John Ambrose Watterson (May 27, 1844 – April 17, 1899) 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

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 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 ...

in Ohio from 1880 until his death in 1899.

Biography

Early life

The sixth of eleven children, John Watterson was born on May 27, 1844, in Blairsville,

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, to John Sylvester and Sarah Salome (née McAfee) Watterson. His father's family came to the United States from the

Isle of Mann ) , anthem = "O Land of Our Birth" , image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg , image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg , mapsize = , map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe , map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green) in Europe ...

in the United Kingdom in 1762; originally

Episcopalians Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

, his grandfather was orphaned in 1781 and subsequently raised by a Catholic family in York County,

. His mother's family was from

County Armagh County Armagh (, named after its county town, Armagh) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. Adjoined to the southern shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of and ha ...

, Ireland, and settled in Westmoreland County,

. John's parents frequently offered their home as a place of rest to traveling

missionaries A missionary is a member of a religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Mi ...

, and their house even became known as "The Priest's Hotel." After attending the

parochial school A parochial school is a private primary or secondary school affiliated with a religious organization, and whose curriculum includes general religious education in addition to secular subjects, such as science, mathematics and language arts. The ...

of Sts. Simon and Jude Parish in Blairsville, Watterson was sent to St. Vincent's College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, at a young age, being in formation as a Benedictine monk for a time. In 1861, he entered Mount St. Mary's Seminary at Emmitsburg, Maryland, where he earned a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

degree with high honors.

Priesthood

Watterson 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 by Bishop

Michael Domenec Michael Domenec, DD, C.M. ( ca, Miquel Domènech i Veciana; 1816–1878) full name Miquel Joan Josep Domènech i Veciana, was a Spanish prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the second bishop of the Diocese of Pittsburgh in Pennsyl ...

on August 9, 1868, at St. Vincent's Abbey in Latrobe. Watterson then served as professor of

moral theology Ethics involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior.''Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy''"Ethics"/ref> A central aspect of ethics is "the good life", the life worth living or life that is simply sati ...

and

Scripture Religious texts, including scripture, are texts which various religions consider to be of central importance to their religious tradition. They differ from literature by being a compilation or discussion of beliefs, mythologies, ritual prac ...

at Mount St. Mary's, where he became vice president in 1877 and later president in 1879. He earned a

Doctor of Divinity A Doctor of Divinity (D.D. or DDiv; la, Doctor Divinitatis) is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity. In the United Kingdom, it is considered an advanced doctoral degree. At the University of Oxford, doctors of divinity are ran ...

degree from

Georgetown College Georgetown College is a private Christian college in Georgetown, Kentucky. Chartered in 1829, Georgetown was the first Baptist college west of the Appalachian Mountains. The college offers 38 undergraduate degrees and a Master of Arts in educat ...

in Washington, D.C. in June 1879.

Bishop of Columbus

On March 14, 1880, Watterson was appointed the second bishop of the Diocese of Columbus 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 A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or offic ...

on August 8, 1880, from Archbishop William Elder, with Bishops William McCloskey and

John Tuigg John Tuigg (February 19, 1820 – December 7, 1889) was an Irish-born prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the third bishop of the Diocese of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania from 1876 to 1889. Biography Early life John Tuigg w ...

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 19-year-long tenure, Watterson increased the number of priests and schools in the diocese, founded two

hospital A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment with specialized health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically has an emerge ...

s and the

Pontifical College Josephinum The Pontifical College Josephinum is a private Roman Catholic seminary and university in Columbus, Ohio. It was founded by Joseph Jessing in 1888 and was granted the status of a Pontifical College in 1892 by Pope Leo XIII, making it the only pont ...

in Columbus, and erected many new missions and

parishes A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...

. A strong proponent of

temperance Temperance may refer to: Moderation *Temperance movement, movement to reduce the amount of alcohol consumed *Temperance (virtue), habitual moderation in the indulgence of a natural appetite or passion Culture *Temperance (group), Canadian danc ...

, he prohibited saloon owners from holding office in any Catholic organization in the diocese, and made all the children to whom he administered

confirmation In Christian denominations that practice infant baptism, confirmation is seen as the sealing of the covenant created in baptism. Those being confirmed are known as confirmands. For adults, it is an affirmation of belief. It involves laying on ...

promise not to drink until they were 21. He was the first Catholic bishop ever to speak at

Ohio State University The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best publ ...

in Columbus John Watterson died in Columbus unexpectedly on April 17, 1899, at age 54. He is buried at Mount Calvary Cemetery in

Columbus Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to: * Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer * Columbus, Ohio, capital of the U.S. state of Ohio Columbus may also refer to: Places ...

Bishop Watterson High School Bishop Watterson High School is a parochial, college preparatory high school located in Columbus, Ohio. History Bishop Watterson High School, founded in 1954 under the auspices of the Diocese of Columbus, is a co-educational college preparator ...

is named in his honor. He is also one of the featured persons of the Washington Gladden Social Justice Park in downtown Columbus.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Watterson, John Ambrose 1844 births 1899 deaths People from Indiana County, Pennsylvania Saint Vincent College alumni Mount St. Mary's University alumni Georgetown College (Georgetown University) alumni Roman Catholic bishops of Columbus 19th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States American people of Irish descent American people of Manx descent Burials at Mount Calvary Cemetery (Columbus, Ohio) Catholics from Pennsylvania