John McGill (November 4, 1809 – January 14, 1872) was an American

prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Christian clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which means 'carry before', 'be set above or over' or 'pre ...

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 the

Diocese of Richmond The Diocese of Richmond ( la, Diœcesis Richmondiensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or diocese of the Catholic Church in the United States. Its current territory encompasses all of central and southern Virginia, Hampton Roads ...

in Virginia from 1850 until his death in 1872.

Biography

Early life

The oldest of ten children, John McGill was born on November 4, 1809, in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, to James and Lavinia (née Dougherty) McGill, immigrants from

County Donegal County Donegal ( ; ga, Contae Dhún na nGall) is a county of Ireland in the province of Ulster and in the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Donegal in the south of the county. It has also been known as County Tyrconn ...

, Ireland. Following the birth of their sixth child, his parents moved the family to

Bardstown, Kentucky Bardstown is a home rule-class city in Nelson County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 11,700 in the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Nelson County. Bardstown is named for the pioneering Bard brothers. David Bard obtained a l ...

, in 1819. At age 11, McGill entered St. Joseph's College, where he studied the classics. In 1824, wanting to go into the priesthood, he went to St. Thomas' Seminary in Bardstown. However, he dropped out after two years to study law under future Kentucky Governor Charles A. Wickliffe in Bardstown After getting his law license, McGill moved to

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

to practice law. Six months later, he returned to Kentucky to work with newly elected U.S. Representative

Thomas Chilton Thomas Chilton (July 30, 1798 – August 15, 1854) was a U.S. Representative from Kentucky, a prominent Baptist clergyman, and the ghost writer of David Crockett's autobiography. Born near Lancaster, Kentucky, a son of Rev. Thomas John Chilton a ...

. Despite his great financial success as a lawyer, McGill decided to resume his preparation for the priesthood by entering St. Mary's Seminary in Baltimore, Maryland.

Priesthood

McGill 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 Bardstown The Roman Catholic Diocese of Bardstown was a Catholic diocese in the United States established in Bardstown, Kentucky on April 8, 1808, along with the Diocese of Boston, Diocese of New York, and Diocese of Philadelphia, comprising the former ...

by Bishop John David on June 13, 1835. After his ordination, McGill served as an assistant priest at St. Peter's Parish in Lexington, Kentucky, and at the Assumption Cathedral Parish in Louisville. In 1838, Coadjutor Bishop Guy Ignatius Chabrat sent McGill to Europe to accompany the frail Bishop Benedict Flaget back to Kentucky. This gave McGill a chance to see Rome and recuperate from his own illness. In 1839, McGill was appointed editor of the ''Catholic Advocate'', which he used to attack

Protestantism Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

. He engaged in a written dispute with an Episcopalian minister about the history of the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...

. McGill also traded opinions with five other Protestant ministers in the local papers. McGill later became an assistant to Ignatius A. Reynolds, then vicar general of the diocese. McGill was named as pastor of St. Louis' Parish in Louisville.

Bishop of Richmond

On July 23, 1850, Pope Pius IX divided the Diocese of Richmond into two small dioceses, Richmond and Wheeling, and appointed McGill as the third bishop of Richmond. He received his

episcopal consecration 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 ...

on November 10, 1850, in Bardstown from Archbishop Peter Kenrick, with Bishops Richard Miles and Martin Spalding serving as co-consecrators. When McGill arrived in Richmond in December 1850, the diocese had 7,000 Catholics, eight priests, and 10 churches. He went to Rome in 1854 to be present at the definition of the

Immaculate Conception The Immaculate Conception is the belief that the Virgin Mary was free of original sin from the moment of her conception. It is one of the four Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church, meaning that it is held to be a divinely revealed truth w ...

, and convened the first diocesan synod in 1855. During his tenure, Virginia was devastated by

yellow fever Yellow fever is a viral disease of typically short duration. In most cases, symptoms include fever, chills, loss of appetite, nausea, muscle pains – particularly in the back – and headaches. Symptoms typically improve within five days. ...

and cholera epidemics. During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

, Catholics in the South were unable to purchase Catholic books published in the North. To fill the gap, McGill wrote, ''"The True Church Indicated to the Inquirer"'' and ''"Our Faith, the Victory"'', republished as ''"The Creed of Catholics"''. He also visited

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union of the collective states. It proved essential to th ...

prisoners of war in the

Libby Prison Libby Prison was a Confederate prison at Richmond, Virginia, during the American Civil War. In 1862 it was designated to hold officer prisoners from the Union Army. It gained an infamous reputation for the overcrowded and harsh conditions. Priso ...

in Richmond, doing what he could to aid them. In 1867, McGill brought the Sisters of Charity from Emmitburgh, Maryland, to set up a school in the diocese. According to his contemporaries, McGill was a very kind person, good with children and supportive of his priests. An accomplished speaker, McGill addressed congregations in

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

, Charleston,

Louisville Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border. ...

, and Baltimore, as well as in Paris and Rome. McGill attended the First Vatican Council in Rome from 1869 to 1870, where he supported

papal infallibility Papal infallibility is a dogma of the Catholic Church which states that, in virtue of the promise of Jesus to Peter, the Pope when he speaks '' ex cathedra'' is preserved from the possibility of error on doctrine "initially given to the apos ...

. While in Rome, he suddenly lost vision in one eye and started experiencing other symptoms. By the time he returned to Richmond, his health had worsened. John McGill died of stomach cancer on January 14, 1872, at Richmond, aged 62.

References

Episcopal succession

{{DEFAULTSORT:McGill, John 1809 births 1872 deaths 19th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States American people of Irish descent Catholic Church in Kentucky Clergy from Philadelphia Religious leaders from Kentucky Roman Catholic bishops of Richmond St. Mary's Seminary and University alumni