Ida Mary Barry Ryan (December 21, 1854 – October 17, 1917) was an American philanthropist. She was active in building, endowing, and assisting over 100 churches, chapels, hospitals, and various charities, to which she gave more than .

Early life

Ida Mary Barry was born 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 ...

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 ...

, December 21, 1854. Her father, Captain John Smith Barry (1829–1872), was a prominent merchant and the owner of a line of vessels plying between Baltimore and the

West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greater A ...

. Captain Barry was the son of Robert Barry, who married Amelia, daughter of Col. Dennis Ramsay, of

Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria is an independent city (United States), independent city in the northern region of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of Downto ...

, a colonel in the Revolutionary Army. Her mother was Rosalie (Hillard) Barry (1832–1905). Ida had ten siblings: Benjamin Hillard Barry (1849–1850), Robert Barry (1851–1854), John S. Barry (1853–1854), Anna Hillard Barry (1857–1857), Rosalie C Barry (1859–?), John S. Barry (1861–1862), Amelia R. Barry (1862–1863), Henry A. Barry (1863–1892), J. Bardwell Barry (1866–1867), and Joseph Allen Barry (1869–1939).

Career

On November 25, 1873, she married

Thomas Fortune Ryan Thomas Fortune Ryan (October 17, 1851 – November 23, 1928) was an American tobacco, insurance and transportation magnate. Although he lived in New York City for much of his adult career, Ryan was perhaps the greatest benefactor of the Roman Ca ...

. She and her husband were generous contributors to many of the charitable institutions and philanthropic work of the church, especially in

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

. They furnished the interior of the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart of

Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

which had been given to the city by her husband, at a cost of . They built the Sacred Heart Church, Washington Ward, and Sacred Heart Cathedral School at Richmond; and the church and convent at

Falls Church, Virginia Falls Church is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 14,658. Falls Church is included in the Wash ...

. They contributed to churches at Hot Springs, Virginia, Harrisburg, Virginia, and Keyser, West Virginia; the chapel at Suffern, New York, where their summer home was located, and together gave Ryan Hall and a wing to

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...

Georgetown, Washington, D.C. Georgetown is a historic neighborhood, and commercial and entertainment district located in Northwest Washington, D.C., situated along the Potomac River. Founded in 1751 in the Province of Maryland, the port of Georgetown predated the establishm ...

She built a hospital annex for Sisters of Charity in

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Personal life and legacy

Mr. and Mrs. Ryan had eight children: John Barry Ryan Sr. (1874–1942), Thomas Fortune Ryan Jr. (1876–1882), William Keane Ryan (1878–1906), Allan Aloysius Ryan Sr. (1880–1940), Clendenin James Ryan Sr. (1882–1939), Mary Loretta Ryan (1884–1889), James Joseph Ryan (1890–1920), Mary Ryan (1892–?). In 1915, Mr. and Mrs. Ryan visited

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. Ida Mary Barry Ryan died from heart disease after being taken suddenly ill at her country home at Suffern, October 17, 1917. Interment was at

St. Andrew-on-Hudson ST, St, or St. may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Stanza, in poetry * Suicidal Tendencies, an American heavy metal/hardcore punk band * Star Trek, a science-fiction media franchise * Summa Theologica, a compendium of Catholic philosophy an ...

Awards and honors

She was decorated with the Cross of St. Gregory and made a Countess by

Pope Pius X Pope Pius X ( it, Pio X; born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto; 2 June 1835 – 20 August 1914) was head of the Catholic Church from 4 August 1903 to his death in August 1914. Pius X is known for vigorously opposing modernist interpretations of C ...

for her philanthropic work.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ryan, Ida Mary Barry 1854 births 1917 deaths Dames Grand Cross of the Order of St Gregory the Great 20th-century American philanthropists Catholics from Maryland People from Baltimore