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{{Short description|Irish-born American prelate}}
{{Infobox Christian leader
{{Infobox Christian leader
| type =
| type = Bishop
| honorific_prefix =
| honorific_prefix = [[His Excellency]], [[The Most Reverend]]
| name = Thomas Bonacum
| name = Thomas Bonacum
| honorific_suffix =
| honorific_suffix =
| title = Bishop of Lincoln
| title = [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Lincoln|Bishop of Lincoln]]
| image = Bishop Thomas Bonacum.jpg
| image = Thomas Bonacum.jpg
| image_size =
| image_size =
| alt =
| alt =
| caption =
| caption =
| native_name =
| native_name =
| native_name_lang =
| native_name_lang =
| church = [[Catholic Church]]
| church = [[Catholic Church]]
| archdiocese =
| archdiocese =
| province =
| province =
| metropolis =
| metropolis =
| diocese = [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Lincoln|Diocese of Lincoln]]
| diocese = [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Lincoln|Diocese of Lincoln]]
| see =
| see =
| appointed =
| appointed =
| term_end =
| term_end =
| quashed =
| quashed =
| predecessor = ''Office established''
| predecessor = ''Office established''
| successor = [[John Henry Tihen]]
| successor = [[John Henry Tihen]]
| opposed =
| opposed =
| other_post =
| other_post = <!---------- Orders ---------->
⚫
| ordination = June 18, 1870
⚫
<!---------- Orders ---------->
⚫
| ordained_by = [[Joseph Melcher]]
⚫
| ordination = June 18, 1870
⚫
| consecration = November 30, 1887
⚫
| ordained_by = [[Joseph Melcher]]
⚫
| consecrated_by = [[Peter Richard Kenrick]]
⚫
| consecration = November 30, 1887
| cardinal =
⚫
| consecrated_by = [[Peter Richard Kenrick]]
| cardinal =
| created_cardinal_by =
⚫
| rank =
| created_cardinal_by =
⚫
| laicized = <!---------- Personal details ---------->
⚫
| rank =
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1847|01|29}}
| laicized =
⚫
| birth_place = Penane, [[County Tipperary]], Ireland
<!---------- Personal details ---------->
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1847|01|29}}
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1911|02|04|1847|01|29}}
⚫
| death_place = [[Lincoln, Nebraska|Lincoln]], [[Nebraska]], U.S.
⚫
| birth_place = Penane, [[County Tipperary]], Ireland
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1911|02|04|1847|01|29}}
⚫
| death_place = [[Lincoln, Nebraska|Lincoln]], [[Nebraska]], U.S.
}}
}}
'''Thomas Bonacum''' (January 29, 1847 &ndash; February 4, 1911) was an Irish-born American prelate of the [[Catholic Church]]. He was the first [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Lincoln|Bishop of Lincoln]], serving from 1887 until his death in 1911.
'''Thomas Bonacum''' (January 29, 1847 &ndash; February 4, 1911) was an Irish-born American prelate of the [[Catholic Church]]. He was the first bishop of the [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Lincoln|Diocese of Lincoln]] in Nebraska, serving from 1887 until his death in 1911.


==Biography==
⚫
==Early life and education==
⚫
Thomas Bonacum was born January 29, 1847 in Penane,<ref name=hackett>{{cite book|last=Hackett|first=James Dominick|date=1936|title=Bishops of the United States of Irish Birth Or Descent|url=https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/005922162|location=New York|publisher=American Irish Historical Society}}</ref> near [[Thurles]], [[County Tipperary]], the youngest of four children of Edmund and Mary (née McGrath) Bonacum.<ref name=morton>{{cite book|last=Morton|first=Julius Sterling|date=1906|title=Illustrated History of Nebraska|url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Illustrated_History_of_Nebraska/-kbWAAAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1|volume=II|location=Lincoln, NE|publisher=Jacob North & Company}}</ref> While he was still an infant, the family immigrated to the United States in 1848, settling in [[St. Louis]], [[Missouri]].<ref name=diocese>{{cite web|url=https://www.lincolndiocese.org/op-ed/an-ordinary-viewpoint/1342-our-hundred-and-twenty-fifth-ii|title=Our Hundred and Twenty-Fifth|last=Bruskewitz|first=Fabian|date=August 17, 2012|website=[[Roman Catholic Diocese of Lincoln]]}}</ref>


⚫
=== Early life ===
⚫
He received his early education in St. Louis before attending [[Saint Francis de Sales Seminary]], near [[Milwaukee]], from 1863 to 1867.<ref name=salesianum>{{cite journal|date=April 1911|title=Necrology|url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Salesianum/PuHQAAAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1|journal=Salesianum|volume=VI|issue=III}}</ref> Returning to Missouri, he completed his studies for the priesthood at [[St. Vincent's Seminary (Missouri)|St. Vincent's Seminary]] in [[Cape Girardeau, Missouri|Cape Girardeau]].<ref name=morton/>
⚫
Thomas Bonacum was born January 29, 1847, in Penane,<ref name="hackett">{{cite book|last=Hackett|first=James Dominick|date=1936|title=Bishops of the United States of Irish Birth Or Descent|url=https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/005922162|location=New York|publisher=American Irish Historical Society}}</ref>near [[Thurles]], [[County Tipperary]] in Ireland, the youngest of four children of Edmund and Mary (née McGrath) Bonacum.<ref name="morton">{{cite book|last=Morton|first=Julius Sterling|date=1906|title=Illustrated History of Nebraska|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-kbWAAAAMAAJ|volume=II|location=Lincoln, NE|publisher=Jacob North & Company}}</ref> While he was still an infant, the family immigrated to the United States in 1848, settling in [[St. Louis]], [[Missouri]].<ref name="diocese">{{cite web|url=https://www.lincolndiocese.org/op-ed/an-ordinary-viewpoint/1342-our-hundred-and-twenty-fifth-ii|title=Our Hundred and Twenty-Fifth|last=Bruskewitz|first=Fabian|date=August 17, 2012|website=[[Roman Catholic Diocese of Lincoln]]}}</ref>


⚫
Bonacum received his early education in St. Louis before attending [[Saint Francis de Sales Seminary]], near [[Milwaukee]], from 1863 to 1867.<ref name="salesianum">{{cite journal|date=April 1911|title=Necrology|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PuHQAAAAMAAJ|journal=Salesianum|volume=VI|issue=III}}</ref> Returning to Missouri, he completed his studies for the priesthood at [[St. Vincent's Seminary (Missouri)|St. Vincent's Seminary]] in Cape Girardeau.<ref name="morton" />
⚫
==Priesthood==
⚫
Bonacum was ordained a priest on June 18, 1870 at [[St. Mary of Victories Church]] in St. Louis.<ref name=hierarchy>{{cite web|url=https://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bbonacum.html|title=Bishop Thomas Bonacum|website=[[Catholic-Hierarchy.org]]}}</ref> He was ordained by [[Joseph Melcher]], the [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Green Bay|Bishop of Green Bay]] and a former St. Louis priest, since Archbishop [[Peter Richard Kenrick]] was in Rome attending the [[First Vatican Council]].<ref name=globe>{{cite news|date=July 9, 1887|title=The Appointment of Father Bonacum as Bishop of Lincoln, Neb.|work=[[St. Louis Globe-Democrat]]}}</ref> After serving for a few months as assistant pastor of St. Joseph's Church in [[Edina, Missouri|Edina]], Bonacum served as pastor of St. Stephen's Church in [[Indian Creek, Missouri|Indian Creek]] from 1871 to 1874.<ref name=gosen>{{cite book|last=Gosen|first=Loretta|date=1986|title=History of the Catholic Church in the Diocese of Lincoln, Nebraska, 1887-1987|publisher=[[Roman Catholic Diocese of Lincoln]]}}</ref> He then served as pastor of St. Peter's Church in [[Kirkwood, Missouri|Kirkwood]] (1874-1877).<ref name=gosen/>


⚫
=== Priesthood ===
⚫
Bonacum then furthered his studies in Europe, attending the [[University of Würzburg]] in [[Bavaria]] for two years. While there, he studied theology under [[Franz Hettinger]] and canon law and church history under [[Joseph Hergenröther]].<ref name=globe/> After returning to the United States, he served as pastor of St. Patrick's Church in [[Rolla, Missouri|Rolla]] until 1880,<ref name=rolla>{{cite web|url=http://church.stpatsrolla.org/parish-history|title=Parish History|website=St. Patrick Parish}}</ref> when he was transferred to [[Immaculate Conception Church and Rectory (St. Louis)|Immaculate Conception Church]] in St. Louis.<ref name=globe/> He remained there for a year before serving as pastor of Holy Name Church (1882-1887).<ref name=gosen/>
⚫
Bonacum was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of St. Louis on June 18, 1870, at [[St. Mary of Victories Church]] in St. Louis.<ref name="hierarchy">{{cite web|url=https://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bbonacum.html|title=Bishop Thomas Bonacum|website=[[Catholic-Hierarchy.org]]}}</ref> He was ordained by Bishop [[Joseph Melcher]], the [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Green Bay|Bishop of Green Bay]].<ref name="globe">{{cite news|date=July 9, 1887|title=The Appointment of Father Bonacum as Bishop of Lincoln, Neb.|work=[[St. Louis Globe-Democrat]]}}</ref> After serving for a few months as assistant pastor of St. Joseph's Parish in [[Edina, Missouri]], Bonacum served as pastor of St. Stephen's Parish in [[Indian Creek, Missouri]], from 1871 to 1874.<ref name="gosen">{{cite book|last=Gosen|first=Loretta|date=1986|title=History of the Catholic Church in the Diocese of Lincoln, Nebraska, 1887-1987|publisher=[[Roman Catholic Diocese of Lincoln]]}}</ref> He then served as pastor of St. Peter's Parish in [[Kirkwood, Missouri]] (1874-1877).<ref name="gosen" />


⚫
Bonacum then furthered his studies in Europe, attending the [[University of Würzburg]] in [[Bavaria]] for two years. While there, he studied theology under [[Franz Hettinger]] and canon law and church history under [[Joseph Hergenröther]].<ref name="globe" /> After returning to the United States, Bonacum served as pastor of St. Patrick's Parish in [[Rolla, Missouri]], until 1880,<ref name="rolla">{{cite web|url=http://church.stpatsrolla.org/parish-history|title=Parish History|website=St. Patrick Parish}}</ref> when he was transferred to [[Immaculate Conception Church and Rectory (St. Louis)|Immaculate Conception Parish]] in St. Louis.<ref name="globe" /> He remained there for a year before serving as pastor of Holy Name Parish (1882-1887).<ref name="gosen" />
⚫
While pastor at Holy Name, Bonacum attended the third [[Plenary Councils of Baltimore|Plenary Council of Baltimore]] from November to December 1884, as a theological consultant to Archbishop Kenrick.<ref name=encyc>{{cite encyclopedia|title=Lincoln|encyclopedia=[[Catholic Encyclopedia]]|year=1910|last=Meehan|first=Thomas|publisher=Robert Appleton Company|location=New York|url=https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09266a.htm}}</ref> He greatly impressed the bishops at the Council, who nominated Bonacum to be the first bishop of the proposed [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Belleville|Diocese of Belleville]], [[Illinois]].<ref name=morton/> However, the establishment of the diocese was postponed for three years and Bonacum remained at St. Louis during that time.


⚫
While pastor at Holy Name, Bonacum attended the third [[Plenary Councils of Baltimore|Plenary Council of Baltimore]] from November to December 1884, as a theological consultant to Archbishop Kenrick.<ref name="encyc">{{cite encyclopedia|title=Lincoln|encyclopedia=[[Catholic Encyclopedia]]|year=1910|last=Meehan|first=Thomas|publisher=Robert Appleton Company|location=New York|url=https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09266a.htm}}</ref> He greatly impressed the bishops at the Council, who nominated Bonacum to be the first bishop of the proposed [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Belleville|Diocese of Belleville]].<ref name="morton" /> 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]] appointed Bonacum to be the first bishop of the newly-erected [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Lincoln|Diocese of Lincoln]] in [[Nebraska]].<ref name=appointed>{{cite news|date=July 8, 1887|title=FATHER BONACUMA A BISHOP: A Well-Known St. Louis Priest Raised to the Episcopate|work=[[St. Louis Post-Dispatch]]}}</ref> The official papal document confirming his appointment was dated August 9, 1887,<ref name=encyc/> arriving the following September.<ref name=diocese/> Bonacum received his episcopal consecration on November 30 from Archbishop Kenrick, with Bishop [[Louis Mary Fink]] of Leavenworth and Bishop [[James O'Connor (bishop)|James O'Connor]] of Omaha serving as co-consecrators, at St. John's Church in St. Louis.<ref name=hierarchy/>


⚫
=== Bishop of Lincoln ===
⚫
Bonacum took formal charge of the Diocese of Lincoln on December 21, 1887, when he was installed at St. Teresa's Pro-Cathedral.<ref name=encyc/> In 1888, the first full year of his episcopate, the young diocese contained a Catholic population of 23,000 with 32 priests, 29 parishes, and three parochial schools.<ref name=statistics1>{{cite journal|date=1888|title=Diocese of Lincoln|journal=Sadliers' Catholic Directory, Almanac And Ordo|location=New York|publisher=D.& J. Sadlier & Co}}</ref> 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.<ref name=statistics2>{{cite journal|date=1911|title=Diocese of Lincoln|journal=The Official Catholic Directory|location=New York|publisher=M.H. Wiltzius}}</ref>
⚫
On July 7, 1887, a cablegram from Rome announced that [[Pope Leo XIII]] appointed Bonacum to be the first bishop of the newly-erected [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Lincoln|Diocese of Lincoln]].<ref name="appointed">{{cite news|date=July 8, 1887|title=FATHER BONACUMA A BISHOP: A Well-Known St. Louis Priest Raised to the Episcopate|work=[[St. Louis Post-Dispatch]]}}</ref> The official papal document confirming his appointment was dated August 9, 1887,<ref name="encyc" /> arriving the following September.<ref name="diocese" /> Bonacum received his episcopal consecration on November 30, 1887, from Archbishop Kenrick, with Bishop [[Louis Mary Fink|Louis Fink]] and Bishop [[James O'Connor (bishop)|James O'Connor]] serving as co-consecrators, at St. John's Church in St. Louis.<ref name="hierarchy" />Bonacum was installed on December 21, 1887, at St. Teresa's Pro-Cathedral.<ref name="encyc" />


⚫
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.<ref name="statistics1">{{cite journal|date=1888|title=Diocese of Lincoln|journal=Sadliers' Catholic Directory, Almanac and Ordo|location=New York|publisher=D.& J. Sadlier & Co}}</ref> 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.<ref name="statistics2">{{cite journal|date=1911|title=Diocese of Lincoln|journal=The Official Catholic Directory|location=New York|publisher=M.H. Wiltzius}}</ref>
⚫
Bonacum died from complications of pneumonia and [[Bright's disease]] on February 4, 1911, aged 64.<ref name=obituary>{{cite news|date=February 4, 1911|title=THE DEATH OF BISHOP BONACUM|work=[[Lincoln Journal Star]]}}</ref> Upon his death, Lincoln mayor [[Don Lathrop 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."<ref name=diocese/>


===Legal troubles===
==== Egan dispute ====
Bonacum's tenure was largely consumed by legal battles. In 1888, he sued [[Patrick Egan (activist)|Patrick Egan]], a prominent Lincoln citizen and later [[List of ambassadors of the United States to Chile|U.S. Ambassador to Chile]], for failing to pay a pledge he had made for the improvement of St. Teresa's Pro-Cathedral.<ref name=egan>{{cite news|date=October 16, 1888|title=The Bonacum Case|work=Lincoln Evening Call}}</ref> It was rumored that Egan, a staunch [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]], was unhappy that Bonacum attended a [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] reception.<ref name=enquirer>{{cite news|date=February 25, 1894|title=The Cause of the Trouble Between Bishop Bonacum and His Parish Priests|work=The Cincinnati Enquirer}}</ref> The case went to the [[Nebraska Supreme Court]], which ruled in Bonacum's favor and ordered Egan to pay the pledge.<ref name=wins>{{cite news|date=January 4, 1894|title=Bishop Bonacum Wins|work=Lincoln Journal Star}}</ref> Bonacum also suspended the pastor of St. Teresa's and his successor for opposing the cathedral project due to costs.<ref name=enquirer/>
In 1888, Bonacum sued [[Patrick Egan (activist)|Patrick Egan]], a prominent Lincoln citizen and later [[List of ambassadors of the United States to Chile|U.S. Ambassador to Chile]], for failing to pay a pledge he had made for the improvement of St. Teresa's Pro-Cathedral.<ref name="egan">{{cite news|date=October 16, 1888|title=The Bonacum Case|work=Lincoln Evening Call}}</ref> It was rumored that Egan, a staunch [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]], was unhappy that Bonacum attended a [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] reception.<ref name="enquirer">{{cite news|date=February 25, 1894|title=The Cause of the Trouble Between Bishop Bonacum and His Parish Priests|work=The Cincinnati Enquirer}}</ref> The case went to the [[Nebraska Supreme Court]], which ruled in Bonacum's favor and ordered Egan to pay the pledge.<ref name="wins">{{cite news|date=January 4, 1894|title=Bishop Bonacum Wins|work=Lincoln Journal Star}}</ref>


==== Corbett dispute ====
His most extensive battles were with his own priests. In 1891, he brought Rev. Martin Corbett of [[Palmyra, Nebraska|Palmyra]], with whom he had many quarrels, before the diocesan court that consisted of five other priests.<ref name=beaten>{{cite news|date=December 2, 1896|title=BISHOP BONACUM BEATEN: The Metropolitan Court Decides in Favor of the Priests|work=Sioux City Journal}}</ref> The charges against Corbett were dismissed, but Bonacum later tried to remove Corbett from his position in 1894. Corbett refused and sued Bonacum for libel after the bishop wrote a letter announcing Corbett's suspension to his congregation.<ref name=enquirer/><ref name=libel>{{cite news|date=February 6, 1894|title=BISHOP BONACUM LIBEL SUIT|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1894/02/07/archives/bishop-bonacum-libel-suit-trial-in-lincoln-neb-which-greatly.html|work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> Bonacum gained a victory when the libel suit was dismissed,<ref name=dismiss>{{cite news|date=February 11, 1894|title=NO MALICIOUS INTENT: Libel Suit Against Bishop Bonactun Dismissed—Had a Vested Right|url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SJMN18940211.2.48&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN--------1|work=[[The Mercury News]]}}</ref> but it was still the first time a Catholic bishop had been brought to criminal court in the United States.<ref name=enquirer/>
In 1891, Bonacum brought Rev. Martin Corbett of [[Palmyra, Nebraska]], with whom he had many quarrels, before a diocesan court that consisted of five other priests.<ref name="beaten">{{cite news|date=December 2, 1896|title=BISHOP BONACUM BEATEN: The Metropolitan Court Decides in Favor of the Priests|work=Sioux City Journal}}</ref> The charges against Corbett were dismissed, but Bonacum tried to remove Corbett from his position in 1894. Corbett refused and sued Bonacum for [[Defamation|libel]] after Bonacum wrote a letter announcing Corbett's suspension to his congregation.<ref name="enquirer" /><ref name="libel">{{cite news|date=February 6, 1894|title=BISHOP BONACUM LIBEL SUIT|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1894/02/07/archives/bishop-bonacum-libel-suit-trial-in-lincoln-neb-which-greatly.html|work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> Bonacum gained a victory when the libel suit was dismissed,<ref name="dismiss">{{cite news|date=February 11, 1894|title=NO MALICIOUS INTENT: Libel Suit Against Bishop Bonactun Dismissed—Had a Vested Right|url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SJMN18940211.2.48&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN--------1|work=[[The Mercury News]]}}</ref> but it was still the first time a Catholic bishop had been brought to criminal court in the United States.<ref name="enquirer" />


==== Murphy dispute ====
Meanwhile, a group of priests submitted a list of complaints against Bonacum to [[Francesco Satolli]], the U.S. [[Nuncio|Apostolic Delegate]], in 1893.<ref name=beaten/> In retaliation, Bonacum tried in 1895 to expel one of those priests, Rev. William Murphy, who had also presided over the diocesan trial that originally ruled in Rev. Corbett's favor.<ref name=beaten/> Murphy appealed to church authorities and in 1896 an ecclesiastical court of the [[Metropolitan bishop|metropolitan]] [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dubuque|Archdiocese of Dubuque]] reversed Bonacum's decision and ordered him to pay a fine as well as Murphy's legal fees.<ref name=beaten/>
A group of priests submitted a list of complaints against Bonacum to [[Francesco Satolli]], the U.S. [[Nuncio|Apostolic Delegate]], in 1893.<ref name="beaten" /> 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.<ref name="beaten" /> Murphy appealed to church authorities and in 1896 an [[ecclesiastical court]] of the [[Metropolitan bishop|metropolitan]] [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dubuque|Archdiocese of Dubuque]] reversed Bonacum's decision and ordered him to pay a fine as well as Murphy's legal fees.<ref name="beaten" />


Bonacum's dispute with Murphy did not end there. In 1900, he tried to remove Murphy from his position as pastor of St. Vincent's Church in [[Seward, Nebraska|Seward]], which also included charge of Immaculate Conception Church in [[Ulysses, Nebraska|Ulysses]].<ref name=zabel>{{cite book|last=Zabel|first=Orville H.|date=1955|title=God and Caesar in Nebraska: A Study of the Legal Relationship of Church and State, 1854-1954|url=https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/univstudiespapers/86/|publisher=[[University of Nebraska]]}}</ref> When Murphy refused to step down, the bishop excommunicated him and brought action in court to have him removed from the church property.<ref name=zabel/> 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]].<ref name=pope>{{cite news|date=July 15, 1905|title=POPE GETS A COPY OF BONACUM-MURPHY DECISION|work=The Lincoln Star}}</ref>
In 1900, Bonacum tried to remove Murphy from his position as pastor of St. Vincent's Church in [[Seward, Nebraska]], which also included charge of Immaculate Conception Church in [[Ulysses, Nebraska]].<ref name="zabel">{{cite journal|last=Zabel|first=Orville H.|date=1955|title=God and Caesar in Nebraska: A Study of the Legal Relationship of Church and State, 1854-1954|journal=Papers from the University Studies Series (The University of Nebraska) |url=https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/univstudiespapers/86/|publisher=[[University of Nebraska]]}}</ref> When Murphy refused to step down, Bonacum [[Excommunication|excommunicated]] him and brought action in court to have him removed from the church property.<ref name="zabel" /> 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]].<ref name="pope">{{cite news|date=July 15, 1905|title=POPE GETS A COPY OF BONACUM-MURPHY DECISION|work=The Lincoln Star}}</ref>On June 18, 1909, when Bonacum came to Ulysses to remove Murphy from Immaculate Conception Church.<ref name="ulysses">{{cite news|date=June 19, 1909|title=BISHOP BONACUM CHASED BY A MOB|work=The Lincoln Star}}</ref> However, Murphy had strong support from the congregation and a mob of more than 200 people forced Bonacum to leave.<ref name="ulysses" /> 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.<ref name="ulysses" />

That battle only ended in 1911, when both Bonacum and Murphy died; the bishop from natural causes and the priest from a car accident.<ref name=zabel/> As a result of their feud, Pius X issued a new rule prohibiting priests or bishops from suing a fellow clergyman in secular court.<ref name=ruling>{{cite news|date=December 5, 1911|title=CANNOT SUE PRIESTS IN CIVIL COURT|work=The Beatrice Daily Express}}</ref>

=== Death and legacy ===
⚫
Thomas Bonacum died from complications of [[pneumonia]] and [[Bright's disease]] on February 4, 1911, aged 64.<ref name="obituary">{{cite news |date=February 4, 1911 |title=THE DEATH OF BISHOP BONACUM |work=[[Lincoln Journal Star]]}}</ref> Upon his death, Lincoln mayor [[Don Lathrop Love|Don Love]] issued the following proclamation: <blockquote>"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."<ref name="diocese" /></blockquote>


==References==
==References==
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[[Category:1911 deaths]]
[[Category:1911 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Thurles]]
[[Category:People from Thurles]]
[[Category:Irish emigrants to the United States (before 1923)]]
[[Category:Irish emigrants to the United States]]
[[Category:Roman Catholic bishops of Lincoln]]
[[Category:Roman Catholic bishops of Lincoln]]
[[Category:19th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States]]
[[Category:19th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States]]
[[Category:20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States]]
[[Category:20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States]]
[[Category:Christian clergy from County Tipperary]]

Latest revision as of 07:34, 11 August 2023

His Excellency, The Most Reverend

Thomas Bonacum
Bishop of Lincoln
ChurchCatholic Church
DioceseDiocese of Lincoln
PredecessorOffice established
SuccessorJohn Henry Tihen
Orders
OrdinationJune 18, 1870
by Joseph Melcher
ConsecrationNovember 30, 1887
by Peter Richard Kenrick
Personal details
Born(1847-01-29)January 29, 1847
Penane, County Tipperary, Ireland
DiedFebruary 4, 1911(1911-02-04) (aged 64)
Lincoln, Nebraska, U.S.

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[edit]

Early life[edit]

Thomas Bonacum was born January 29, 1847, in Penane,[1]near Thurles, County Tipperary in Ireland, the youngest of four children of Edmund and Mary (née McGrath) Bonacum.[2] While he was still an infant, the family immigrated to the United States in 1848, settling in St. Louis, Missouri.[3]

Bonacum received his early education in St. Louis before attending Saint Francis de Sales Seminary, near Milwaukee, from 1863 to 1867.[4] Returning to Missouri, he completed his studies for the priesthood at St. Vincent's Seminary in Cape Girardeau.[2]

Priesthood[edit]

Bonacum was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of St. Louis on June 18, 1870, at St. Mary of Victories Church in St. Louis.[5] He was ordained by Bishop Joseph Melcher, the Bishop of Green Bay.[6] After serving for a few months as assistant pastor of St. Joseph's Parish in Edina, Missouri, Bonacum served as pastor of St. Stephen's Parish in Indian Creek, Missouri, from 1871 to 1874.[7] He then served as pastor of St. Peter's Parish in Kirkwood, Missouri (1874-1877).[7]

Bonacum then furthered his studies in Europe, attending the University of Würzburg in Bavaria for two years. While there, he studied theology under Franz Hettinger and canon law and church history under Joseph Hergenröther.[6] After returning to the United States, Bonacum served as pastor of St. Patrick's Parish in Rolla, Missouri, until 1880,[8] when he was transferred to Immaculate Conception Parish in St. Louis.[6] He remained there for a year before serving as pastor of Holy Name Parish (1882-1887).[7]

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.[9] He greatly impressed the bishops at the Council, who nominated Bonacum to be the first bishop of the proposed Diocese of Belleville.[2] However, the establishment of the diocese was postponed for three years and Bonacum remained at St. Louis during that time.

Bishop of Lincoln[edit]

On July 7, 1887, a cablegram from Rome announced that Pope Leo XIII appointed Bonacum to be the first bishop of the newly-erected Diocese of Lincoln.[10] The official papal document confirming his appointment was dated August 9, 1887,[9] arriving the following September.[3] Bonacum received his episcopal consecration on November 30, 1887, from Archbishop Kenrick, with Bishop Louis Fink and Bishop James O'Connor serving as co-consecrators, at St. John's Church in St. Louis.[5]Bonacum was installed on December 21, 1887, at St. Teresa's Pro-Cathedral.[9]

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.[11] 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.[12]

Egan dispute[edit]

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.[13] It was rumored that Egan, a staunch Republican, was unhappy that Bonacum attended a Democratic reception.[14] The case went to the Nebraska Supreme Court, which ruled in Bonacum's favor and ordered Egan to pay the pledge.[15]

Corbett dispute[edit]

In 1891, Bonacum brought Rev. Martin Corbett of Palmyra, Nebraska, with whom he had many quarrels, before a diocesan court that consisted of five other priests.[16] The charges against Corbett were dismissed, but Bonacum tried to remove Corbett from his position in 1894. Corbett refused and sued Bonacum for libel after Bonacum wrote a letter announcing Corbett's suspension to his congregation.[14][17] Bonacum gained a victory when the libel suit was dismissed,[18] but it was still the first time a Catholic bishop had been brought to criminal court in the United States.[14]

Murphy dispute[edit]

A group of priests submitted a list of complaints against Bonacum to Francesco Satolli, the U.S. Apostolic Delegate, in 1893.[16] 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.[16] Murphy appealed to church authorities and in 1896 an ecclesiastical court of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Dubuque reversed Bonacum's decision and ordered him to pay a fine as well as Murphy's legal fees.[16]

In 1900, Bonacum tried to remove Murphy from his position as pastor of St. Vincent's Church in Seward, Nebraska, which also included charge of Immaculate Conception Church in Ulysses, Nebraska.[19] When Murphy refused to step down, Bonacum excommunicated him and brought action in court to have him removed from the church property.[19] 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.[20]On June 18, 1909, when Bonacum came to Ulysses to remove Murphy from Immaculate Conception Church.[21] However, Murphy had strong support from the congregation and a mob of more than 200 people forced Bonacum to leave.[21] 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.[21]

That battle only ended in 1911, when both Bonacum and Murphy died; the bishop from natural causes and the priest from a car accident.[19] As a result of their feud, Pius X issued a new rule prohibiting priests or bishops from suing a fellow clergyman in secular court.[22]

Death and legacy[edit]

Thomas Bonacum died from complications of pneumonia and Bright's disease on February 4, 1911, aged 64.[23] 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."[3]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Hackett, James Dominick (1936). Bishops of the United States of Irish Birth Or Descent. New York: American Irish Historical Society.
  2. ^ a b c Morton, Julius Sterling (1906). Illustrated History of Nebraska. Vol. II. Lincoln, NE: Jacob North & Company.
  3. ^ a b c Bruskewitz, Fabian (August 17, 2012). "Our Hundred and Twenty-Fifth". Roman Catholic Diocese of Lincoln.
  4. ^ "Necrology". Salesianum. VI (III). April 1911.
  5. ^ a b "Bishop Thomas Bonacum". Catholic-Hierarchy.org.
  6. ^ a b c "The Appointment of Father Bonacum as Bishop of Lincoln, Neb". St. Louis Globe-Democrat. July 9, 1887.
  7. ^ a b c Gosen, Loretta (1986). History of the Catholic Church in the Diocese of Lincoln, Nebraska, 1887-1987. Roman Catholic Diocese of Lincoln.
  8. ^ "Parish History". St. Patrick Parish.
  9. ^ a b c Meehan, Thomas (1910). "Lincoln". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
  10. ^ "FATHER BONACUMA A BISHOP: A Well-Known St. Louis Priest Raised to the Episcopate". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. July 8, 1887.
  11. ^ "Diocese of Lincoln". Sadliers' Catholic Directory, Almanac and Ordo. New York: D.& J. Sadlier & Co. 1888.
  12. ^ "Diocese of Lincoln". The Official Catholic Directory. New York: M.H. Wiltzius. 1911.
  13. ^ "The Bonacum Case". Lincoln Evening Call. October 16, 1888.
  14. ^ a b c "The Cause of the Trouble Between Bishop Bonacum and His Parish Priests". The Cincinnati Enquirer. February 25, 1894.
  15. ^ "Bishop Bonacum Wins". Lincoln Journal Star. January 4, 1894.
  16. ^ a b c d "BISHOP BONACUM BEATEN: The Metropolitan Court Decides in Favor of the Priests". Sioux City Journal. December 2, 1896.
  17. ^ "BISHOP BONACUM LIBEL SUIT". The New York Times. February 6, 1894.
  18. ^ "NO MALICIOUS INTENT: Libel Suit Against Bishop Bonactun Dismissed—Had a Vested Right". The Mercury News. February 11, 1894.
  19. ^ a b c Zabel, Orville H. (1955). "God and Caesar in Nebraska: A Study of the Legal Relationship of Church and State, 1854-1954". Papers from the University Studies Series (The University of Nebraska). University of Nebraska.
  20. ^ "POPE GETS A COPY OF BONACUM-MURPHY DECISION". The Lincoln Star. July 15, 1905.
  21. ^ a b c "BISHOP BONACUM CHASED BY A MOB". The Lincoln Star. June 19, 1909.
  22. ^ "CANNOT SUE PRIESTS IN CIVIL COURT". The Beatrice Daily Express. December 5, 1911.
  23. ^ "THE DEATH OF BISHOP BONACUM". Lincoln Journal Star. February 4, 1911.
Catholic Church titles
Preceded by
none
(diocese erected)
 Bishop of Lincoln
1887–1911 		Succeeded by
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