Samuel A. Mulledy ( ;
March 27, 1811 – January 8, 1866) was an American
Catholic
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 ...
priest and
Jesuit who served as president of
Georgetown College
Georgetown College is a private Christian college in Georgetown, Kentucky. Chartered in 1829, Georgetown was the first Baptist college west of the Appalachian Mountains.
The college offers 38 undergraduate degrees and a Master of Arts in educat ...
in 1845. Born in
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
, he was the brother of
Thomas F. Mulledy, who was a prominent 19th-century Jesuit in the United States and a president of Georgetown. As a student at Georgetown, Samuel was one of the founding members of the
Philodemic Society, and proved to be a distinguished student, which resulted in his being sent to
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 ...
to complete his higher education and be ordained to the
priesthood. Upon his return to the United States, he became the
master of novices
In the Roman Catholic Church, a novice master or master of novices, lat. ''Magister noviciorum'', is a member of a religious institute who is responsible for the training and government of the novitiate in that institute. In religious institutes f ...
at the Jesuit
novitiate in
Maryland
Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...
, before being named
president of Georgetown. He sought to be relieved of the position after only a few months, and returned to teaching and ministry.
Mulledy was expelled from the Society of Jesus over charges of
alcoholism
Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol that results in significant mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognized diagnostic entity. Predomi ...
in 1850. He took up ministerial work at congregations throughout the
northeastern United States, remaining at each for no more than a few years. He eventually became
chaplain to Archbishop
John Hughes and was assigned as an assistant at the
Church of St. Lawrence O'Toole in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
(later known as St. Ignatius Loyola), where he became
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 ...
in 1863 and lived out the remainder of his life. On his deathbed, he petitioned the Jesuit
provincial superior to allow him to be readmitted to the Society; four days before his death, his request was granted and he professed his
vows.
Early life
Samuel A. Mulledy was born on March 27, 1811, in
Romney, Virginia (today located in
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the B ...
).
His father, Thomas Mulledy, was a farmer and a Catholic of
Irish descent
The Irish ( ga, Muintir na hÉireann or ''Na hÉireannaigh'') are an ethnic group and nation native to the island of Ireland, who share a common history and culture. There have been humans in Ireland for about 33,000 years, and it has been c ...
.
His mother, Sarah Cochrane, was from Virginia and was not Catholic. So the two could marry, they obtained a
canonical dispensation, and agreed that their sons would be raised Catholic, while their daughters would be raised
Protestant
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 ...
.
Samuel's brother,
Thomas F. Mulledy, was 17 years older than him,
and also became a Jesuit and the president of
Georgetown College
Georgetown College is a private Christian college in Georgetown, Kentucky. Chartered in 1829, Georgetown was the first Baptist college west of the Appalachian Mountains.
The college offers 38 undergraduate degrees and a Master of Arts in educat ...
.
Education
At a young age, Samuel became a teacher with his brother at the
Romney Academy
Romney Academy was an educational institution for higher learning in Romney, Virginia (now West Virginia). Romney Academy was first incorporated by the Virginia General Assembly on January 11, 1814, and was active until 1846 when it was reorgani ...
.
He then began his studies at Georgetown College in 1829,
paying his own way like his brother. He paid some of his tuition
in kind The term in kind (or in-kind) generally refers to goods, services, and transactions not involving money or not measured in monetary terms. It is a part of many spheres, mainly economics, finance, but also politics, work career, food, health and othe ...
, in the form of two horses.
[ At Georgetown, he became a co-founder and the first vice president of the Philodemic Society,] which held its first meeting on September 25, 1830, and he signed its constitution
A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed.
When these princ ...
. At the commencement of 1831, he received the class medal for rhetoric and mathematics, and an honorable mention in French; he also delivered an address in French. His brother was president of the college throughout Samuel's studies. Completing his secular education, Samuel sought admission to the Society of Jesus
, image = Ihs-logo.svg
, image_size = 175px
, caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits
, abbreviation = SJ
, nickname = Jesuits
, formation =
, founders ...
. His application was approved and, on August 29, 1831, he entered the Jesuit novitiate in White Marsh Manor
Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Bowie, Maryland is a Catholic church established in 1729. The church was originally built on part of the Jesuit estate known as White Marsh Manor.
History
Sacred Heart Church had been better known as White Marsh a ...
in Maryland
Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...
, where he completed his probationary period and took his simple vows
A solemn vow is a certain vow ("a deliberate and free promise made to God about a possible and better good") taken by an individual during or after novitiate in a Catholic religious institute. It is solemn insofar as the Church recognizes it a ...
.[
He was then sent to the novitiate at ]Sant'Andrea al Quirinale
The Church of Saint Andrew on the Quirinal ( it, Sant'Andrea al Quirinale, la, S. Andreae in Quirinali) is a Roman Catholic titular church in Rome, Italy, built for the Jesuit seminary on the Quirinal Hill.
The church of Sant'Andrea, an important ...
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 ...
, being chaperoned across the Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
by William McSherry
William McSherry (July 19, 1799December 18, 1839) was an American Catholic priest and Jesuit who became the president of Georgetown College and a Jesuit provincial superior. The son of Irish immigrants, McSherry was educated at Georgetown C ...
. Mulledy was sent to Rome for his higher studies because of his academic talent, so that he would be well educated and return to the United States to teach. In total, he studied in Rome for seven years, including at the Roman College
The Roman College ( la, Collegium Romanum, it, Collegio Romano) was a school established by St. Ignatius of Loyola in 1551, just 11 years after he founded the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). It quickly grew to include classes from elementary school t ...
, where he garnered a reputation as a distinguished student, and was selected to give a public defense of theology
Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...
. Mulledy was then 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 ...
a priest
A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in partic ...
in Rome in 1840, and made his "grade" in the Society of Jesus.
Academic career
Mulledy then returned from Europe and on November 1, 1841, he was appointed the master of novices
In the Roman Catholic Church, a novice master or master of novices, lat. ''Magister noviciorum'', is a member of a religious institute who is responsible for the training and government of the novitiate in that institute. In religious institutes f ...
of the Jesuits' Maryland Province. He succeeded Francis Dzierozynski, and on January 15, 1844, he was succeeded by Dzierozynski. In 1844, he was made minister of Georgetown College.
Georgetown College
Mulledy became the president of Georgetown College on January 10, 1845, when James A. Ryder was recalled to Rome. He was young for a holder of the position, but was known as a talented scholar. He assumed the office reluctantly, and his short-lived tenure was generally uneventful. The entire college attended the inauguration of President James K. Polk
James Knox Polk (November 2, 1795 – June 15, 1849) was the 11th president of the United States, serving from 1845 to 1849. He previously was the 13th speaker of the House of Representatives (1835–1839) and ninth governor of Tennessee (183 ...
in 1845, and upon the request of the Mayor of Georgetown, the college students marched in the parade commemorating President Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was an American lawyer, planter, general, and statesman who served as the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before being elected to the presidency, he gained fame as ...
on July 1 of that year. Soon after taking office, he requested to be relieved,[ and he was succeeded by his brother, Thomas Mulledy, on September 6, 1845.]
Later life
Drifting years
Following the end of his presidency, Mulledy returned to missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Mi ...
work, being stationed at St. Joseph's Church in Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...
. However, he continued to remain involved at Georgetown as a member of its board of directors from 1846 to 1848.
From 1847 to 1848, he was a professor of dogmatic theology
Dogmatic theology, also called dogmatics, is the part of theology dealing with the theoretical truths of faith concerning God and God's works, especially the official theology recognized by an organized Church body, such as the Roman Catholic Ch ...
at Georgetown, and subsequently taught rhetoric there. Eventually, Mulledy became an alcoholic
Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol that results in significant mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognized diagnostic entity. Predomina ...
, which resulted in his dismissal from the Society of Jesus in 1850. Following his expulsion, he was transferred from city to city, staying only briefly in each. He first was stationed at the original Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
for two years, then worked in the Diocese of Albany from 1852 to 1853. The following year, he was sent to the Cathedral of St. James in Brooklyn
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
, where he remained until 1855. He was a professor of rhetoric and mathematics at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester ( , ) is a city and county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, the city's population was 206,518 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the second-List of cities i ...
, during the 1856–57 academic year. He then was assigned to the Church of Sts. Peter and Paul in South Boston
South Boston is a densely populated neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, located south and east of the Fort Point Channel and abutting Dorchester Bay. South Boston, colloquially known as Southie, has undergone several demographic transformat ...
and St. Mary's Church in Yonkers, New York
Yonkers () is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. Developed along the Hudson River, it is the third most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City and Buffalo. The population of Yonkers was 211,569 as en ...
, in 1859 and 1860, respectively.
Church of St. Lawrence O'Toole
In July 1861, Mulledy was assigned by Archbishop John Hughes as an assistant to Walter J. Quarter, who was 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 Church of St. Lawrence O'Toole in New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
(later known as the Church of St. Ignatius Loyola). Mulledy was also the chaplain to Archbishop Hughes. Shortly before his death, Quarter sent a letter to the vicar general
A vicar general (previously, archdeacon) is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority and possesses the title of local ordinary. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar general exercises the bishop' ...
for the Archdiocese of New York
The Archdiocese of New York ( la, Archidiœcesis Neo-Eboracensis) is an ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church ( particularly the Roman Catholic or Latin Church) located in the State of New York. It encompasses the boroug ...
requesting that Mulledy be appointed as his successor. Following Quarter's death, Mulledy, who was still recovering from his alcoholism, became the pastor of the Church of St. Lawrence O'Toole in 1863. During his first year, he had as an assistant priest W. Coyle, and James Hassan assisted him during his later years.
Mulledy was well-liked by the congregation there, and he founded a chapter of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul
The Society of St Vincent de Paul (SVP or SVdP or SSVP) is an international voluntary organization in the Catholic Church, founded in 1833 for the sanctification of its members by personal service of the poor.
Innumerable Catholic parishes have ...
, to increase the charitable work of the parish. He was known for traveling around the parish with his large, black Newfoundland dog
The Newfoundland is a large working dog. They can be black, brown, or black and white. However, in the Dominion of Newfoundland, before it became part of the confederation of Canada, only black and Landseer (white-and-black) coloured dogs wer ...
, which was both his pet and protection against stray dogs. Traveling for his ministry became difficult because of asthma
Asthma is a long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wheezing, co ...
, as well as an enlarged aorta
The aorta ( ) is the main and largest artery in the human body, originating from the left ventricle of the heart and extending down to the abdomen, where it splits into two smaller arteries (the common iliac arteries). The aorta distributes o ...
in 1865. He ceased his ministry on Christmas Day
Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year, ...
of that year.
He was the last secular pastor of the church. On his deathbed, he was attended by several Sisters of Charity
Many religious communities have the term Sisters of Charity in their name. Some ''Sisters of Charity'' communities refer to the Vincentian tradition, or in America to the tradition of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, but others are unrelated. The ...
, and John Early, the president of Georgetown, frequently inquired about his health.[ He supplicated the provincial superior, Angelo M. Paresce, to allow him to be re-admitted to the Jesuit order. When he received word that his request was granted on January 4, 1866,] Mulledy leapt out of bed and pronounced the Jesuit formula on his knees, renewing his religious vows
Religious vows are the public vows made by the members of religious communities pertaining to their conduct, practices, and views.
In the Buddhism tradition, in particular within the Mahayana and Vajrayana tradition, many different kinds of re ...
.
Mulledy died in New York on January 8, 1866. His body was escorted by a large crowd from the Harlem Bridge
The Third Avenue Bridge carries southbound road traffic on Third Avenue over the Harlem River, connecting the borough (New York City), boroughs of Manhattan and the Bronx in New York City. It once carried southbound New York State Route 1A. Th ...
up to St. John's College (later Fordham University) in the Bronx
The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...
, where he was buried in the College Cemetery. Since Mulledy was once again a Jesuit at the time he died in office, Archbishop John McCloskey
John McCloskey (March 10, 1810 – October 10, 1885) was a senior-ranking American prelate of the Catholic Church. He was the first American born Archbishop of New York from 1864 until his death in 1885, having previously served as Bishop of ...
decided to transfer administration of the parish to the Jesuits, at Mulledy's request. His successor was the Jesuit priest Victor Beaudevin.
Notes
References
Sources
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Mulledy, Samuel
1811 births
1866 deaths
People from Romney, West Virginia
19th-century American Jesuits
American Roman Catholic clergy of Irish descent
Georgetown University alumni
Philodemic Society members
Pontifical Gregorian University alumni
Presidents of Georgetown University
Pastors of the Church of St. Ignatius Loyola (New York City)
Catholic chaplains
American chaplains
Burials at the Fordham University Cemetery
Novice masters of the Jesuit Province of Maryland