Thomas Daniel Beaven (March 1, 1851 – October 5, 1920) was an American prelate 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 the second bishop of the Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts from 1892 to 1920.

Biography

Early life

Thomas Beaven was born on March 1, 1851, in

Springfield Springfield may refer to: * Springfield (toponym), the place name in general Places and locations Australia * Springfield, New South Wales (Central Coast) * Springfield, New South Wales (Snowy Monaro Regional Council) * Springfield, Queenslan ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

. He received his early education there. After graduating from Holy Cross College at Worcester, Massachusetts in 1870, he taught mathematics at Loyola College in Baltimore, Maryland for a year. Beaven then studied

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 ...

at the Grand Seminary of Montreal in Montreal, Quebec. Beaven 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 in Montreal by Archbishop

Édouard-Charles Fabre Édouard-Charles Fabre (February 28, 1827 – December 30, 1896) was Archbishop of Montreal in 1886 and of Sherbrooke and Saint-Hyacinthe in 1887. Fabre was the eldest of 11 children in an important Montreal business family. Despite the effor ...

for the Diocese of Springfield on December 18, 1875. He then served as assistant pastor of a parish in

Spencer, Massachusetts Spencer is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 11,992 at the 2020 census. For geographic and demographic information on the census-designated place Spencer, please see the article Spencer (CDP), Massach ...

, until 1879, when he became its

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 1888, he was appointed pastor of Holy Rosary Parish in

Holyoke, Massachusetts Holyoke is a city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States, that lies between the western bank of the Connecticut River and the Mount Tom Range. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 38,238. Located north of Springfield ...

Bishop of Springfield

On August 9, 1892, Beaven was appointed bishop of the Diocese of Springfield 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 ...

.Kiltonic, Stephen. "History of the Diocese", Part 2, 150th Anniversary Celebration
/ref> He received his episcopal

consecration Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service. The word ''consecration'' literally means "association with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different grou ...

on October 18, 1892, from Archbishop

John Williams John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932)Nylund, Rob (15 November 2022)Classic Connection review ''WBOI'' ("For the second time this year, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic honored American composer, conductor, and arranger John Williams, who wa ...

, with Bishops Denis Bradley and John Michaud serving as

co-consecrators A consecrator is a bishop who ordains someone to the episcopacy. A co-consecrator is someone who assists the consecrator bishop in the act of ordaining a new bishop. The terms are used in the canon law of the Catholic Church, Lutheran Churches, ...

, at St. Michael's Cathedral in Springfield. A humble individual, Beaven preferred to ride the trolley rather than use a private carriage to get around Springfield. In addition to French and Irish parishes, Beaven established churches in the diocese for Polish, Italian, Lithuanian, Slovakian and

Maronite Rite The Maronite Church is an Eastern Catholic ''sui iuris'' particular church in full communion with the pope and the worldwide Catholic Church, with self-governance under the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches. The current head of the Maron ...

Catholics.During his tenure, he opened the Beaven-Kelly Home for senior men; a home for abandoned infants;

hospital A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment with specialized health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically has an emerge ...

s in Worcester, Springfield, Montague, and Adams;

orphanage An orphanage is a Residential education, residential institution, total institution or group home, devoted to the Childcare, care of orphans and children who, for various reasons, cannot be cared for by their biological families. The parent ...

s in Holyoke, Worcester, and

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands. The city l ...

; a House of the Good Shepherd at Springfield; and residences for single working women in many places. Thomas Beaven died in Springfield on October 5, 1920 at age 69. He was buried in St. Augustine’s Chapel at St. Michael’s Cathedral in Springfield.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Beaven, Thomas Daniel 1851 births 1920 deaths People from Springfield, Massachusetts 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States College of the Holy Cross alumni Roman Catholic bishops of Springfield in Massachusetts 19th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States