Thomas Mathias Lenihan (August 12, 1844 – December 15, 1901) was an Irish-born American prelate of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

who served as bishop of the

Diocese of Cheyenne The Diocese of Cheyenne ( la, Dioecesis Cheyennensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church that encompasses the entire U.S. state of Wyoming. It is suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the m ...

in Wyoming from 1896 until his death in 1901. He was the brother of Bishop

Mathias Clement Lenihan Mathias Clement Lenihan, (October 6, 1854 – August 19, 1943) was a 20th-century archbishop in the Catholic Church in the United States. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Great Falls in the state of Montana from 1904-30. Biography Earl ...

Biography

Early life

Thomas Lenihan was born on August 12, 1844, in Mallow,

County Cork County Cork ( ga, Contae Chorcaí) is the largest and the southernmost county of Ireland, named after the city of Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. Its largest market towns ar ...

, in Ireland to Edmund and Mary (née Donovan) Lenihan. When he was about five years old, he family immigrated to the United States and settled in

Dubuque Dubuque (, ) is the county seat of Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, located along the Mississippi River. At the time of the 2020 census, the population of Dubuque was 59,667. The city lies at the junction of Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin, a r ...

Iowa Iowa () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wiscon ...

, by 1850. He was raised in the parish of St. Raphael's Cathedral in Dubuque and served as an altar boy there. At his

confirmation In Christian denominations that practice infant baptism, confirmation is seen as the sealing of the covenant (religion), covenant created in baptism. Those being confirmed are known as confirmands. For adults, it is an wikt:affirmation, affirma ...

by Bishop

Mathias Loras Mathias Loras (August 30, 1792 – February 19, 1858) was an immigrant French priest to the United States and the first bishop of the Dubuque Diocese in what would become the state of Iowa. Early life and ministry Pierre-Jean-Mathias Loras was ...

, Lenihan took the name ''Mathias'' in honor of the bishop. At age 12, Lenihan entered St. Thomas Seminary in

Bardstown Bardstown is a home rule-class city in Nelson County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 11,700 in the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Nelson County. Bardstown is named for the pioneering Bard brothers. David Bard obtained a l ...

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virgini ...

, where he received his classical education. He then studied philosophy at St. Vincent's Seminary in Cape Girardeau, Missouri Lenihan completed his theological training at

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. ...

in St. Francis, Wisconsin.

Priesthood

Lenihan was ordained a priest in Dubuque on November 19, 1867, by Bishop John Hennessy at St. Raphael's Cathedral. His younger brother, Mathias Lenihan was ordained in 1879 and become Bishop of Great Falls in Montana, in 1904. Following his ordination, Lenihan was named pastor of St. Benedict's Parish in

Decorah, Iowa Decorah is a city in and the county seat of Winneshiek County, Iowa, United States. The population was 7,587 at the time of the 2020 census. Decorah is located at the intersection of State Highway 9 and U.S. Route 52, and is the largest commu ...

.. He was transferred in 1870 to serve as pastor of Corpus Christi Parish in Fort Dodge, Iowa, remaining there until 1897. While in Fort Dodge, Lenihan oversaw the completion of the present church in 1881. His charge included an extensive mission that stretched over 200 miles, from

Des Moines, Iowa Des Moines () is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small part of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moine ...

to the

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the List of U.S. states and territories by population, 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minne ...

border and from

Ackley Ackley may refer to: * Ackley (surname) * Ackley, Iowa Ackley is a city in the Franklin and Hardin counties in the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 1,599 at the 2020 census. History In 1852, immigrants began purchasing farms and settli ...

Sioux City, Iowa Sioux City () is a city in Woodbury and Plymouth counties in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 85,797 in the 2020 census, making it the fourth-largest city in Iowa. The bulk of the city is in Woodbury County, ...

. He established many new parishes in this area, including Immaculate Conception Parish in

Lehigh, Iowa Lehigh is a city in Webster County, Iowa, United States. The population was 395 at the time of the 2020 census. Located in a valley, Lehigh is divided in two by the Des Moines River, unusual for such a small town. Originally the two halves of L ...

(1881) and St. John's Parish in

Vincent, Iowa Vincent is a city in Webster County, Iowa, United States. The population was 130 at the time of the 2020 census. Geography Vincent is located at (42.592224, -94.019457). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area ...

(1895). In civic affairs, Lenihan was appointed to the state's Russian famine relief committee by Governor

Horace Boies Horace Boies (December 7, 1827 – April 4, 1923) served as the 14th Governor of Iowa from 1890 to 1894 as a member of the United States Democratic Party. Boies was the only Democrat to serve in that position from 1855 to 1933, a period of 78 y ...

. He also spoke out in favor of the

prohibition of alcohol Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic b ...

and encouraged the formation of

temperance Temperance may refer to: Moderation *Temperance movement, movement to reduce the amount of alcohol consumed *Temperance (virtue), habitual moderation in the indulgence of a natural appetite or passion Culture * Temperance (group), Canadian dan ...

societies.

Bishop of Cheyenne

In 1893, it was reported that the Vatican was planning to erect a new Diocese of Sioux City and appoint Lenihan as bishop. However, the creation of the diocese was postponed for nine years and Lenihan was given a different appointment. On December 18, 1896, Lenihan was named the second bishop of the Diocese of Cheyenne by

Pope Leo XIII Pope Leo XIII ( it, Leone XIII; born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2 March 1810 – 20 July 1903) was the head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 to his death in July 1903. Living until the age of 93, he was the second-old ...

. At first there was some confusion in the press, who mistakenly believed that Reverend Bartholomew C. Lenihan, his cousin and the

vicar general A vicar general (previously, archdeacon) is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority and possesses the title of local ordinary. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar general exercises the bishop's ...

of the Archdiocese of Dubuque, had been appointed. Thomas Lenihan received his episcopal consecration on February 24, 1897, from Archbishop Hennessy, with Bishops

Henry Cosgrove Henry Cosgrove (December 19, 1834 – December 23, 1906) was a late 19th-century and early 20th-century bishop of the Catholic Church in the United States. He served as the second bishop of Diocese of Davenport in Iowa from 1884 to until his deat ...

and

Thomas Bonacum Thomas Bonacum (January 29, 1847 – February 4, 1911) was an Irish-born American prelate of the Catholic Church. He was the first bishop of the Diocese of Lincoln in Nebraska, serving from 1887 until his death in 1911. Biography Early life ...

serving as co-consecrators, at St. Raphael's Cathedral. The Diocese of Cheyenne had been without a bishop for nearly four years after his predecessor, Bishop

Maurice Burke Maurice may refer to: People * Saint Maurice (died 287), Roman legionary and Christian martyr * Maurice (emperor) or Flavius Mauricius Tiberius Augustus (539–602), Byzantine emperor * Maurice (bishop of London) (died 1107), Lord Chancellor and ...

, had been transferred to the

Diocese of Saint Joseph The Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint Joseph was an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the northwestern part of the state of Missouri in the United States, erected on March 3, 1868, with territories taken from the Arc ...

in Missouri and had argued for the suppression of the Wyoming diocese. When Lenihan arrived in Cheyenne in 1897, the diocese contained eight priests, nine churches, and one parochial school for 3,000 Catholics. By the time of his death three years later, there were 6,000 Catholics, 26 churches, 15 priests, and four parochial schools.

Later life and death

Lenihan's health deteriorated while in Wyoming due to its high altitude and low humidity. While retaining his title as bishop, he returned to Iowa in 1901 to live with his brother Mathius in

Marshalltown Marshalltown is a city in and the county seat of Marshall County, Iowa, United States, located along the Iowa River. It is the seat and most populous settlement of Marshall County and the 16th largest city in Iowa, with a population of 27,591 at ...

. Despite his poor health, the bishops of the ecclesiastical province of Dubuque recommended him to be named bishop of Sioux City (the second time he had been suggested for that office) but the appointment never came. Thomas Lenihan died in Marshalltown on December 15, 1901, at age 57.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lenihan, Thomas Mathias 1843 births 1901 deaths People from County Cork People from Cheyenne, Wyoming Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dubuque Roman Catholic bishops of Cheyenne St. Francis Seminary (Wisconsin) alumni 19th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States Irish emigrants to the United States (before 1923) Religious leaders from Iowa