William J. Quarter
William J. Quarter (born January 21, 1806 in Killurin , Ireland , † April 10, 1848 in Chicago ) was the first Roman Catholic bishop of Chicago .
Life
Quarter went to school in Tullamore before emigrating from Ireland in 1822 after learning of the poor state of the Catholic Church in the United States . He first studied in Maryland , finished his theology studies in 1829 and moved to New York City , where Bishop John Dubois ordained him on September 19, 1829 as a priest . Quarter served as a pastor in various parts of New York in the following years. In 1840 he persuaded the Protestant journalist Maximilian Oertel to transfer to the Catholic Church.
Pope Gregory XVI appointed him on November 28, 1843 first bishop of the diocese of Chicago, established on the same day. He was ordained episcopal on March 10, 1844, by John Joseph Hughes , Bishop of New York . Co- consecrators were Benedict Joseph Fenwick , Bishop of Boston , and Richard Vincent Whelan , Bishop of Richmond . Quarter was the first bishop in the United States to convene theological conferences. He also established Catholic schools in Chicago and founded Saint Mary College in 1844 , now the seminary of the Archdiocese of Chicago. After four and a half years in office, he died in 1848 at the age of 42.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Entry of the Archdiocese of Chicago in the Catholic Encyclopedia
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| --- |
Bishop of Chicago 1843–1848 |
James Oliver Van de Velde SJ |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Quarter, William J. |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Quarter, William |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Irish-American clergyman, Bishop of Chicago |
| DATE OF BIRTH | January 21, 1806 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Killurin , Ireland |
| DATE OF DEATH | April 10, 1848 |
| Place of death | Chicago |