Peter Joseph Hurth
   HOME

TheInfoList



Click Here for Items Related To - Peter Joseph Hurth
OR:
Peter Joseph Hurth on:   [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Amazon]

Peter Joseph Hurth, C.S.C., S.T.D. (30 March 1857 – 1 August 1935) was a
Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
priest of the
Congregation of the Holy Cross , image = Congregation of Holy Cross.svg , image_size = 150px , abbreviation = CSC , formation = , founder = Blessed Fr. Basile-Antoine Marie Moreau, C.S.C. , founding_location = ...
, a diocesan bishop in British
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
and the
Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...
, and a
titular archbishop 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 ...
.


Early years

Peter Joseph Hurth was born on 30 March 1857 in
Nittel Nittel (Luxembourgisch: ''Nëttel''), on the Upper Moselle, is an ''ortsgemeinde'' ("village municipality") in the ''Landkreis'' ountyof Trier-Saarburg in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate. It belongs to the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' nited_M_...
,_Prussia_(now_Germany),_across_the_Moselle_River.html" ;"title="Germany.html" ;"title="nited M ...
, Prussia (now Germany">nited M ...
, Prussia (now Germany), across the Moselle River">Germany.html" ;"title="nited M ...
, Prussia (now Germany">nited M ...
, Prussia (now Germany), across the Moselle River from Luxembourg. At that time, Nittel was in the Rheinprovinz, but today it belongs to the state of Rhineland-Palatinate. Peter was the youngest of three children of Peter Hurth (1822–1873) and his wife, Susanna Wolf (1816–1894). In the spring of 1874, three days before his 17th birthday, he left for
America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
. In
Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,
, he boarded the
Red Star Line The Red Star Line was a shipping line founded in 1871 as a joint venture between the International Navigation Company of Philadelphia, which also ran the American Line, and the Société Anonyme de Navigation Belgo-Américaine of Antwerp, Belgiu ...
steamer, the "Switzerland". When he arrived in
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
in the morning of 8 May, so many of his companions at
Castle Garden Castle Clinton (also known as Fort Clinton and Castle Garden) is a circular sandstone fort within Battery Park at the southern end of Manhattan in New York City. Built from 1808 to 1811, it was the first American immigration station, predating ...
were Luxembourgers that he was mistaken for one of them. The mistake did not bother Hurth. Neither did the misspelling of his name - "Pierre Hurt". Hurth had come to continue his studies so he went to his destination, the University of Notre Dame in Indiana. There he also joined the Congregation of the Holy Cross (C.S.C.). As a
Brother A brother is a man or boy who shares one or more parents with another; a male sibling. The female counterpart is a sister. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to refer to non-familia ...
, he worked as an assistant instructor of the
Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
and
Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
languages at the University. On 30 March 1880 he was ordained to the priesthood. He also graduated from the University. Only one of his degrees was known to be a S.T.D. He had it by 1908, when he wrote an article for an American encyclopedia.


College President

From 1880 to 1884, Hurth was the President of St. Joseph’s Commercial College (now the College of Mount Saint Joseph) 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 ...
,
Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
. He left as an American citizen and with a new passport. He had been naturalized there on 31 March 1883. His passport application described him as tall, with gray eyes, blond hair, fair complexion, a stub-nose, a wide mouth, a round chin, and a round face. His trademark, a full, flowing beard, would come later. Hurth’s next stop was in
Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the county seat, seat and largest city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and Williamson County, Texas, Williamson co ...
, where he served as the President of St. Edward’s College (now St. Edward’s University) in Austin, Texas, for eight years, from 1886 to 1894.


The Bishop of Dacca

On 26 June 1894 he was appointed 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 ...
as the Bishop of Dacca in British India (now
Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; bn, ঢাকা, Ḍhākā, ), formerly known as Dacca, is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh, as well as the world's largest Bengali-speaking city. It is the eighth largest and sixth most densely populated city ...
,
Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...
). He was the third of his Order to have had this position. He was consecrated to it on 16 September 1894 at the
Basilica of the Sacred Heart, Notre Dame The Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Notre Dame, Indiana, is a Catholic church on the campus of the University of Notre Dame, also serving as the mother church of the Congregation of Holy Cross (C.S.C.) in the United States. The neo-gothic churc ...
by the Bishop of
Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...
, Joseph Rademacher, with the assistance from two other bishops, Henry Joseph Richter of
Grand Rapids, Michigan Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County, Michigan, Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the List of municipalities in Mi ...
and James Schwebach of
La Crosse, Wisconsin La Crosse is a city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of La Crosse County. Positioned alongside the Mississippi River, La Crosse is the largest city on Wisconsin's western border. La Crosse's population as of the 2020 census w ...
. He left at midnight for a trip that would take him to New York City, to Rome for an audience with the Pope and eventually to Dacca. The next 14 years in Dacca were quiet and uneventful for Bishop Hurth. In 1908, he wrote an article in English about his diocese for an American publication, ''The
Catholic Encyclopedia The ''Catholic Encyclopedia: An International Work of Reference on the Constitution, Doctrine, Discipline, and History of the Catholic Church'' (also referred to as the ''Old Catholic Encyclopedia'' and the ''Original Catholic Encyclopedia'') i ...
''. But he was beginning to have problems with his health so, on 15 February 1909, he resigned. On the same day, he was appointed as the Titular Bishop of Milopotamus. His new title might be in Ancient Greece but he was in good company. The previous holder was an Englishman,
Nicholas Wiseman Nicholas Patrick Stephen Wiseman (3 August 1802 – 15 February 1865) was a Cardinal of the Catholic Church who became the first Archbishop of Westminster upon the re-establishment of the Catholic hierarchy in England and Wales in 1850. Born ...
, before he became a
Cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to: Animals * Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae **''Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, the ...
and the first
Archbishop of Westminster The Archbishop of Westminster heads the Roman Catholic Diocese of Westminster, in England. The incumbent is the metropolitan of the Province of Westminster, chief metropolitan of England and Wales and, as a matter of custom, is elected presid ...
. But Hurth did not forget India. In 1911, when he returned to Cincinnati, he was interviewed by a local newspaper. When he was asked about India, he said that, since the conditions were changing slowly in India, "it was only a question of time when caste would no longer exist and child marriage would be abolished." He was in the city for the 5th National Eucharistic Congress of the Catholic Church of America.


The Bishop of Nueva Segovia

On 7 January 1913,
Pope Pius X Pope Pius X ( it, Pio X; born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto; 2 June 1835 – 20 August 1914) was head of the Catholic Church from 4 August 1903 to his death in August 1914. Pius X is known for vigorously opposing modernist interpretations of C ...
sent Hurth to the Philippines to be the
Bishop of Nueva Segovia The Archdiocese of Nueva Segovia is an archdiocese of the Catholic Church in the Philippines. It covers the province of Ilocos Sur, on the island of Luzon. The see of the archdiocese is the city of Vigan.Luzon Luzon (; ) is the largest and most populous island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the Philippines archipelago, it is the economic and political center of the nation, being home to the country's capital city, Manila, as ...
, the largest of the islands. In
Vigan City Vigan, officially the City of Vigan ( ilo, Siudad ti Vigan; fil, Lungsod ng Vigan), is a 4th class component city and capital of the province of Ilocos Sur, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 53,935 people. Lo ...
, the see of the diocese, Hurth served for another 13 years. But, unlike Dacca, his second tour was not quiet and uneventful. One reporter remarked that the Bishop had "the rather melancholy privilege of ruling the most afflicted diocese under the United States jurisdiction". His see had been devastated by revolutions, typhoons, earthquakes, cyclones and deserted by the missionary funds from Europe. The conditions were so bad – "verily in ruins" – that at least nineteen congregations did not have any buildings to hold their Masses and house their priests. So Bishop Hurth had to send out appeals everywhere for help. That was one of the reasons for his trip to the United States in late 1916 and early 1917.


Retirement

On 12 November 1926, Hurth resigned. On the same day, he became Honorary Bishop of
Bosra Bosra ( ar, بُصْرَىٰ, Buṣrā), also spelled Bostra, Busrana, Bozrah, Bozra and officially called Busra al-Sham ( ar, بُصْرَىٰ ٱلشَّام, Buṣrā al-Shām), is a town in southern Syria, administratively belonging to the Dara ...
. Two weeks later, he was on his way back to America aboard an
ocean liner An ocean liner is a passenger ship primarily used as a form of transportation across seas or oceans. Ocean liners may also carry cargo or mail, and may sometimes be used for other purposes (such as for pleasure cruises or as hospital ships). Ca ...
. After many years in India and the Philippines, he was used to the tropical weather. But, one Saturday, just days from New York City, he went outside for a walk around the deck and a blast of cold air gave him a "heart shock". He had to be taken to the hospital in New York City straight from the piers. But he quickly recovered. Bishop Hurth even felt healthy enough in 1927 to travel to
Helena, Montana Helena (; ) is the capital city of Montana, United States, and the county seat of Lewis and Clark County. Helena was founded as a gold camp during the Montana gold rush, and established on October 30, 1864. Due to the gold rush, Helena would ...
, and
San Antonio, Texas ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...
. In Helena, he was the principal consecrator at the ordination of
George Joseph Finnigan George Joseph Finnigan, C.S.C. (February 22, 1885 – August 14, 1932) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Helena in Montana from 1927 to 1932 Biography Early life George Finnigan w ...
, C.S.C., as the Bishop of that city. But in San Antonio he was one of the observers at the consecration of Bishop Arthur Jerome Drossaerts as the first Archbishop of San Antonio. In spite of all his travels to faraway lands, Hurth never forgot his hometown. He visited it twice, in 1898 and 1910. In 1910, he was in
Augsburg Augsburg (; bar , Augschburg , links=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swabian_German , label=Swabian German, , ) is a city in Swabia, Bavaria, Germany, around west of Bavarian capital Munich. It is a university town and regional seat of the ' ...
for the 57th General Assembly of the Catholics of Germany so he was mentioned, along his portrait, in the assembly’s official commemorative program. Hurth died in
Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...
, the Philippines, on 1 August 1935. His death notice mentioned that he was also a
Papal count The papal nobility are the aristocracy of the Holy See, composed of persons holding titles bestowed by the Pope. From the Middle Ages into the nineteenth century, the papacy held direct temporal power in the Papal States, and many titles of papal ...
.


Legacy

In his birthplace, Nittel, there is a modern memorial plaque in the town's square for Archbishop Hurth.(de) Jürgen Bole, "''Verwahrloste Gedenktafel Im Oberdorf''" eglected Memorial in the Upper Villagebr>''Darfscheel'', October 2008, page 5, column 1
with the photograph of the plaque. (PDF)


References


Literature

*(en) David Shavit: ''The United States in Asia: A Historical Dictionary'', New York, Greenwood Press, 1990, , p. 256
scan from the source
*(en) University of Notre Dame Archives: ''Guide to Manuscript Collections''. Notre Dame, University of Notre Dame Press, 1993, p. 213
snippet from the source
* (de) Hans-Josef Wietor: ''Die Geschichte des Ortes Nittel'' he History of the Place of Nittel ''Ortschroniken des Trierer Landes, Nr. 33'' hronicles of the Places of the Land of Trier, No. 33 Nittel, ''Ortsgemeinde'' ownship ofNittel, 2000, with an entire chapter about Archbishop Hurt
(See the note about the book)


External links

* (en

at "Catholic Hierarchy" * (en

''Inventory of the Collections of the University of Notre Dame'', The University of Notre Dame Archives, Indiana, U.S.A. {{DEFAULTSORT:Hurth, Peter Joseph Congregation of Holy Cross bishops German emigrants to the United States 19th-century German Roman Catholic priests 19th-century Roman Catholic bishops in India 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the Philippines 1857 births 1935 deaths Roman Catholic bishops of Dhaka Roman Catholic bishops of Nueva Segovia