Bernard Joseph Mahoney (July 24, 1875 – March 20, 1939) was an American prelate of the

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. He served as Bishop of Sioux Falls from 1922 until his death in 1939.

Biography

Early life and education

Bernard Mahoney was born on July 24, 1875 in Albany, New York, to Daniel and Honora (née O'Connor) Mahoney, who were Irish immigrants. His father worked for the

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and moved the family to Rensselaer when Bernard was still a child. He received his early education at St. John's Academy in Rensselaer, but left school to work as a telegraph operator for

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in Albany. He later worked as an

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telegrapher for the Troy ''Evening Standard'' and the Albany ''Knickerbocker Press''. Mahoney was encouraged to study for the priesthood by Rev. James Duffy, the pastor of St. John's in Rensselaer. In the fall of 1895, he entered

Mount St. Mary's College Mount Saint Mary's University, Los Angeles (known as Mount St. Mary's College until January 2015) is a private, Catholic university primarily for women, in Los Angeles, California. Women make up ninety percent of the student body. It was found ...

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, graduating four years later at the top of his class. He was then sent to

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to study philosophy and theology at the Pontifical North American College.

Priesthood

While in Rome, Mahoney was ordained a priest on February 27, 1904 by

Giuseppe Ceppetelli Giuseppe Ceppetelli (15 March 1846 – 12 March 1917) was an Italian Roman Catholic archbishop. At the time of his death, he was the Titular Patriarch of Constantinople. He was ordained on Holy Saturday of 1870 and was consecrated by the Vicar G ...

. Following his ordination, he returned to New York and served as assistant pastor under Rev. John Walsh at St. Peter's Church in Troy. In 1909, Mahoney was named to succeed Rev. John Patrick Farrelly as the spiritual director of his alma mater, the Pontifical North American College in Rome. During this time, he also earned the degree of

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and arranged appointments for Americans seeking a papal audience. In 1917, he was given the title of

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Bishop of Sioux Falls

On May 24, 1922, Mahoney was appointed Bishop of Sioux Falls,

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, by Pope Pius XI. He received his episcopal consecration on the following June 29 in Rome from Cardinal

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, with Archbishop Giovanni Zonghi and Bishop Giacomo Sinibaldi serving as co-consecrators. He formally took charge of the Diocese of Sioux Falls on October 4, 1922, when he was installed at St. Joseph's Cathedral. Mahoney's 17 years as bishop were marked by poor economic conditions and a heavy diocesan debt. While the number of priests in the diocese increased from 156 to 174 under his tenure, the total Catholic population fell from 71,000 to 60,000 during the same period. He was also forced to close

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due to financial difficulties in 1929. However, he did establish Cathedral High School in 1926. Mahoney died on March 20, 1939 at the Mayo Clinic in

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, following an operation to have a

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removed.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mahoney, Bernard Joseph 1875 births 1939 deaths Religious leaders from Albany, New York Mount St. Mary's University alumni Roman Catholic bishops of Sioux Falls 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States