Martin John Spalding
Martin John Spalding (born May 23, 1810 in Rolling Fork , Kentucky , † February 7, 1872 in Baltimore ) was a Roman Catholic clergyman and Archbishop of Baltimore .
Life
Originally from Kentucky, Spalding went through the academic levels swiftly and with distinction. At the age of 16 he entered the seminary at what was then the bishopric in Bardstown . From 1830 to 1834 he worked at the Congregatio de Propaganda Fide in Rome and was ordained a priest there on August 13, 1834 . He also obtained his doctorate in Rome. Upon his return he became a pastor at Bardstown Cathedral and editor of a Catholic magazine. In 1844 the bishopric was moved from Bardstown to Louisville . There Spalding became vicar general and on May 9, 1848 coadjutor of the Bishop of Louisville and titular bishop of Lagania . The episcopal ordination donated him on September 10, 1848 Benedict Joseph Flaget , the Bishop of Louisville; Co-consecrators were the Bishop of Philadelphia Francis Patrick Kenrick and Richard Pius Miles , Bishop of Nashville, Tennessee. He succeeded Louisville, Kentucky on February 11, 1850.
In Louisville, Spalding expanded the Catholic school system and brought the Franz Xaver Brothers to the diocese. He began an intensive ecclesiastical, catechetical and apologetic writing activity. At the same time he held teaching positions at various universities.
On May 6, 1864, Spalding was appointed Archbishop of Baltimore and thus to the oldest and most prestigious bishopric in the United States. He took office on July 31 of the same year and held it until his death. During the Civil War he managed to avoid a split in the Catholic Church in the USA. In 1866 he led a national synod of bishops in Baltimore. At his new place of work, too, he promoted the Catholic school, education and newspaper system and pushed ahead with the plans to found a Catholic University of America . He had the interior of the Baltimore Cathedral completed and donated countless confirmations with a high proportion of converts . At the First Vatican Council he was an active supporter of the dogmatization of papal infallibility and the primacy of jurisdiction . He combined his decidedly ecclesiastical position with commitment to the social development of the country.
People from all walks of life and many non-Catholics attended his funeral ceremonies in what was then the Baltimore Cathedral .
literature
- Louis O'Donovan: Martin John Spalding . In: Catholic Encyclopedia , Volume 14, Robert Appleton Company, New York 1912.
Web links
- Entry on Martin John Spalding on catholic-hierarchy.org ; accessed on March 28, 2017.
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| Francis Patrick Kenrick |
Archbishop of Baltimore 1864–1872 |
James Roosevelt Bayley |
| Benedict Joseph Flaget |
Bishop of Louisville 1850–1864 |
Peter Joseph Lavialle |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Spalding, Martin John |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Spalding, Martin |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Roman Catholic clergyman and Archbishop of Baltimore |
| DATE OF BIRTH | May 23, 1810 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Rolling Fork , Kentucky |
| DATE OF DEATH | February 7, 1872 |
| Place of death | Baltimore |