Francis Xavier Brady (March 29, 1857 – March 13, 1911) was an American

Catholic 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 ...

priest and Jesuit. Born near

Gettysburg, Pennsylvania Gettysburg (; non-locally ) is a borough and the county seat of Adams County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The Battle of Gettysburg (1863) and President Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address are named for this town. Gettysburg is home to th ...

, he studied at

Woodstock College Woodstock College was a Jesuit seminary that existed from 1869 to 1974. It was the oldest Jesuit seminary in the United States. The school was located in Woodstock, Maryland, west of Baltimore, from its establishment until 1969, when it moved to ...

, and held positions in various Jesuit institutions before becoming President of Loyola College in Maryland in 1908. He held the office until his death in 1911.

Early life

Francis Xavier Brady was born on March 29, 1857, in Buchanan Valley near

, to Samuel J. Brady and Margaret Goy. His father was of Irish descent, while his mother was Pennsylvania Dutch. One of five children, he had three brothers and a sister who entered the

Sisters of St. Joseph The Sisters of St. Joseph, also known as the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph, abbreviated CSJ or SSJ, is a Roman Catholic religious congregation of women founded in Le Puy-en-Velay, France, in 1650. This congregation, named for S ...

. Francis decided to join the

Society of Jesus , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

, and entered the novitiate in

Frederick, Maryland Frederick is a city in and the county seat of Frederick County, Maryland. It is part of the Baltimore–Washington Metropolitan Area. Frederick has long been an important crossroads, located at the intersection of a major north–south Native ...

, on July 21, 1873. As part of his studies, he was sent to

in 1876. After three years, he went to teach at

Gonzaga College Gonzaga College SJ is a voluntary Catholic boys' secondary school in Ranelagh, Dublin, Ireland. Founded in 1950, Gonzaga College is under the trusteeship of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuit Order), one of five Jesuit secondary schools in Ir ...

. He was then transferred to St. Peter's Church in Jersey City, New Jersey, in 1881, before returning to Woodstock in 1884 to complete his education. Because of his poor health, the Jesuit superiors decided to expedite his studies, and he was ordained a

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in partic ...

by 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 ...

on August 28, 1886, at Woodstock College.

Pastoral and educational career

Brady became the vice president of

Loyola College in Maryland Loyola University Maryland is a private Jesuit university in Baltimore, Maryland. Established as Loyola College in Maryland by John Early and eight other members of the Society of Jesus in 1852, it is the ninth-oldest Jesuit college in the U ...

in 1892, serving in this position for three years. In June 1908, Brady was named the President of Loyola College, succeeding W. G. Read Mullan. At the same time, he succeeded Mullan as the

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. Ignatius Church in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

. He held both positions until his death on March 13, 1911, in Baltimore. He was succeeded by Ennis as president and pastor.

References

Citations

Sources

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Brady, Francis X. 1857 births 1911 deaths People from Gettysburg, Pennsylvania 19th-century American Jesuits 20th-century American Jesuits St. Stanislaus Novitiate (Frederick, Maryland) alumni Woodstock College alumni Presidents of Loyola University Maryland Pastors of St. Ignatius Church (Baltimore)