John Joseph Conroy (July 25, 1819 – November 20, 1895) 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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. He served as Bishop of Albany from 1865 to 1877.

Biography

John Conroy was born in

Clonaslee Clonaslee () is a village in north County Laois, Ireland, situated in the foothills of the Slieve Bloom Mountains on the R422 Mountmellick to Birr road. Clonaslee is approximately 100 km west of Dublin, and is close to the towns of Portlaoi ...

, Queen's County, and came to the

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at the age of twelve. After studying under the

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at the

College of Montreal A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offering ...

, he made his theological studies at Mount St. Mary's Seminary in

Emmitsburg Emmitsburg is a town in Frederick County, Maryland, United States, south of the Mason-Dixon line separating Maryland from Pennsylvania. Founded in 1785, Emmitsburg is the home of Mount St. Mary's University. The town has two Catholic pilgrima ...

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, and at St. John's College in Fordham,

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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 va ...

to the priesthood by Bishop John Hughes on May 21, 1842. He was appointed vice-

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of St. John's College in 1843, becoming president shortly afterward. In 1844, he was transferred to the

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 ...

ate of St. Joseph's Church in Albany, where he established St. Vincent's Orphan Asylum, erected a convent for the

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, and rebuilt the parish church. He became

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 Diocese of Albany in 1857. On July 7, 1865, Conroy was appointed the second Bishop of Albany by

Pope Pius IX Pope Pius IX ( it, Pio IX, ''Pio Nono''; born Giovanni Maria Mastai Ferretti; 13 May 1792 – 7 February 1878) was head of the Catholic Church from 1846 to 1878, the longest verified papal reign. He was notable for convoking the First Vatican ...

. He received his

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on the following October 15 from Archbishop

John McCloskey John McCloskey (March 10, 1810 – October 10, 1885) was a senior-ranking American prelate of the Catholic Church. He was the first American born Archbishop of New York from 1864 until his death in 1885, having previously served as Bishop of ...

, with Bishops

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and John Loughlin 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 administration, he greatly increased the number of priests in the diocese, securing the services of the

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and the

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. Among the many institutions he founded were an industrial school, St. Agnes's Rural Cemetery, St. Peter's Hospital, and a house for the

Little Sisters of the Poor The Little Sisters of the Poor (french: Petites Sœurs des pauvres) is a Catholic religious institute for women. It was founded by Jeanne Jugan. Having felt the need to care for the many impoverished elderly who lined the streets of French towns ...

. He convoked the second diocesan synod, and attended the

Plenary Councils of Baltimore The Plenary Councils of Baltimore were three national meetings of Catholic bishops in the United States in 1852, 1866 and 1884 in Baltimore, Maryland. During the early history of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States all of the dioces ...

and the

First Vatican Council The First Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the First Vatican Council or Vatican I was convoked by Pope Pius IX on 29 June 1868, after a period of planning and preparation that began on 6 December 1864. This, the twentieth ecu ...

. After twelve years as Bishop of Albany, he resigned on October 16, 1877; he was named

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 ...

of ''Curium'' on the same date. He made his residence in

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, where he later died at age 76.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Conroy, John J. 1819 births 1895 deaths People from County Laois Irish emigrants to the United States (before 1923) 19th-century Irish Roman Catholic priests 19th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States Fordham University alumni Mount St. Mary's University alumni Roman Catholic bishops of Albany American Roman Catholic clergy of Irish descent