George Joseph Finnigan, C.S.C. (February 22, 1885 – August 14, 1932) was an American prelate 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 the

Diocese of Helena The Diocese of Helena ( la, Dioecesis Helenensis) is the Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in western Montana with its cathedral located in Helena. The diocese was created from the year-old Apostolic Vicariat ...

in Montana from 1927 to 1932

Biography

Early life

George Finnigan was born in

Potsdam, New York Potsdam ( moh, Tsi tewate’nehtararénies) is a town in St. Lawrence County, New York, United States. The town population was 14,901 at the 2020 census. The ZIP Code is 13676. When SUNY Potsdam and Clarkson University are in session, the popul ...

, on February 22, 1888. He professed

religious vows Religious vows are the public vows made by the members of religious communities pertaining to their conduct, practices, and views. In the Buddhism tradition, in particular within the Mahayana and Vajrayana tradition, many different kinds of re ...

in the

Congregation of Holy Cross , image = Congregation of Holy Cross.svg , image_size = 150px , abbreviation = CSC , formation = , founder = Blessed Fr. Basile-Antoine Marie Moreau, C.S.C. , founding_location = ...

Finnigan earned a bachelor's degree from the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin founded the school in 1842. The main campu ...

in 1910, before being sent to study at Holy Cross Seminary. In Rome, he earned a

Licentiate of Sacred Theology Licentiate in Sacred Theology ( la, Sacrae Theologiae Licentiatus; abbreviated STL) is the second of three ecclesiastical degrees in theology (the first being the Baccalaureate in Sacred Theology and the third being the Doctorate in Sacred Theol ...

at the

Pontifical Gregorian University The Pontifical Gregorian University ( it, Pontificia Università Gregoriana; also known as the Gregorian or Gregoriana,) is a higher education ecclesiastical school ( pontifical university) located in Rome, Italy. The Gregorian originated as ...

. Later, he earned a

Doctor of Sacred Theology The Doctor of Sacred Theology ( la, Sacrae Theologiae Doctor, abbreviated STD), also sometimes known as Professor of Sacred Theology (, abbreviated STP), is the final theological degree in the pontifical university system of the Catholic Church, ...

Laval University Laval means ''The Valley'' in old French and is the name of: People * House of Laval, a French noble family originating from the town of Laval, Mayenne * Laval (surname) Places Belgium * Laval, a village in the municipality of Sainte-Ode, Luxemb ...

in Montreal, Quebec.

Priesthood

Finnigan was ordained a Catholic

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 particu ...

by Cardinal Basilio Pompilj on June 13, 1915. As a priest, Finnigan served at the University of Notre Dame. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Finnigan served first as chaplain of the 137th Field Artillery Regiment of the

US Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

, stationed at

Camp Shelby Camp Shelby is a military post whose North Gate is located at the southern boundary of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, on United States Highway 49. It is the largest state-owned training site in the nation. During wartime, the camp's mission is to se ...

in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Deployed in France with the

American Expeditionary Force The American Expeditionary Forces (A. E. F.) was a formation of the United States Army on the Western Front of World War I. The A. E. F. was established on July 5, 1917, in France under the command of General John J. Pershing. It fought alon ...

, Finnigan was a chaplain with the 80th Field Artillery, earning the rank of captain.

Vice President of University of Notre Dame

In 1925, Finnigan was appointed vice president at the University of Notre Dame. Finnigan's tenure as vice president coincided with the ascent of

Notre Dame football The Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team is the intercollegiate football team representing the University of Notre Dame in Notre Dame, Indiana, north of the city of South Bend, Indiana. The team plays its home games at the campus' Notre Dame S ...

. To counter accusations of academic laxness among athletes, he created the university's Athletic Board of Control and issued the first rules governing academic and personal standards for amateur athletes. Finnigan was elected Provincial of the U.S. Province of the Congregation of Holy Cross in 1926 for a six-year term, but it was cut short when the pope appointed Finnigan to be bishop of Helena in 1927.

Bishop of Helena

Pope The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...

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 from ...

named Finnigan on May 20, 1927, to be the third bishop of the Diocese of Helena. He was consecrated a bishop on August 1, 1927, by Archbishop Peter Hurth. Bishop Peter Joseph Hurth in the German Wikipedia The co-consecrators were Bishops John F. Noll and Edward Hoban,. While several members of the Congregation of Holy Cross had been named to the episcopacy, Finnigan was the first to do so as a bishop in the United States. During his five years as bishop, he worked

"to win the understanding and the cooperation of the clergy and of the people; to establish means of encouraging and financing native vocations to the priesthood; and to improve the condition of the Native Americans entrusted to his care. These were the guidelines this quiet, unassuming prelate followed."

The members of

Blackfoot Confederacy The Blackfoot Confederacy, ''Niitsitapi'' or ''Siksikaitsitapi'' (ᖹᐟᒧᐧᒣᑯ, meaning "the people" or " Blackfoot-speaking real people"), is a historic collective name for linguistically related groups that make up the Blackfoot or Bla ...

adopted Finnigan into the tribe in

Browning, Montana Browning is a town in Glacier County, Montana, United States. It is the headquarters for the Blackfeet Indian Reservation and the only incorporated town on the Reservation. The population was 1,018 at the 2020 census. The town was named in 188 ...

, on April 22, 1928. Mountain Chief gave Finnigan the name "Na-toa-ye-owa-shin" ("Holy Word") . He raised money to upgrade their churches, schools and infrastructure. His ministry also, of necessity, responded to the impact of the

Wall Street Crash of 1929 The Wall Street Crash of 1929, also known as the Great Crash, was a major American stock market crash that occurred in the autumn of 1929. It started in September and ended late in October, when share prices on the New York Stock Exchange colla ...

. The Crash, combined with a severe

drought A drought is defined as drier than normal conditions.Douville, H., K. Raghavan, J. Renwick, R.P. Allan, P.A. Arias, M. Barlow, R. Cerezo-Mota, A. Cherchi, T.Y. Gan, J. Gergis, D. Jiang, A. Khan, W. Pokam Mba, D. Rosenfeld, J. Tierney, an ...

in Montana, obliged the diocese to increase its care for the poor. Finnigan worked hard to gain accreditation and long-term financial support for Mount St. Charles College. At commencement in 1932, Finnigan announced that it would be renamed

Carroll College Carroll College is a private Catholic college in Helena, Montana. The college has 21 buildings on a 63-acre campus, has over 35 academic majors, participates in 15 NAIA athletic sports, and is home to All Saints Chapel. The college motto, in L ...

in honor of its founder, Bishop John Patrick Carroll.

Death and legacy

George Finnigan died on August 14, 1932, in Helena, Montana, at age 47.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Finnigan, George Joseph 1885 births 1932 deaths People from Potsdam, New York People from Helena, Montana Roman Catholic bishops of Helena 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States Congregation of Holy Cross bishops Catholics from New York (state)