Thomas Francis Hickey (February 4, 1861 – December 10, 1940) 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 Rochester The Diocese of Rochester is a Church of England diocese in the English county of Kent and the Province of Canterbury. The cathedral church of the diocese is Rochester Cathedral in the former city of Rochester. The bishop's Latin episcopal signat ...

in New York (1909–1928).

Biography

Early life

Hickey was born in

Rochester, New York Rochester () is a City (New York), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, the county seat, seat of Monroe County, New York, Monroe County, and the fourth-most populous in the state after New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffalo, ...

on February 4, 1861, to Jeremiah and Margaret Hickey. He studied at St. John's Seminary and Fordham University, both in New York City, and at St. Joseph's Seminary in Troy New York. Hickey 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 on March 25, 1884. After his ordination, he held pastoral positions in parishes in

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...

and

Moravia, New York Moravia is a town in Cayuga County, New York, United States. The population was 3,626 at the 2010 census. The town of Moravia contains a village also called Moravia. The town is in the Finger Lakes region, south of Auburn. History Moravia was ...

. Hickey then became chaplain of the New York State Industrial School in Rochester. He was later appointed rector of St. Patrick's Cathedral in Rochester.

Coadjutor Bishop and Bishop of Rochester

On February 18, 1905, Hickey was appointed as

coadjutor bishop A coadjutor bishop (or bishop coadjutor) is a bishop in the Catholic, Anglican, and (historically) Eastern Orthodox churches whose main role is to assist the diocesan bishop in the administration of the diocese. The coadjutor (literally, "co ...

of the Diocese of Rochester and

titular bishop 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 ...

of ''Berenice'' by

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 ...

. 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 May 24, 1905, from Cardinal John Farley, with Bishops Bernard McQuaid and Patrick Ludden 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, ...

. Upon the death of Bishop McQuaid, Hickey automatically succeeded him as bishop of Rochester on January 18, 1909. During his tenure, Hickey was a strong advocate of

Catholic education Catholic education may refer to: * Catholic school, primary and secondary education organised by the Catholic Church or organisations affiliated with it * Catholic university, private university run by the Catholic Church or organisations affilia ...

, and established a

catechetical Catechesis (; from Greek language, Greek: , "instruction by word of mouth", generally "instruction") is basic Christian religious education of children and adults, often from a catechism book. It started as education of Conversion to Christian ...

program for Catholic children enrolled in

public school Public school may refer to: * State school (known as a public school in many countries), a no-fee school, publicly funded and operated by the government * Public school (United Kingdom), certain elite fee-charging independent schools in England an ...

s. He supported the apostolate to

deaf Deafness has varying definitions in cultural and medical contexts. In medical contexts, the meaning of deafness is hearing loss that precludes a person from understanding spoken language, an Audiology, audiological condition. In this context it ...

persons, pioneered the work of

Catholic Charities The Catholic Church operates numerous charitable organizations. Catholic spiritual teaching includes spreading the Gospel, while Catholic social teaching emphasises support for the sick, the poor and the afflicted through the corporal and spir ...

within the diocese, and helped the bishops of New York State to establish an office to communicate with the state legislature about Catholic concerns. Hickey led the creation of the Aquinas Institute for Boys for and Nazareth Academy for girls in Rochester, and the founding of Nazareth College in Pittsford, New York. Hickey's resignation as bishop of the Diocese of Rochester was accepted by

Pope Pius XI Pope Pius XI ( it, Pio XI), born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti (; 31 May 1857 – 10 February 1939), was head of the Catholic Church from 6 February 1922 to his death in February 1939. He was the first sovereign of Vatican City fro ...

on October 30, 1928; he was appointed

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 ...

Viminacium Viminacium () or ''Viminatium'', was a major city (provincial capital) and military camp of the Roman province of Moesia (today's Serbia), and the capital of '' Moesia Superior'' (hence once a metropolitan archbishopric, now a Latin titular see) ...

on the same date. Thomas Hickey died in Rochester of what was termed a "toxic condition" at St. Mary's Hospital on December 10, 1940, at age 79.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hickey, Thomas Francis 1861 births 1940 deaths Saint Joseph's Seminary (Dunwoodie) alumni Fordham University alumni Religious leaders from Rochester, New York Roman Catholic bishops in New York (state) 20th-century American Roman Catholic titular archbishops