Thomas John McDonnell, D.D., (August 18, 1894 – February 25, 1961) was the

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 let ...

coadjutor bishop, ''cum jure successionis'', of what is now the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston 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 letter ...

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 ...

Education and pastoral assignment

Thomas John McDonnell was born 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 ...

. He was ordained to the priesthood for the

Roman Catholic 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 New York (state), State of New York. It encom ...

on September 20, 1919. Early in his career, on October 30, 1921, he sang the

Solemn High Mass Solemn Mass ( la, missa solemnis) is the full ceremonial form of a Mass, predominantly associated with the Tridentine Mass where it is celebrated by a priest with a deacon and a subdeacon,"The essence of high Mass is not the music but the deacon ...

dedicating Staten Island's new Mission Church of St. Clare, where he served as Assistant Rector. McDonnell was admitted as an affiliated member, number 87, to

Marist College Marist College is a private university in Poughkeepsie, New York. Founded in 1905, Marist was formed by the Marist Brothers, a Catholic religious institute, to prepare brothers for their vocations as educators. In 2003, it became a secular in ...

in 1944.

Episcopacy

On July 2, 1947, Pope Pius XII appointed McDonnell auxiliary bishop of the New York Archdiocese. He was consecrated on September 15, 1947, taking as his episcopal motto: "Ad Jesum Per Mariam" (To Jesus Through Mary). His principal

consecrator 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 ...

was Cardinal

Francis Spellman Francis Joseph Spellman (May 4, 1889 – December 2, 1967) was an American bishop and cardinal of the Catholic Church. From 1939 until his death in 1967, he served as the sixth Archbishop of New York; he had previously served as an auxiliary ...

, and the principal co-consecrators were Cardinals Richard James Cushing and James Francis Aloysius McIntyre. On March 7, 1951, Pope Pius XII appointed McDonnell to the Wheeling Diocese, with the right to succeed Bishop John Joseph Swint.

Prominent Masses in New York

On March 17, 1948, McDonnell celebrated a

Pontifical High Mass A Pontifical High Mass, also called Solemn Pontifical Mass, is a Solemn or High Mass celebrated by a bishop using certain prescribed ceremonies. Although in modern English the word "pontifical" is almost exclusively associated with the pope, an ...

in honor of St. Patrick with Spellman presiding. This High Mass was said for St. Patrick's Cathedral's

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, or Eastern Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or perso ...

with 3,000 parishioners in attendance and was covered in ''

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''. On June 6, 1948, McDonnell presided at a solemn Pontifical Mass celebrating the golden jubilee of

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 ...

John J. E. O'Brien, who was the

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 St. Agnes Church (New York City).

Consecrations and dedications

On October 24, 1953, McDonnell consecrated Marist College's altar with the relics of two

martyr A martyr (, ''mártys'', "witness", or , ''marturia'', stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an externa ...

s, Saints

Urban Urban means "related to a city". In that sense, the term may refer to: * Urban area, geographical area distinct from rural areas * Urban culture, the culture of towns and cities Urban may also refer to: General * Urban (name), a list of people ...

and Felician, in Our Lady Seat of Wisdom Chapel. On May 16, 1954, All Saints Catholic Church was dedicated by McDonnell in

Bridgeport, West Virginia Bridgeport is a city in eastern Harrison County, West Virginia, Harrison County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 9,325 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Clarksburg micropolitan area. The town of Bridgeport had its beginning i ...

. McDonnell dedicated Sacred Heart Catholic Church in

Williamson, West Virginia Williamson is a city in Mingo County, West Virginia, United States, situated along the Tug Fork River. The population was 3,191 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Mingo County, and is the county's largest and most populous city. Willi ...

on May 27, 1951, and its school on December 15, 1957. McDonnell was the principal consecrator of Bishop Patrick Joseph Byrne. He was the principal co-consecrator of Bishops Augustine Francis Wildermuth, Stephen Anthony Appelhans,

John Joseph Boardman John Joseph Boardman (1893 - 1978) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as Auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Brooklyn, New York, and Titular Bishop of Gunela. Biography Boardman was born on November 7, 1893, in Brook ...

, Richard Henry Ackerman and Archbishop

Leo Clement Andrew Arkfeld Leo Clement Andrew Arkfeld (born in 1912 in Butte, Nebraska) was an American clergyman and bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianit ...

Death

McDonnell died of an acute viral infection on February 25, 1961, before he was able to succeed Swint to become bishop of Wheeling. McDonnell had been a priest for 41 years and a bishop for 13 years. Swint died the following year, on November 23, 1962.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McDonnell, Thomas John 1894 births 1961 deaths Clergy from New York City Marist College alumni 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States Roman Catholic Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston Religious leaders from West Virginia