Eugene Augustine Garvey (October 6, 1845 – October 22, 1920) 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 was the first Bishop of Altoona, serving from 1901 until his death in 1920.

Biography

Early life and education

Garvey was born on October 6, 1845, in Carbondale,

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, to Michael and Catherine (née Boylan) Garvey. His parents were both Irish immigrants, and his father was a rope worker for the Delaware and Hudson Railway and later the Pennsylvania Coal Company. One of five children, Garvey had a sister Margaret (later Sister Eugenia) who joined the

Sisters of Charity Many religious communities have the term Sisters of Charity in their name. Some ''Sisters of Charity'' communities refer to the Vincentian tradition, or in America to the tradition of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, but others are unrelated. The ...

and became superior of their convent in

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. In 1850, Garvey moved with his family from Carbondale to nearby

Dunmore Dunmore from the ga, Dún Mór, link=no or gd, Dùn Mòr, link=no, meaning "great fort", may refer to: People * Dunmore (surname) * Earl of Dunmore, a title in the Peerage of Scotland, includes a list of earls * Countess of Dunmore (disambiguat ...

, later graduating from Scranton High School. After teaching for two years, Garvey entered St. Charles College, a

minor seminary A minor seminary or high school seminary is a secondary day or boarding school created for the specific purpose of enrolling teenage boys who have expressed interest in becoming Catholic priests. They are generally Catholic institutions, and de ...

Ellicott City Ellicott City is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in, and the county seat of, Howard County, Maryland, United States. Part of the Baltimore metropolitan area, its population was 65,834 at the 2010 census, making it the mo ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

, in 1865 to begin his preparation for the priesthood. He completed his theological studies at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

. The

Diocese of Scranton The Diocese of Scranton is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or diocese of the Catholic Church. It is a suffragan see of Archdiocese of Philadelphia, established on March 3, 1868. The seat of the bishop is St. Peter's Cathedral in th ...

was created the year before his ordination and he accepted an invitation from Bishop William O'Hara to work in that diocese.

Priesthood

Garvey was ordained a priest on September 22, 1869, by Bishop O'Hara. His first assignment was as assistant pastor at the largely German-speaking parish of St. Mary's Church in Honesdale, with the additional duty of serving the English-speaking Catholics of St. Philomena's Church in Hawley. A year later in 1870, he was named pastor of Holy Ghost Church in

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. In December 1871, Garvey was appointed to replace Rev. Michael P. Stack as pastor of the Church of the Annunciation in Williamsport. Stack had been removed from his position by Bishop O'Hara due to his mismanagement of parish affairs, and subsequently spent the next decade in court fighting against the bishop. Despite taking charge amid a contentious situation, Garvey eliminated the parish's debt and built a new church, rectory, and parochial school, as well as Mount Carmel Cemetery and a convent for the

Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary The Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (IHM), founded as the Daughters of the Most Holy and Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is a Catholic religious teaching institute for women. The institute was founded in the Catalan city of ...

. After 27 years at Williamsport, Garvey became

vicar general A vicar general (previously, archdeacon) is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority and possesses the title of local ordinary. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar general exercises the bishop' ...

of the Diocese of Scranton and pastor of St. John's Church in Pittston in March 1899. He was given the title of

monsignor Monsignor (; it, monsignore ) is an honorific form of address or title for certain male clergy members, usually members of the Roman Catholic Church. Monsignor is the apocopic form of the Italian ''monsignore'', meaning "my lord". "Monsignor" ca ...

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 ...

in 1900. Before his eventual appointment as bishop, his name had been proposed to succeed Bishop O'Hara of Scranton, Bishop Thomas McGovern of

Harrisburg Harrisburg is the capital city of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Dauphin County. With a population of 50,135 as of the 2021 census, Harrisburg is the 9th largest city and 15th largest municipality in Pe ...

, and Bishop

Tobias Mullen Tobias Mullen (March 4, 1818 – April 22, 1900) was an Ireland, Irish-born clergyman of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Erie, Diocese of Erie in Pennsylvania from 1868 to until his death in 1899 ...

Erie Erie (; ) is a city on the south shore of Lake Erie and the county seat of Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. Erie is the fifth largest city in Pennsylvania and the largest city in Northwestern Pennsylvania with a population of 94,831 a ...

Bishop of Altoona

On May 31, 1901, Garvey was appointed the first bishop of the newly created Diocese of Altoona by

. He received his episcopal consecration on the following September 8 from Archbishop

Sebastiano Martinelli Sebastiano Martinelli (20 August 1848 – 4 July 1918) was a Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who served as Prefect of the Congregation of Rites. Early life Sebastiano Martinelli was born in Borgo Sant'Anna within the Archdiocese of Lucca ...

, with Bishops

Michael John Hoban Michael John Hoban (June 6, 1853 – November 13, 1926) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Scranton in Pennsylvania from 1899 until his death in 1926. While Hoban was coadjutor bishop o ...

and John Edmund Fitzmaurice serving as co-consecrators, at St. Peter's Cathedral in Scranton. He served as Bishop for 19 years, until his death at age 75. Garvey formally took charge of the Diocese of Altoona on September 24, 1901, when he was installed at St. John's Pro-Cathedral. The new diocese covered over 6,000 square miles in Central and Western Pennsylvania, including the counties of

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, Blair,

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Huntingdon Huntingdon is a market town in the Huntingdonshire district in Cambridgeshire, England. The town was given its town charter by King John in 1205. It was the county town of the historic county of Huntingdonshire. Oliver Cromwell was born there ...

, and

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taken from the Diocese of Pittsburgh and the counties of

Centre Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics * Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentri ...

, Clinton, and

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taken from the Diocese of Harrisburg. In Garvey's first full year as bishop in 1902, the Diocese of Altoona contained 59 priests, 44 parishes, 23 parochial schools with 6,000 students, and a Catholic population of 44,000. By his final year as bishop in 1920, there were 148 priests, 91 parishes, 42 parochial schools with 11,369 students, and a Catholic population of 123,756. Garvey's health began to fail in 1917, and three years later he received Bishop

John Joseph McCort John Joseph McCort (February 16, 1860 – April 21, 1936) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Altoona from 1920 until his death in 1936. Biography Early life and education John McCort was born on February 16 ...

as a coadjutor bishop with the right of succession. Nine months after McCort's appointment, Garvey collapsed and fell into a coma. He died a few days later at his residence on October 22, 1920, aged 75.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Garvey, Eugene A. 1845 births 1920 deaths St. Charles College (Maryland) alumni St. Charles Borromeo Seminary alumni People from Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States Catholics from Pennsylvania