John Collins, S.M.A. (21 August 1889 – 3 March 1961) was an Irish prelate of the Catholic Church who worked as a missionary in Liberia for 47 years. He became a bishop in Liberia in 1934 and the diplomatic representative of the

Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of Rome ...

there from 1951 to 1961.

Biography

John Collins was born on 21 August 1889 in

Leap, County Cork Leap (; or ''An Léim'') is a village in County Cork, Ireland, situated at the north end of Glandore Harbour, several miles inland from the seacoast. Leap is located on the N71 national secondary road which runs through West Cork from Cork cit ...

, Ireland, the eighth of ten children. He studied in Irish seminaries and took his final vows as a member of the Society of African Missions on 31 October 1911. He was ordained a priest of the

Society of African Missions The Society of African Missions ( la, Societas Missionum ad Afros; ) abbreviated SMA, also known as the SMA Fathers, is a Catholic religious Society of Apostolic Life of pontifical right for men founded by Melchior de Marion Brésillac in 1856. ...

on 15 June 1913 and began working in Liberia later that year. ''Note'': Beginning in 1932, Collins held a variety of titles in Liberia, and his title changed as the ecclesiastical jurisdiction changed, evolving from the Prefecture of Liberia, to the Vicariate of Liberia, to the Vicariate of Monrovia, and after Collins's death to the

Archdiocese of Monrovia The Archdiocese of Monrovia (''Archidioecesis Monroviensis'') is the Roman Catholic Archdiocese in Monrovia, Liberia. It follows the Latin Rite. It was elevated to an archdiocese in December 1981. It was initially established as the Prefecture A ...

. On 26 February 1932,

Pope 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 fro ...

appointed him Apostolic Prefect of Liberia. He was also given the diplomat's title of chargé d’affaires that year. On 9 April 1934, the day the Prefecture became a Vicariate, Pope Pius appointed Collins titular bishop of Thala and Vicar Apostolic of Liberia. He received his episcopal consecration on 30 September 1934 from Bishop Daniel Cohalan of Cork. He made fundraising trips to the United States in 1934, 1936, and 1950. His title changed to Apostolic Vicar of Monrovia on 2 February 1950 with the change in the name of the vicariate. On 12 July 1951,

Pope Pius XII Pope Pius XII ( it, Pio XII), born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli (; 2 March 18769 October 1958), was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 2 March 1939 until his death in October 1958. Before his e ...

named him Apostolic Internuncio to Liberia. His service as Vicar of Monrovia ended upon the appointment of his successor,

Francis Carroll Francis Patrick Carroll (born 9 September 1930), a retired Australian archbishop, was the fifth Roman Catholic Archbishop of CanberraGoulburn, serving between 1983 until his retirement in 2006. Prior to his election as archbishop, Carroll ser ...

, on 20 December 1960. He was still internuncio when he died from pneumonia in Monrovia on 3 March 1961 at the age of 71. The government set a mourning period of fifteen days. He was given a state funeral and President

William Tubman William Vacanarat Shadrach Tubman (29 November 1895 – 23 July 1971) was a Liberian politician. He was the 19th president of Liberia and the longest-serving president in the country's history, serving from 1943 Liberian general election, his e ...

delivered the principal eulogy.

References

External links

Catholic Hierarchy: Bishop John Collins, S.M.A.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Collins, John 1889 births 1961 deaths Christian clergy from County Cork Liberian Roman Catholic bishops Irish Roman Catholic missionaries Apostolic Nuncios to Liberia Roman Catholic missionaries in Liberia Roman Catholic bishops of Monrovia