Interior of Cathedral of Immaculate Conception 05

Edward Patrick Allen (March 17, 1853 – October 21, 1926) 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

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who served as Bishop of Mobile from 1897 until his death in 1926.

Biography

Edward Allen was born in Lowell,

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, to John and Mary (née Egan) Allen. His parents were both natives of King's County,

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. He received his early education in the public schools of his native city, and attended Lowell Commercial College before entering Mount St. Mary's Seminary in Emmitsburg,

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. He earned a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Th ...

degree with honors in 1878, and remained at Mount St. Mary's for his theological studies. On December 17, 1881, 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 by Bishop Thomas A. Becker. Allen then taught

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and

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at Mount St. Mary's until 1882, when he became a curate at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

. He was afterwards sent to

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, also serving as chaplain of the state reformatory in Sherborn. In 1884, he returned to Mount St. Mary's as its vice-

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and

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. He was elected president of the same institution in June 1885. In 1889, he received a Doctor of Divinity degree from

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...

. On April 19, 1897, Allen was appointed the fifth Bishop of Mobile,

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County , LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham , area_total_km2 = 135,765 ...

, by

Pope Leo XIII Pope Leo XIII ( it, Leone XIII; born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2 March 1810 – 20 July 1903) was the head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 to his death in July 1903. Living until the age of 93, he was the second-old ...

. He received his episcopal consecration on the following May 16 from Cardinal

James Gibbons James Cardinal Gibbons (July 23, 1834 – March 24, 1921) was a senior-ranking American prelate of the Catholic Church who served as Apostolic Vicar of North Carolina from 1868 to 1872, Bishop of Richmond from 1872 to 1877, and as ninth ...

, with Bishops Edward Fitzgerald and Matthew Harkins serving as co-consecrators, in the Cathedral of the Assumption in Baltimore. During Allen's administration, the Catholic population of the diocese increased from 18,000 to 48,000, and the number of priests more than doubled. He also established several new churches, hospitals, orphanages, and schools. The diocese was devastated by a major hurricane in September 1906; many churches were either totally or partially destroyed, but were rebuilt or repaired under Allen's direction. Deeply concerned for the

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community, he invited the Josephite Fathers to direct the black missions in the diocese, founded St. Joseph's College in order to "educate young colored men to be catechists and teachers," and sanctioned the establishment of the

Knights of Peter Claver The Knights of Peter Claver and Ladies Auxiliary is an international Catholic fraternal service order. Founded in 1909 by the Josephites and parishioners from Most Pure Heart of Mary Catholic Church in Mobile, Alabama, it is the largest and o ...

. Allen died at age 73, and was buried in the crypt of the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, Edward Patrick 1853 births 1926 deaths 19th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States People from Lowell, Massachusetts Roman Catholic bishops of Mobile Catholics from Massachusetts Knights of Peter Claver & Ladies Auxiliary American Roman Catholic bishops by contiguous area of the United States