John J. Collins, S.J. (November 15, 1856 – November 30, 1934) was an American-born

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

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 the

Vicar Apostolic A vicar (; Latin: ''vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English pref ...

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

from 1907 to 1918. He was also president of

Fordham University Fordham University () is a Private university, private Jesuit universities, Jesuit research university in New York City. Established in 1841 and named after the Fordham, Bronx, Fordham neighborhood of the The Bronx, Bronx in which its origina ...

1904–1906.

Biography

Born in Maysville, Kentucky, John Joseph Collins was ordained a priest on August 29, 1891. He professed vows in the

Society of Jesus , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

(Jesuits) on February 2, 1895. On June 12, 1907

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 ...

appointed Collins as the

Titular Bishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox an ...

Antiphellus Antiphellus or Antiphellos ( grc, ) was city that acted as the port of Phellus (Phellos) in Lycia. It was at the head of a bay on the south coast. Sir Francis Beaufort, the discoverer of this ancient site, gave the contemporary name of Vathy to ...

and Vicar Apostolic of Jamaica. He was consecrated a bishop by Archbishop John Farley of

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

on October 28, 1907. The principal co-consecrators were Bishops Thomas Beaven of Springfield in Massachusetts and

Charles McDonnell Charles McDonnell may refer to: * Charles McDonnell (police officer) (1841–1888), American police captain in the New York City Police Department * Charles Edward McDonnell (1854–1921), American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church * Charles Jam ...

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

. Collins served as the Vicar Apostolic until his resignation was accepted by

Pope Benedict XV Pope Benedict XV (Latin: ''Benedictus XV''; it, Benedetto XV), born Giacomo Paolo Giovanni Battista della Chiesa, name=, group= (; 21 November 185422 January 1922), was head of the Catholic Church from 1914 until his death in January 1922. His ...

on June 15, 1918. He died at the age of 78 on November 30, 1934. Prior to being consecrated a bishop in 1907, Collins served as the president of

, a

Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

institution in

the Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

, New York, from 1904 until 1906. His tenure as president saw the completion of the university's auditorium, which was dedicated to Collins by Cardinal John Murphy Farley in 1905. Collins also finalized the sale of four acres of the university campus to the city for a municipal hospital, named

Fordham Hospital Fordham Hospital was the first public hospital in the Bronx, New York City, having opened in 1892. Prior to that time, all the New York City municipal hospitals were in Manhattan. It was located in the Fordham section of the Bronx on Valentine Av ...

. Under Collins' leadership, Fordham University formed football, basketball, and track teams, as well as opening the

Fordham University School of Law Fordham University School of Law is the law school of Fordham University. The school is located in Manhattan in New York City, and is one of eight ABA-approved law schools in that city. In 2013, 91% of the law school's first-time test take ...

in 1905, and a school of medicine that would be dissolved 1921. American architect

Raymond F. Almirall Raymond F. Almirall (1869–1939) was an American architect of the Beaux-Arts period, practicing in New York City. Life and career Almirall was born in New York in 1869. He studied architecture at Cornell University and at the Ecole des Beau ...

designed Holy Trinity Cathedral in

Kingston Kingston may refer to: Places * List of places called Kingston, including the five most populated: ** Kingston, Jamaica ** Kingston upon Hull, England ** City of Kingston, Victoria, Australia ** Kingston, Ontario, Canada ** Kingston upon Thames, ...

at Collins' bequest.

References

1856 births 1934 deaths People from Maysville, Kentucky 19th-century American Jesuits 20th-century American Jesuits Jesuit bishops American Roman Catholic missionaries Roman Catholic missionaries in Jamaica 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Jamaica 20th-century American Roman Catholic titular bishops American Roman Catholic clergy of Irish descent Presidents of Fordham University American expatriates in Jamaica Jesuit missionaries Catholics from Kentucky Roman Catholic bishops of Kingston in Jamaica {{US-RC-bishop-stub