Bartholomew Joseph Eustace (October 9, 1887 – December 11, 1956) was an 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 ...

. He served as the first bishop of the

Diocese of Camden The Roman Catholic Diocese of Camden is a Roman Catholic diocese of the Latin Church in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It consists of 62 parishes and about 475,000 Catholics in the Southern Jersey counties of Atlantic, Camden, Cape May, Cumber ...

in New Jersey from 1938 until his death.

Biography

Early life

Bartholomew Eustace was born October 9, 1887, on the

Lower East Side The Lower East Side, sometimes abbreviated as LES, is a historic neighborhood in the southeastern part of Manhattan in New York City. It is located roughly between the Bowery and the East River from Canal to Houston streets. Traditionally an im ...

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. He was the elder of two sons of Bartholomew Ambrose and Elizabeth (née Nolan) Eustace, both natives of Ireland. His father worked as a bookkeeper. Eustace graduated from St. Francis Xavier College in 1910. He then began his studies for the priesthood at St. Joseph's Seminary in

Yonkers Yonkers () is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. Developed along the Hudson River, it is the third most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City and Buffalo. The population of Yonkers was 211,569 as enu ...

. He won a scholarship to Rome, where he completed his theological studies at the

Pontifical North American College The Pontifical North American College (NAC) is a Catholic Church, Roman Catholic educational institution in Rome, Italy, that prepares seminarians to become priests in the United States and elsewhere. The NAC also provides a residence for Pri ...

and earned a doctorate in theology.

Priesthood

While studying in Rome, Eustace was ordained a priest for the

Archdiocese of New York The Archdiocese of New York ( la, Archidiœcesis Neo-Eboracensis) is an ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church ( particularly the Roman Catholic or Latin Church) located in the State of New York. It encompasses the boroug ...

on November 1, 1914, by Bishop Alessio Ascalesi. Upon his return to New York the following summer, Eustace was appointed an assistant pastor at Blessed Sacrament Parish in

New Rochelle New Rochelle (; older french: La Nouvelle-Rochelle) is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States, in the southeastern portion of the state. In 2020, the city had a population of 79,726, making it the seventh-largest in the state of ...

. He remained there for one year before joining the faculty of St. Joseph's Seminary in 1916 as professor of philosophy and liturgy. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Eustace also served as a chaplain at the

Pelham Bay Naval Training Station Pelham Bay Naval Training Station was a World War I-era United States Navy training facility located in Pelham Bay Park's Rodman's Neck in the Bronx. Located near City Island, and Westchester county, it was operational from 1917 to 1919. Hist ...

in New York City. At St. Joseph's, Eustace earned a reputation as a liturgical scholar, publishing an English translation of

Pope Benedict XIII Pope Benedict XIII ( la, Benedictus XIII; it, Benedetto XIII; 2 February 1649 – 21 February 1730), born Pietro Francesco Orsini and later called Vincenzo Maria Orsini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 29 May ...

's ''Memoriale Rituum'' in 1935 and often serving as master of ceremonies to Cardinal Patrick Hayes. Among his students was James McIntyre, who would become a

cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to: Animals * Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae **''Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, the ...

in 1953. Eustace remained at the seminary for 21 years, until he was appointed pastor at Blessed Sacrament Parish in New Rochelle in September 1937.

Bishop of Camden

On December 16, 1937, Eustace was appointed the first bishop of the newly-established Diocese of Camden by

Pope Pius XI Pope Pius XI ( it, Pio XI), born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti (; 31 May 1857 – 10 February 1939), was head of the Catholic Church from 6 February 1922 to his death in February 1939. He was the first sovereign of Vatican City fro ...

. He received his episcopal consecration on March 25, 1938, from Cardinal Hayes, with Bishops Edward Kelly and Stephen Donahue serving as co-consecrators, at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City. More than 3,000 guests attended his consecration, including former New York Governor

Al Smith Alfred Emanuel Smith (December 30, 1873 – October 4, 1944) was an American politician who served four terms as Governor of New York and was the Democratic Party's candidate for president in 1928. The son of an Irish-American mother and a C ...

, former New York City Mayor

John P. O'Brien John Patrick O'Brien (February 1, 1873September 22, 1951) was an Irish-American politician who served as the 98th Mayor of New York City from January 1 to December 31, 1933. Life and career O'Brien was born on February 1, 1873, to Mary and Patr ...

, and Eustace's elderly mother. Following his arrival in Camden, Eustace said he believed his mother "was just a little proud of me, now that I am a bishop." Eustace took formal charge of the Diocese of Camden on May 4, 1938, when he was installed at Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. The new diocese, comprising six counties and 2,700 square miles in

South Jersey South Jersey comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of New Jersey located between the lower Delaware River and the Atlantic Ocean. The designation of South Jersey with a distinct toponym is a colloquialism rather than an administrative ...

, then contained 100,000 Catholics, 86 priests, 49 parishes, and 35 Catholic schools. Over the course of Eustace's 18 years as bishop, the Catholic population and the number of priests in the diocese more than doubled. He founded 31 parishes, 25 missions, 50 churches, 20 convents, 22 elementary schools, and four high schools. Two of the parishes that Eustace founded were established specifically for African-American Catholics — St. Monica's in

Atlantic City Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, Boardwalk (entertainment district), boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020 United States censu ...

(the first new parish during his tenure) and St. Bartholomew's in Camden. When St. Bartholomew's fell into financial difficulties, Eustace recruited

Eddie Cantor Eddie Cantor (born Isidore Itzkowitz; January 31, 1892 – October 10, 1964) was an American comedian, actor, dancer, singer, songwriter, film producer, screenwriter and author. Familiar to Broadway, radio, movie, and early television audiences, ...

to give a benefit performance in 1950. He also erected Our Lady of Fatima Parish for Spanish-speaking Catholics. Eustace established Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital at Camden in 1950 and Mercy Hospital at

Sea Isle City, New Jersey Sea Isle City is a City (New Jersey), city in Cape May County, New Jersey, Cape May County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the Ocean City, New Jersey, Ocean City metropolitan statistical area. As of the 2020 United States census ...

, in 1953, as well as the Angelus Convalescent Home at

Wildwood, New Jersey Wildwood is a city in Cape May County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the Ocean City metropolitan statistical area and is a popular summer resort destination along the Jersey Shore. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's year-rou ...

, and St. Mary's Home for the Aged at

Haddonfield, New Jersey :''Not the fictional Illinois town from the Halloween film series.'' Haddonfield is a borough located in Camden County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough had a total population of 11,593,

. Eustace was diagnosed with

diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ap ...

in 1941 and had three heart attacks between 1950 and 1955.

Death

He was diagnosed with

bladder cancer Bladder cancer is any of several types of cancer arising from the tissues of the urinary bladder. Symptoms include blood in the urine, pain with urination, and low back pain. It is caused when epithelial cells that line the bladder become mali ...

in September 1956, after which he became confined to his residence in Haddonfield. He died there on December 11, 1956, at age 69. His funeral Mass was celebrated by his former student, Cardinal McIntyre of Los Angeles. He is buried at Calvary Cemetery in Cherry Hill.

Legacy

Bishop Eustace Preparatory School, a coeducational private high school in

Pennsauken Township, New Jersey Pennsauken Township is a township in Camden County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is a suburb of Philadelphia. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the township's population was 37,074, reflecting an increase of 1,189 (+3.3%) from the 35,885 count ...

, is named in his honor.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Eustace, Bartholomew J. 1887 births 1956 deaths People from Camden, New Jersey People from Collingswood, New Jersey People from Haddonfield, New Jersey Saint Joseph's Seminary (Dunwoodie) alumni American Roman Catholic clergy of Irish descent 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States People from the Lower East Side Burials in New Jersey Catholics from New York (state) Catholics from New Jersey