Francis Carroll S.M.A. (12 June 1912 – 10 October 1980) was an Irish prelate of the Catholic Church from
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
who worked as a missionary priest and bishop in
Liberia
Liberia (), officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to its north, Ivory Coast to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean ...
.
Biography
Francis Carroll was born in
Newry
Newry (; ) is a city in Northern Ireland, divided by the Clanrye river in counties Armagh and Down, from Belfast and from Dublin. It had a population of 26,967 in 2011.
Newry was founded in 1144 alongside a Cistercian monastery, althoug ...
, County Down, Northern Ireland, in the diocese of Dromore, on 12 June 1912. He studied at schools in Newry run by the
Christian Brothers from 1916 to 1927, when he decided to become a missionary priest. He then studied until 1931 at the institutions of the
Society of African Missions
The Society of African Missions ( la, Societas Missionum ad Afros; ) abbreviated SMA, also known as the SMA Fathers, is a Catholic religious Society of Apostolic Life of pontifical right for men founded by Melchior de Marion Brésillac in 1856. ...
(SMA): Sacred Heart College, Ballinafad, County Mayo; St. Joseph's College, Wilton, Cork. He entered the SMA novitiate at Kilcolgan, County Galway, and was admitted to the SMA on 2 July 1933. He studied theology in the major seminary at Dromantine, County Down, until June 1937. He was ordained a priest in St. Colman's Cathedral, Newry, on 20 December 1936.
He was assigned to the SMA's Liberian mission and arrived in Liberia in October 1937. He focused his work on education, opening and managing schools while maintaining good relations with the government education department. In 1946, Liberian President
William Tubman
William Vacanarat Shadrach Tubman (29 November 1895 – 23 July 1971) was a Liberian politician. He was the 19th president of Liberia and the longest-serving president in the country's history, serving from 1943 Liberian general election, his e ...
awarded Carroll the 'Star of Africa' in recognition of his education work.
[
On 2 February 1950 the Holy See divided the Vicariate of Liberia, creating the Prefecture of Cape Palmas and the Vicariate of Monrovia. Carroll was nominated Prefect Apostolic of Cape Palmas on 27 October 1950. On 20 December 1960, ]Pope John XXIII
Pope John XXIII ( la, Ioannes XXIII; it, Giovanni XXIII; born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, ; 25 November 18813 June 1963) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 28 October 1958 until his death in June 19 ...
named him Apostolic Vicar of Monrovia and titular bishop of Sozopolis in Haemimonto
Sozopol ( bg, Созопол , el, Σωζόπολη, translit=Sozopoli) is an ancient seaside town located 35 km south of Burgas on the southern Bulgarian Black Sea Coast. Today it is one of the major seaside resorts in the country, known for the ...
. He received his episcopal consecration on 21 May 1961 in St. Peter's Basilica from Pope John.[
He was given the additional title of Apostolic Internuncio to Liberia on 9 November 1961 and assigned the archbishop's titular see of Gabula on 14 January 1964. On 7 March 1966, ]Pope Paul VI
Pope Paul VI ( la, Paulus VI; it, Paolo VI; born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini, ; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City, Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 to his ...
appointed him Apostolic Pro-Nuncio to Liberia.
With increasing ill health Carroll offered his resignation as Apostolic Vicar, which was accepted in February 1976.[ In April 1979, ]Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...
accepted Carroll's resignation as Pro-Nuncio.[
Carroll retired to the SMA house in Tenafly, New Jersey, United States. He died in his family's home in Newry on 10 October 1980.]
Notes
References
External links
Catholic Hierarchy: Archbishop Francis Carroll
{{DEFAULTSORT:Caroll, Francis
1912 births
1980 deaths
People from Newry
Roman Catholic missionaries in Liberia
Apostolic Nuncios to Liberia
Irish Roman Catholic titular bishops
Irish expatriate Roman Catholic bishops
Roman Catholic bishops of Monrovia
Roman Catholic archbishops of Monrovia
Roman Catholic bishops of Cape Palmas
Christian clergy from County Down