Francis William Howard (June 21, 1867 – January 18, 1944) 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 'pref ...

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 Covington from 1923 until his death in 1944.

Biography

The fifth of seven children, Francis Howard was born in

Columbus, Ohio Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, and t ...

, to Francis and Catherine (née O'Sullivan) Howard, 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. After attending St. Joseph Academy in Columbus, he entered Our Lady of the Angels Seminary at

Niagara, New York Niagara is a town in Niagara County, New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town had a total population of 8,378. The town is named after the famous waterfall Niagara Falls. The Town of Niagara is the neighbor to the City of Niaga ...

in 1884, and later returned to Ohio in 1888 to continue his studies at Mount St. Mary's Seminary of the West in

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

. Howard 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 va ...

to the priesthood for the

Diocese of Columbus The Diocese of Columbus ( la, Dioecesis Columbensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church covering 23 counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. The episcopal see of the diocese is situated at Columbus. The dioce ...

by Bishop John Ambrose Watterson on June 16, 1891. In 1901 he organized the first Columbus Diocesan School Board. He also 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 w ...

(1904–1928),

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(1928–1936), and member of the advisory board (1936–1944) of the

National Catholic Educational Association The National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA) is a private, professional educational membership association of over 150,000 educators in Catholic schools, universities, and religious education programs. It is the largest such organization ...

. On March 26, 1923, Howard was appointed the fifth Bishop of Covington,

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

, by

Pope Pius XI Pope Pius XI ( it, Pio XI), born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti (; 31 May 1857 – 10 February 1939), was head of the Catholic Church from 6 February 1922 to his death in February 1939. He was the first sovereign of Vatican City fro ...

. He received his

episcopal Episcopal may refer to: *Of or relating to a bishop, an overseer in the Christian church *Episcopate, the see of a bishop – a diocese *Episcopal Church (disambiguation), any church with "Episcopal" in its name ** Episcopal Church (United State ...

consecration Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service. The word ''consecration'' literally means "association with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different grou ...

on the following July 15 from Archbishop

Henry K. Moeller Henry K. Moeller (December 11, 1849 – January 5, 1925) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Columbus in Ohio (1900–1903) and archbishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati in Ohio (1904–192 ...

, with Bishops

James Joseph Hartley James Joseph Hartley (June 26, 1858 – January 12, 1944) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the fourth bishop of the Diocese of Columbus in Ohio from 1904 until his death over 39 years later. His was the lo ...

and

John A. Floersh John Alexander Floersh (October 5, 1886 – June 11, 1968) was an American bishop of the Roman Catholic Church. Becoming Bishop of Louisville in 1924, he was elevated to the rank of archbishop in 1937 and served until his retirement in 1967. ...

serving as

co-consecrators A consecrator is a bishop who ordains someone to the episcopacy. A co-consecrator is someone who assists the consecrator bishop in the act of ordaining a new bishop. The terms are used in the canon law of the Catholic Church, Lutheran Churches, ...

. During his 20-year tenure, he became a nationally recognized leader in Catholic education and established a strong system of Catholic grade schools and high schools a priority for the diocese. He was named an

Assistant at the Pontifical Throne The Bishops-Assistant at the Pontifical Throne were ecclesiastical titles in the Roman Catholic Church. It designated prelates belonging to the Papal Chapel, who stood near the throne of the Pope at solemn functions. They ranked immediately below ...

in 1928. Following the 1937 Ohio River flood, he opened all Catholic churches in Covington for relief purposes. Howard died of heart disease in Covington on January 18, 1944. He is buried at St. Mary Cemetery in Fort Mitchell.

References

External links

Episcopal succession

{{DEFAULTSORT:Howard, Francis William 1867 births 1944 deaths The Athenaeum of Ohio alumni Clergy from Columbus, Ohio Roman Catholic Diocese of Columbus Roman Catholic bishops of Covington Catholics from Ohio Contributors to the Catholic Encyclopedia