Edmund Francis Gibbons (September 16, 1868 – June 19, 1964) was an American
prelate
A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Christian clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which means 'carry before', 'be set above or over' or 'pre ...
of the
Roman 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
Bishop of Albany from 1919 to 1954.
Biography
Edmund Gibbons was born in
White Plains,
New York, to James and Joanna (née Ray) Gibbons, who were
Irish
Irish may refer to:
Common meanings
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe
***Éire, Irish language name for the isle
** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
immigrants.
His father was a laborer who helped build the
New York State Capitol
The New York State Capitol, the seat of the New York state government, is located in Albany, the capital city of the U.S. state of New York. The capitol building is part of the Empire State Plaza complex on State Street in Capitol Park. Housi ...
.
After graduating from
Niagara University in 1887, he studied at the
Pontifical North American College in
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
from 1887 to 1893.
[ He was ]ordained
Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform ...
to the priesthood on May 27, 1893. He then served as secretary
A secretary, administrative professional, administrative assistant, executive assistant, administrative officer, administrative support specialist, clerk, military assistant, management assistant, office secretary, or personal assistant is a ...
to Bishop Stephen V. Ryan (1893-1896), superintendent
Superintendent may refer to:
*Superintendent (police), Superintendent of Police (SP), or Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), a police rank
*Prison warden or Superintendent, a prison administrator
*Superintendent (ecclesiastical), a church exec ...
of Catholic schools in the Buffalo Diocese (1900-1916), and pastor
A pastor (abbreviated as "Pr" or "Ptr" , or "Ps" ) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and ...
of St. Vincent's Church in Attica
Attica ( el, Αττική, Ancient Greek ''Attikḗ'' or , or ), or the Attic Peninsula, is a historical region that encompasses the city of Athens, the capital of Greece and its countryside. It is a peninsula projecting into the Aegean S ...
(1904-1915).[ He was pastor of St. Teresa's Church in Buffalo from 1916 to 1919.][
On March 10, 1919, Gibbons was appointed the sixth Bishop of Albany by ]Pope Benedict XV
Pope Benedict XV (Latin: ''Benedictus XV''; it, Benedetto XV), born Giacomo Paolo Giovanni Battista della Chiesa, name=, group= (; 21 November 185422 January 1922), was head of the Catholic Church from 1914 until his death in January 1922. His ...
.[ He received his episcopal consecration on the following March 25 from Archbishop ]Giovanni Bonzano
Giovanni Vincenzo Cardinal Bonzano PIME (27 September 1867 – 26 November 1927) was an Italian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who served as Apostolic Delegate to United States from 1912 to 1922, and was elevated to the cardinalate ...
, with Bishops John Grimes and Thomas Walsh serving as co-consecrators.[ He guided the diocese through the Great Depression and ]World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, and oversaw a great increase in religious vocations and parishes.[ He also established The College of Saint Rose, Siena College, Mater Christi Seminary, 22 ]high school
A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...
s, 82 grade schools, and the diocesan newspaper
A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background.
Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as p ...
, ''The Evangelist''.[
After thirty-five years as bishop, Gibbons resigned on November 10, 1954; he was named ]Titular Bishop
A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese.
By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox ...
of ''Verbe'' on the same date.[ He later died at age 95.
]
References
Episcopal succession
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gibbons, Edmund
1868 births
1964 deaths
Roman Catholic bishops of Albany
Niagara University alumni
People from White Plains, New York
20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States
American Roman Catholic clergy of Irish descent