John Shanley (January 4, 1852 – July 16, 1909) 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 'pref ...

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 Fargo in North Dakota from 1889 until his death in 1909.

Biography

Early life

John Shanley was born on January 4, 1852, in

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, the youngest son of John and Nancy (née McClean) Shanley. At age five, his family moved to Faribault,

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

, and soon afterward to

St. Paul Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...

. Shanley received his early education from frontier priests who visited St. Paul, while serving as an

altar boy An altar server is a laity, lay assistant to a member of the clergy during a Christian liturgy. An altar server attends to supporting tasks at the altar such as fetching and carrying, ringing the altar bell, helps bring up the gifts, brings up t ...

at St. Paul Cathedral from 1858 to 1867. Shanley then attended St. John's College in Collegeville, Minnesota, where was trained in the

classics Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classics ...

and graduated in 1869. Bishop

Thomas Grace Thomas Grace may refer to: * Thomas Grace (Archdeacon of Ardfert) (1770–1848), Irish priest * Thomas Grace (Archdeacon of Marlborough) (fl. 1873–1890), Anglican priest in New Zealand, son of the above * Thomas Grace (bishop of Sacramento) (1846 ...

then sent him to the College of Propaganda 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 ...

; Shanley made the journey with Reverend

John Ireland John Benjamin Ireland (January 30, 1914 – March 21, 1992) was a Canadian actor. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his performance in ''All the King's Men'' (1949), making him the first Vancouver-born actor to receive an Oscar nomin ...

, the future archbishop of the

Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis The Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis ( la, Archidiœcesis Paulopolitana et Minneapolitana) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or diocese of the Catholic Church in the United States. It is led by an archbishop who administers ...

Priesthood

While in Rome, Shanley 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 Cardinal Costantino Naro on May 30, 1874. At age 22, he was below the age requirement for ordination but was granted a dispensation on account of his frail health. Upon his return to Minnesota in 1882, Shanley became an

assistant 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 ...

at St. Paul Cathedral under Ireland. Ireland took Shanley under his wing and gave him many responsibilities in the church. Shanley succeeded Ireland as

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 ...

of the Cathedral parish in 1884. He also served as

secretary A secretary, administrative professional, administrative assistant, executive assistant, administrative officer, administrative support specialist, clerk, military assistant, management assistant, office secretary, or personal assistant is a w ...

of the archdiocese and editor of the weekly ''Northwestern Chronicle''. Shanley made it a priority to serve minorities and the destitute; he conducted segregated services for

African-American Catholics African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ensl ...

in the basement of the cathedral.

Bishop of Jamestown

On November 15, 1889, Shanley was appointed the first

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 newly erected Diocese of Jamestown in North Dakota by

Pope Leo XIII Pope Leo XIII ( it, Leone XIII; born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2 March 1810 – 20 July 1903) was the head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 to his death in July 1903. Living until the age of 93, he was the second-old ...

. He received his

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

on December 27, 1889, from then Archbishop Ireland, with Bishops Grace and

Martin Marty Martin Emil Marty (born on February 5, 1928) is an American Lutheran religious scholar who has written extensively on religion in the United States. Early life and education Marty was born on February 5, 1928, in West Point The United Sta ...

serving as co-consecrators. Shanley established St. John's Academy at Jamestown, under the charge of the

Sisters of St. Joseph The Sisters of St. Joseph, also known as the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph, abbreviated CSJ or SSJ, is a Roman Catholic religious congregation of women founded in Le Puy-en-Velay, France, in 1650. This congregation, named for S ...

, in 1890. Shanley found running the diocese from Jamestown difficult and moved to Fargo in 1891. While Shanley resided in Jamestown, St. James Church was designated the diocesan cathedral, but when he moved the see to Fargo. As the church building in Fargo proved inadequate, Shanley purchased property for a new cathedral and had plans drawn up. The basement was completed when a fire destroyed most of downtown Fargo in 1893. Shanley donated a large portion of the funds that he had personally raised for the new cathedral to reconstruct the city after the fire. Construction on the cathedral was, therefore, delayed. St. Mary's Cathedral was completed and it was dedicated on May 30, 1899. In 1891, Shanley wrote the ''Fargo Argus'' defending Native Americans living on the

Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation (Ojibwe language: ''Mikinaakwajiwing'') is a reservation located in northern North Dakota, United States. It is the land base for the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians. The population of the Turtle Moun ...

. He denounced the actions taken by local indian agents and highlighted positive aspects of Native American culture.Becklund, Scott. "The Making of Bishop Shanley", Fargo History Project, North Dakota State University
/ref> He hosted the convention of Catholic Laymen in 1896.

Bishop of Fargo

On April 6, 1897, the name of the diocese was changed to the Diocese of Fargo. At the beginning of his tenure, there were 60 churches, 33 priests, 14

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and one

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in the diocese; by the time of his death, there 106 priests, 225 churches, six academies, 34 schools and four hospitals. Shanley took great interest in the development of the material interests of Fargo and the state, making large subscriptions to whatever contributed to the advancement of the state or of its people. He went to

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

in 1906 to protest against

divorce Divorce (also known as dissolution of marriage) is the process of terminating a marriage or marital union. Divorce usually entails the canceling or reorganizing of the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage, thus dissolving the ...

and established Total Abstinence Societies in the diocese.

Death and legacy

John Shanley died in his sleep on July 16, 1909 at Fargo, aged 57.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shanley, John 1852 births 1909 deaths 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States 19th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis Roman Catholic bishops of Fargo College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University alumni People from Jamestown, North Dakota Religious leaders from Minnesota