John Mark Gannon (June 12, 1877 – September 5, 1968) was an
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
clergyman of the
Roman 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 Erie from 1920 to 1966, and was given the personal title of
Archbishop in 1953. He previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the same diocese from 1918 to 1920,
Biography
Early life
John Gannon was born in
Erie
Erie (; ) is a city on the south shore of Lake Erie and the county seat of Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. Erie is the fifth largest city in Pennsylvania and the largest city in Northwestern Pennsylvania with a population of 94,831 a ...
,
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 Thomas Patrick and Julia (née Dunlavey) Gannon.
His uncle was professional baseball play
Gussie Gannon.
John Gannon attended
St. Bonaventure's College in St. Bonaventure, New York, 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 year ...
degree in 1899. He continued his studies at the
Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., earning a
Bachelor of Sacred Theology The Baccalaureate in Sacred Theology ( la, Sacrae Theologiae Baccalaureus; abbreviated STB), not to be confused with a Bachelor of Arts in Theology, is the first of three ecclesiastical degrees in theology (the second being the Licentiate in Sacre ...
degree (1900) and a
Licentiate of Sacred Theology (1901).
Priesthood
Gannon 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 ...
to the priesthood for the Diocese of Erie on December 21, 1901.
In 1903, he earned
Doctor of Divinity and
Doctor of Canon Law degrees from the
Apollinare University in
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
.
Returning to Erie, he held
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 ...
ates in McKean,
Oil City, Cambridge Springs, and
Meadville, all in Pennsylvania.
Gannon became
superintendent
Superintendent may refer to:
*Superintendent (police), Superintendent of Police (SP), or Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), a police rank
*Prison warden or Superintendent, a prison administrator
*Superintendent (ecclesiastical), a church exec ...
of diocesan schools in 1912.
Auxiliary Bishop of Erie
On November 13, 1917, Gannon was appointed
auxiliary bishop of Erie and
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 ...
of Nilopolis 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 ...
.
He was the first native of Erie to be appointed a bishop.
He received his
episcopal consecration on February 6, 1918 from Bishop
Michael John Hoban
Michael John Hoban (June 6, 1853 – November 13, 1926) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Scranton in Pennsylvania from 1899 until his death in 1926.
While Hoban was coadjutor bishop o ...
, with Bishops
Philip R. McDevitt and
John Joseph McCort
John Joseph McCort (February 16, 1860 – April 21, 1936) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Altoona from 1920 until his death in 1936.
Biography Early life and education
John McCort was born on February 16 ...
serving as
co-consecrators.
In addition to his episcopal duties, Gannon continued to serve as superintendent of schools and was pastor of St. Andrew's Parish.
Bishop of Erie
Following the death of Bishop
John Fitzmaurice, Gannon was named the fifth bishop of Erie by Benedict XV on August 26, 1920.
His installation took place on December 16, 1920, at
St. Peter's Cathedral.
Gannon founded
Cathedral Preparatory School in Erie in 1921, and encouraged the establishment of
Villa Maria College
Villa Maria College is a private Roman Catholic college in Buffalo, New York. It was founded in 1960 by the Felician Sisters.
History
The college was initially a teacher-training center for sisters in the education apostolate and was establish ...
in Buffalo, New York, and
Mercyhurst College
(Seize the day)
, former_names = Mercyhurst College (1926–2012)
, established =
, type = Private university
, religious_affiliation = Roman Catholic (Sisters of Mercy)
, endowment = $31.8 million
, faculty = 136 full-time
, administra ...
in Erie
In 1933, he established Cathedral College, a two-year institution.
Religious education programs under the auspices of the
Confraternity of Christian Doctrine
Confraternity of Christian Doctrine (CCD) is a catechesis program of the Catholic Church, normally for children. It is also the name of an association that traditionally organises Catholic catechesis, which was established in Rome in 1562.
Rel ...
were organized in every part of the diocese, and he founded five regional high schools after age 80 alone.
He laid the cornerstone for St. Joseph's Home for Children in 1923, and founded Spencer Hospital in Meadville, St. Vincent's Hospital in Erie, Andrew Kaul Memorial Hospital in
St. Marys, Pennsylvania, St. Mary's Home in Erie; Harborcreek Training School for Boys in Erie, Gannondale for Girls in Erie, and the Erie Day Nursery.
He also erected twenty-eight parishes, forty-
nine churches, seven rectories, and twelve convents.
In 1937, Gannon became head of the committee of American bishops that founded Montezuma Seminary in
New Mexico
)
, population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano)
, seat = Santa Fe
, LargestCity = Albuquerque
, LargestMetro = Tiguex
, OfficialLang = None
, Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ke ...
to train Mexicans for the ministry.
He was the episcopal moderator of the
Catholic Press Association The Catholic Media Association, formerly the Catholic Press Association of the United States and Canada, is an association of American and Canadian newspaper and media specialists specialized on reporting on the Catholic Church. Founded in 1911, it ...
from 1937 to 1944, and was treasurer of the
National Catholic Welfare Conference The National Catholic Welfare Council (NCWC) was the annual meeting of the American Catholic hierarchy and its standing secretariat; it was established in 1919 as the successor to the emergency organization, the National Catholic War Council.
It co ...
from 1944 to 1950.
He also served as chair of the Commission for the Canonization of the Martyrs of the United States, and was the personal representative of the American hierarchy at the
Eucharistic Congress in
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
and at the fiftieth anniversary celebration of the pontifical coronation of the image of
Our Lady of Guadalupe
Our Lady of Guadalupe ( es, Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe), also known as the Virgin of Guadalupe ( es, Virgen de Guadalupe), is a Catholic title of Mary, mother of Jesus associated with a series of five Marian apparitions, which are believed t ...
.
In 1938, Gannon went to
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
to conduct his own investigation of reports of atrocities and persecution of the Catholic Church by the
Loyalist Government.
On his return, he declared, "Communist cruelty and slaughter had consigned more than 11,000 of the Spanish priests and seminarians to martyrs' graves."
He founded ''Noticias Catolicas'', a news service for
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
- and
Portuguese
Portuguese may refer to:
* anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal
** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods
** Portuguese language, a Romance language
*** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language
** Portu ...
-speaking countries.
Gannon was given the personal title of
archbishop by
Pope Pius XII on November 25, 1953.
Between 1962 and 1965, he attended all four sessions of the
Second Vatican Council
The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions), each lasting between 8 and ...
.
Retirement and legacy
Pope Paul VI
Pope Paul VI ( la, Paulus VI; it, Paolo VI; born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini, ; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 to his death in Augus ...
accepted Gannon's resignation as bishop of Erie on December 9, 1966; he was appointed Titular Archbishop of ''Tacarata'' on the same date.
John Gannon died in Erie on September 5, 1968, at age 91.
After his death, Cathedral College was renamed Gannon University. Its Archbishop John Mark Gannon Award is presented to students who have attained the highest
grade point average upon graduation.
"Archbishop John Mark Gannon Award, Gannon University
/ref>
References
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, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gannon, John
1877 births
1968 deaths
St. Bonaventure University alumni
Catholic University of America alumni
Participants in the Second Vatican Council
20th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in the United States
Roman Catholic bishops of Erie