Monsignor Monsignor (; it, monsignore ) is an honorific form of address or title for certain male clergy members, usually members of the Roman Catholic Church. Monsignor is the apocopic form of the Italian ''monsignore'', meaning "my lord". "Monsignor" ca ...

James Nugent (3 March 1822 – 27 June 1905) was a

Roman Catholic priest The priesthood is the office of the ministers of religion, who have been commissioned ("ordained") with the Holy orders of the Catholic Church. Technically, bishops are a priestly order as well; however, in layman's terms ''priest'' refers only ...

of the

Archdiocese of Liverpool The Catholic Archdiocese of Liverpool ( la, Archidioecesis Liverpolitana) is an archdiocese of the Catholic Church that covers the Isle of Man and part of North West England. The episcopal see is Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral. The archdiocese ...

. Because he was also a pioneer with his work in relation to child welfare, poverty relief and social reform
Nugent Care
was founded upon his ideals. Nugent was born on 3 March 1822 in Hunter Street,

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

. Nugent was educated in

Ushaw College Ushaw College (formally St Cuthbert's College, Ushaw), is a former Roman Catholic Church, Catholic seminary near the village of Ushaw Moor, County Durham, England, which is now a heritage and cultural tourist attraction. The college is known for ...

from 1838 to 1843 before he became a student at the English College in Rome. He was ordained to the

Diaconate A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Churc ...

in 1845, and on 30 August a year later he was ordained to the Priesthood at St Nicholas's, Liverpool. In 1849 he started a

Ragged School Ragged schools were charitable organisations dedicated to the free education of destitute children in 19th century Britain. The schools were developed in working-class districts. Ragged schools were intended for society's most destitute children ...

Spitalfields Spitalfields is a district in the East End of London and within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. The area is formed around Commercial Street (on the A1202 London Inner Ring Road) and includes the locale around Brick Lane, Christ Church, ...

and on 7 January 1850 he opened a Middle School for Boys in Rodney Street along with Fr Worthy. In 1856 the Catholic Reformatory Association was established with Nugent as secretary. Nugent was named as the owner and editor of the Northern Press in 1859, and in 1860 he founded ''The Catholic Times'' and a number of other publications. On 1 January 1860 Nugent was appointed the first Catholic chaplain to

Walton Gaol HM Prison Liverpool (formerly Walton Gaol) is a category B local men's prison in Walton, Liverpool, England. It is operated by His Majesty's Prison Service. History Liverpool Prison (originally known as Walton Gaol) was constructed between 18 ...

. Nugent and Bishop O'Reilly jointly founded the Liverpool Catholic Children's Protection Society on 16 April 1881. In 1891 Nugent opened a refuge for

fallen women "Fallen woman" is an archaic term which was used to describe a woman who has "lost her innocence", and fallen from the grace of God. In 19th-century Britain especially, the meaning came to be closely associated with the loss or surrender of a w ...

in Paul Street, Liverpool. On 12 June 1892 Nugent was made domestic prelate with title of Monsignor 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 ...

. On 16 May 1905, whilst returning home from a trip aboard the RMS ''Oceanic'', Nugent had a bad fall on the deck, sustaining a head injury and impairment of sight. Monsignor Nugent died on 27 June 1905 at age 83 at the Harewood House, Formby after contracting

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...

References

1822 births 1905 deaths Alumni of Ushaw College 19th-century English Roman Catholic priests Clergy from Liverpool {{RC-clergy-stub