devotion to Mary, under the title Sedes Sapientiae. He was ordained priest on 28 November 1841, was created doctor of divinity and appointed as secretary to Cardinal Acton, a position in which he acquired a knowledge of canon law, and acquaintance with the method of conducting ecclesiastical affairs at Rome. Grant was fluent in Latin, French, and Italian. In 1843, then Anglican cleric
Frederick Faber Frederick William Faber (28 June 1814 – 26 September 1863) was a noted English hymnwriter and theologian, who converted from Anglicanism to Roman Catholicism in 1845. He was ordained to the Catholic priesthood subsequently in 1847. His best-kn ...
visited Rome, and Grant served as his tour guide. In October 1844, at the early age of twenty-eight, he became rector of the
English College, Rome The Venerable English College (), commonly referred to as the English College, is a Catholic seminary in Rome, Italy, for the training of priests for England and Wales. It was founded in 1579 by William Allen on the model of the English Colleg ...
. In the months leading up to the proclamation of the Roman Republic, the clergy in Rome were obliged to adopt secular garb for safety. In April 1849, with the French landing at Civitavecchia, the Rector sent the students to the cramped summer house at Monte Porzio, while remaining in Rome to protect the College.
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 ...
had withdrawn to Gaeta, leaving a number of important documents with Grant at the English College. After the departure of the students, Grant hung the
Union Jack The Union Jack or Union Flag is the ''de facto'' national flag of the United Kingdom. The Union Jack was also used as the official flag of several British colonies and dominions before they adopted their own national flags. It is sometimes a ...
on the outside of the building to discourage looters. He stayed in contact with the students by letters, disguised as cigars, delivered by courier. The students returned in mid-July. Grant was also made agent for the English bishops. In this capacity he assisted
William Bernard Ullathorne William Bernard Ullathorne (7 May 180621 March 1889) was an English prelate who held high offices in the Roman Catholic Church during the nineteenth century. Early life Ullathorne was born in Pocklington, East Riding of Yorkshire, the eldest o ...
, who was then negotiating for the restoration of the English hierarchy. He also translated for Propaganda all English documents relating to the matter, and furnished the materials for the historical preface to the Decree of 1850.


Southwark

On 4 July 1851, Grant was consecrated bishop of the new
Diocese of Southwark The Diocese of Southwark ( ) is one of the 42 dioceses of the Church of England, part of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The diocese forms part of the Province of Canterbury in England. It was created on 1 May 1905 from part of the ancient ...
. Anti-Catholic elements denounced the establishment of a Catholic hierarchy as "papal aggression". The bishops were surprised by the level of hostility, as they had explained their intentions to Lord Minto, the father-in-law of Lord John Russell, three years earlier. The
Roman Catholic Relief Act 1829 The Roman Catholic Relief Act 1829 ( 10 Geo. 4. c. 7), also known as the Catholic Emancipation Act 1829, was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that removed the sacramental tests that barred Roman Catholics in the United Kingdom f ...
had forbidden the use of the old titles except by the clergy of the established Protestant Church, The Catholic Church had refrained from using the ancient titles of the existing Anglican sees, and had created new titles for their bishoprics. In the wake of widespread popular "no popery" outbursts, Prime Minister
Lord John Russell John Russell, 1st Earl Russell (18 August 1792 – 28 May 1878), known as Lord John Russell before 1861, was a British Whig and Liberal statesman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1846 to 1852 and again from 1865 to 186 ...
passed the Ecclesiastical Titles Act 1851 as an anti-Roman Catholic measure. The Act was largely ineffective since while Roman Catholic community unofficially used the territorial titles, the bishops themselves carefully stayed within the letter of the law. No one was ever prosecuted. To the newly appointed hierarchy he was, as Bishop Ullathorne testified, most useful: "His acuteness of learning, readiness of resource and knowledge of the forms of ecclesiastical business made him invaluable to our joint counsels at home, whether in synods or in our yearly episcopal meetings; and his obligingness, his untiring spirit of work, and the expedition and accuracy with which he struck off documents in Latin, Italian, or English, naturally brought the greater part of such work on his shoulders." Grant soon won the confidence of Catholics and others. As the government was shy of transacting business directly with
Cardinal Wiseman Nicholas Patrick Stephen Wiseman (3 August 1802 – 15 February 1865) was an English Roman Catholic prelate who served as the first Archbishop of Westminster upon the re-establishment of the Roman Catholic hierarchy in England and Wales in 1 ...
, many negotiations were carried on by Grant, who was specially successful in obtaining from the government the appointment of military and naval chaplains, as well as prison chaplains. He also was successful in obtaining some Sisters of Mercy from Bermondsey to serve in the military hospitals in the Crimea. Bishop Grant gave great attention to orphanages run by the Sisters of Our Lady of Fidelity in Norwood and North Hyde. The bishop was in Rome in December 1854 for the promulgation of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception. In 1859, Grant wrote to Chaplain John Vertue expressing dismay on the subject of a chaplain's uniform then under discussion, lest their priestly role be subordinated to their military rank. He particularly did not wish to see chaplains out on parade. In the administration of his diocese he proved equal to the task of organization, which was necessary in an age of rapid expansion, while the remarkable sanctity of his private life led to his being generally regarded as a saint, and caused
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 ...
, when he learned of his death, to exclaim "Another saint in heaven!" The virtues of charity and humility in particular were practised by him in an heroic degree. The last years of his life were spent in great suffering, caused by cancer, and when he set out to attend 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 ...
at Rome in 1870, he knew that he would not return. He was appointed member of the Congregation for the Oriental Rites and the Apostolic Missions, but was too ill to take an active part in the proceedings. He died in Rome on 1 June 1870. After death his body was brought back to England for burial.


References


External links


Thomas Grant letters, 1848-1867
at Pitts Theology Library,
Candler School of Theology Candler School of Theology is one of seven graduate schools at Emory University, located in Atlanta metropolitan area, metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. A university-based school of theology, Candler educates Minister (Christi ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grant, Thomas 1816 births 1870 deaths French emigrants to England Alumni of Ushaw College English College, Rome alumni 19th-century Roman Catholic bishops in England Rectors of the English College, Rome French people of Irish descent People from Arras Roman Catholic bishops of Southwark