Jeremiah O'Sullivan (February 6, 1842 – August 10, 1896) was an

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 ...

-born clergyman of the

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who served as Bishop of Mobile from 1885 until his death in 1896.

Biography

Jeremiah O'Sullivan was born in

Kanturk Kanturk () is a town in the north west of County Cork, Ireland. It is situated at the confluence of the Allua (Allow) and Dallow (Dalua) rivers, which stream further on as tributaries to the River Blackwater. It is about from Cork, Blarney and ...

County Cork County Cork ( ga, Contae Chorcaí) is the largest and the southernmost county of Ireland, named after the city of Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. Its largest market towns a ...

, to John and Mary (née Ahern) O'Sullivan. He came to the

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in 1863, and entered St. Charles College in

Ellicott City Ellicott City is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in, and the county seat of, Howard County, Maryland, United States. Part of the Baltimore metropolitan area, its population was 65,834 at the 2010 census, making it the mo ...

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. After completing his classical course, he made his theological studies at St. Mary's Seminary in

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. He 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 ...

to the priesthood by Archbishop

Martin John Spalding Martin John Spalding (May 23, 1810 – February 7, 1872) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Louisville (1850–1864) and Archbishop of Baltimore (1864–1872). He advocated aid for freed slaves follow ...

on June 30, 1868. His first assignment was as a curate under Rev.

Placide Louis Chapelle Placide Louis Chapelle (August 28, 1842 – August 9, 1905) was a French-born American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Santa Fe (1894-1897) and later Archbishop of New Orleans (1897-1905). Following the Spanish–Amer ...

a
St. Peter's Church
in Rockville. He then served as a

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 ...

in Westernport for nine years. During his time in Westernport, he erected a church and a convent for 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 ...

, under whose direction he placed the parochial school. He was afterwards sent to

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, where he served as pastor o
St. Peter's Church
On June 16, 1885, O'Sullivan was appointed the fourth Bishop of Mobile,

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, by

Pope Leo XIII Pope Leo XIII ( it, Leone XIII; born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2 March 1810 – 20 July 1903) was the head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 to his death in July 1903. Living until the age of 93, he was the second-old ...

. He received his episcopal consecration on the following September 20 from Archbishop

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 ...

, with Bishops John Joseph Keane and Henry P. Northrop serving as co-consecrators, at St. Peter's Church. His installation took place in

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on November 1 of that year. A gifted administrator, he was successful in restoring the financial status of the diocese. He also established several new churches, chapels, and schools, and oversaw the addition of two towers to the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. O'Sullivan died at age 54, and is buried in the crypt of Immaculate Conception Cathedral.

References

Episcopal succession

{{DEFAULTSORT:Osullivan, Jeremiah 19th-century Irish people 1842 births 1896 deaths Irish emigrants to the United States (before 1923) People from County Cork 19th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States Roman Catholic bishops of Mobile People from Westernport, Maryland Catholics from Maryland