David William Bacon (September 15, 1813 – November 5, 1874) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the first bishop of the

Diocese of Portland The Diocese of Portland is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the New England region of the United States comprising the entire state of Maine. It is led by a bishop, and its cathedral, or mother church, is the Cat ...

in Maine and New Hampshire from 1855 until his death in 1874.

Biography

Early life

David Bacon was born on September 15, 1813, in New York City. He majored in classical studies at the Sulpician College of Montreal in Montreal, Quebec, and studied theology at Mount St. Mary's Seminary in Emmitsburg, Maryland. Bacon 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 ...

by Archbishop

Samuel Eccleston Samuel Eccleston, P.S.S. (June 27, 1801 – April 22, 1851) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as the fifth Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Baltimore, Maryland from 1834 until his death in 1851. Biography Earl ...

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

on December 13, 1838. Returning to New York, Bacon served on missions at Utica and Ogdensburg, then in New York City and in

Belleville, New Jersey Belleville (French: "Belle ville" meaning "Beautiful city / town") is a township in Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States Census, the township's population was 38,222, reflecting an increase of 6.4% from th ...

. In 1841, Bacon was sent to

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, to establish a third parish. He bought an unfinished building for the parish church. The building had been started in November 1831, as the "Independent Catholic Church" by the Reverend. John Farnan, who had been suspended by Bishop

John Dubois John Dubois (french: Jean Dubois) served as the third bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of New York from 1826 until his death in 1842. He was the first Bishop of New York who was not Irish-born and, as of 2021, remains the only Bishop or Archbi ...

. The new Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Church was completed and dedicated on June 10, 1842.

Bishop of Portland

On January 23, 1855, Bacon was named first bishop of the new Diocese of Portland by

Pope Pius IX Pope Pius IX ( it, Pio IX, ''Pio Nono''; born Giovanni Maria Mastai Ferretti; 13 May 1792 – 7 February 1878) was head of the Catholic Church from 1846 to 1878, the longest verified papal reign. He was notable for convoking the First Vatican ...

.. Bacon was consecrated by Archbishop

John Joseph Hughes John Joseph Hughes (June 24, 1797 – January 3, 1864) was a prelate of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States. He was the fourth Bishop and first Archbishop of the Archdiocese of New York, serving between 1842 and his death in 1864. In ...

in St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York City, on April 22, 1855. There were only six priests and eight churches in the Portland diocese, which at that time included the entire states of

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...

and

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

. At his death the diocese contained 63 churches, 52 priests, 23 parish schools, and a Catholic population of about 80,000.

Death and legacy

In the summer of 1874, Bacon sailed with Archbishop

John McCloskey John McCloskey (March 10, 1810 – October 10, 1885) was a senior-ranking American prelate of the Catholic Church. He was the first American born Archbishop of New York from 1864 until his death in 1885, having previously served as Bishop of ...

to Europe for a visit to Rome. After Bacon fell ill during the voyage, he was admitted to the Naval Hospital at

Brest, France Brest (; ) is a port city in the Finistère department, Brittany. Located in a sheltered bay not far from the western tip of the peninsula, and the western extremity of metropolitan France, Brest is an important harbour and the second French mi ...

, while McCloskey continued to Rome. Bacon spend the summer and fall in the hospital. For the return trip to New York in November, McCloskey had Bacon carried on board the ship from the hospital. Gravely ill, David Bacon died on November 5, 1874, in a New York City hospital, several hours after the ship docked. The bronze altar of the Sacred Heart in St. Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan was erected by Archbishop McCloskey in thanks for Bacon's life being spared until he got back to the United States.

References

*"U.S. Cath. Hist. Soc. Records and Studies" (New York, 1900), II, pts. I-II * MITCHELL, "Golden Jubilee of Bishop Loughlin" (Brooklyn, 1891) * MULRENAN, "A Brief Historical Sketch of the Catholic Church on Long Island" (New York, 1871) * REUSS, "Biog. Cycl. Of the Cath. Hierarchy" (Milwaukee, Wis., 1898) * SHEA, "Hist. Cath. Ch. In U.S." (New York, 1904) {{DEFAULTSORT:Bacon, David William 1813 births 1874 deaths Clergy from New York City Roman Catholic bishops of Portland 19th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States Participants in the First Vatican Council