John Augustine Sheppard (September 28, 1849 – 1925) was an Irish-American clergyman. Born in
Carlow
Carlow ( ; ) is the county town of County Carlow, in the south-east of Ireland, from Dublin. At the 2016 census, it had a combined urban and rural population of 24,272.
The River Barrow flows through the town and forms the historic bounda ...
,
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
, he was the son of James and Mary (Curran) Sheppard. He was a
Monsignor
Monsignor (; it, monsignore ) is an honorific form of address or title for certain male clergy members, usually members of the Roman Catholic Church. Monsignor is the apocopic form of the Italian ''monsignore'', meaning "my lord". "Monsignor" ca ...
,
Vicar general
A vicar general (previously, archdeacon) is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority and possesses the title of local ordinary. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar general exercises the bishop's ...
of the
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark
The Archdiocese of Newark is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in northeastern New Jersey, United States. Its ecclesiastic territory includes all of the Catholic parishes and schools in the New Jerse ...
, and Prothonotary and Domestic Prelate of the
Papal Court
The papal household or pontifical household (usually not capitalized in the media and other nonofficial use, ), called until 1968 the Papal Court (''Aula Pontificia''), consists of dignitaries who assist the pope in carrying out particular ceremoni ...
. He was the first priest in the United States to receive the distinction of Monsignor 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 ...
He was three years old when his parents brought him to
Paterson, New Jersey
Paterson ( ) is the largest City (New Jersey), city in and the county seat of Passaic County, New Jersey, Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.St. Charles College, and from there, he became a student in
Seton Hall College
Seton Hall University (SHU) is a Private university, private Catholic research university in South Orange, New Jersey. Founded in 1856 by then-Bishop James Roosevelt Bayley and named after his aunt, Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, Seton Hall is the ...
. In September, 1872, he was enrolled among the first year theologians in the
Seminary of the Immaculate Conception
The Seminary of the Immaculate Conception was a Catholic seminary in Lloyd Harbor, New York, accredited by the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada, and serving the Diocese of Rockville Centre. It offered a number of ...
at South Orange and graduated from there on June 10, 1876.
Career
Immediately after his ordination, Sheppard became assistant to Monsignor Doane, rector of St. Patrick's Cathedral in Newark; and while serving as curate there, he distinguished himself in church circles by founding and promoting the success of the "Sacred Heart Union," a quarterly established for the purpose of raising funds for the support of the Catholic Protectory. He made many tours to parishes to enlist the sympathy and co-operation of the pastors in behalf of the wayward and homeward boys for whom the Protectory was established, and the receipts from its sales formed a large part of the fund that maintained its establishment.
He was still in that service when John McGranigan, a parishioner who had observed his zeal in church work, bequeathed his house and lot worth about $6,000 and cash to the amount of $14,000 to him. The money was distributed between St. Michael's Hospital, St. Mary's Academy and other religious institutions. The house was turned over to
St. Vincent de Paul Society
The Society of St Vincent de Paul (SVP or SVdP or SSVP) is an international voluntary organization in the Catholic Church, founded in 1833 for the sanctification of its members by personal service of the poor.
Innumerable Catholic parishes have ...
to erect a home for working boys, the foundation of the NewsBoys Lodging House which was merged into the Catholic Protectory. Monsignor Sheppard was afterwards assigned to the parish at
Dover, New Jersey
Dover is a town in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. Located on the Rockaway River, Dover is about west of New York City and about west of Newark, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town's population was 18,157,
but Bishop
Winand Wigger
Winand Michael Wigger (December 9, 1841 – January 5, 1901) was a German American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the third Bishop of Newark from 1881 until his death in 1901.
Early life and education
Winand Wigger was bor ...
, within a year, put him in charge of St. Nicholas' Church in Passaic. The parish was not a promising field at the time; but soon, in place of the dilapidated frame building in which the services had been held, there arose a stone church of Gothic architecture, a commodious brick school, and a stone rectory. His energies spread to the field around him, and St. Mary's Hospital and the Church of Corpus Christi on Hasbrouck Heights are other monuments to his credit. St. Nicholas's Parish which, when he went there, was tottering under a debt of $15,000, had, when he left, property worth above all incumbrances more than $150,000.
The next charge assigned to Father Sheppard was that as rector of St. Michael's Church in
Jersey City
Jersey City is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, after Newark.Hudson, New Jersey
Hudson County is the most densely populated county in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It lies west of the lower Hudson River, which was named for Henry Hudson, the sea captain who explored the area in 1609. Part of New Jersey's Gateway Region in t ...
canceled the church mortgage for $100,000 which had been made in 1906 to the
Mutual Benefit Life Insurance Company
The Mutual Benefit Life Insurance Company was a life insurance company that was chartered in 1845 and based in Newark in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. The company was headed by Frederick Frelinghuysen (1848–1924). The company w ...
of Newark. In 1902, Sheppard was made Vicar General of the Diocese; and, a year following, he was the first priest in the United States to receive the distinction of Monsignor at the hands of Pope Pius X. The still further mark of distinction, that of Prothonotary Apostle, came to him in 1903. Among the greater achievements of Sheppard's latter years was the formation of the Diocesan Union of Holy Name Societies that were already existing, independently, in the various parishes. Sheppard was also one of the influential members of the Bishops Committee that framed what is known as "The Bishops Law" for the regulation of the liquor traffic in the state of New Jersey with a special view to a better observance of the Sunday law and for the suppression of the back rooms some of the drinking places maintained; and he also originated the movement that resulted in the passage of the act prohibiting Justices of the Peace from performing marriage ceremonies.