Thomas Michael O'Leary (August 16, 1875 – October 10, 1949) is 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 bishop of the Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts from 1921 until his death in 1949.

Biography

Early life

The third of seven children, Thomas O'Leary was born on August 16, 1875, in

Dover Dover () is a town and major ferry port in Kent, South East England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies south-east of Canterbury and east of Maidstone ...

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

, to Michael and Margaret (née Howland) O'Leary. He attended elementary school and high school in Dover, graduating in 1887. He then traveled to Ireland to attend

Mungret College Mungret College was a Jesuit apostolic school and a lay secondary school near Limerick, Ireland. Located on the western outskirts of the modern-day suburban town of Raheen, it was operational from 1882 until 1974 when it closed as a school f ...

in Limerick, obtaining a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1892. O'Leary went to Canada to study

philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...

and

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.

Priesthood

O'Leary 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 Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

for the Diocese of Manchester by Bishop Maxime Decelles on December 18, 1897. After his ordination, O'Leary spent six months as assistant pastor at St. Ann's Parish in

Manchester, New Hampshire Manchester is a city in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. It is the most populous city in New Hampshire. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 115,644. Manchester is, along with Nashua, one of two seats of New Hamp ...

from 1898 to 1899. He was then sent to St. John's Parish in

Concord, New Hampshire Concord () is the capital city of the U.S. state of New Hampshire and the seat of Merrimack County. As of the 2020 census the population was 43,976, making it the third largest city in New Hampshire behind Manchester and Nashua. The village of ...

to serve as assistant pastor from 1899 to 1904. O'Leary then spent three more years at St. John's as parish administrator. O'Leary was named

chancellor Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...

in 1904 and

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's ...

in 1914 of the diocese. He also served as chaplain to the Sisters of the Sacred Blood congregation and editor of the diocese newspaper ''Guidon''. According to author Kevin Donovan, O'Leary was considered to be rigid, unapproachable and distant by his fellow clergy, and they were not sorry to see him go to Springfield.

Bishop of Springfield in Massachusetts

On June 16, 1921, O'Leary was appointed bishop of the Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts by

Pope Benedict XV Pope Benedict XV (Latin: ''Benedictus XV''; it, Benedetto XV), born Giacomo Paolo Giovanni Battista della Chiesa, name=, group= (; 21 November 185422 January 1922), was head of the Catholic Church from 1914 until his death in January 1922. His ...

. He received his

episcopal Episcopal may refer to: *Of or relating to a bishop, an overseer in the Christian church *Episcopate, the see of a bishop – a diocese *Episcopal Church (disambiguation), any church with "Episcopal" in its name ** Episcopal Church (United State ...

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 September 8, 1921, from Archbishop Arthur Alfred Sinnott, with Bishops Michael Curley and George Guertin 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, ...

. During his tenure, O'Leary introduced the

Passionist The Passionists, officially named Congregation of the Passion of Jesus Christ (), abbreviated CP, is a Catholic clerical religious congregation of Pontifical Right for men, founded by Paul of the Cross in 1720 with a special emphasis on and de ...

s and Sisters of Providence, expanded Mercy Hospital in Springfield and opened 24 new parishes. In 1928, O'Leary spearheaded the founding of Our Lady of the Elms College in

Chicopee, Massachusetts Chicopee ( ) is a city located on the Connecticut River in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 55,560, making it the second-largest city in Western Massachusetts after Springfield. C ...

, the first Catholic college for women in

Western Massachusetts Western Massachusetts, known colloquially as “Western Mass,” is a region in Massachusetts, one of the six U.S. states that make up the New England region of the United States. Western Massachusetts has diverse topography; 22 colleges and u ...

. O'Leary served as its first president until his death in 1949. He described the college's educational aims:... to speak convincingly, write gracefully, spend leisure time profitably, and assume responsibility easily." In 1943, during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, O'Leary authorized the collection of clothing at parishes to be sent to war victims in the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

as part of the

Russian War Relief Russian War Relief (RWR) (also known as the Russian War Relief Fund and The American Committee for Russian War Relief) was the largest American agency for foreign war relief. It had the "express and exclusive purpose of giving succor to the Russian ...

effort. He was one of only four Catholic bishops in the United States to participate in this drive. Thomas O'Leary died in Springfield on October 10, 1949, at age 74. O'Leary Hall, a student residence at Elms College, is named after him.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oleary, Thomas Michael 1875 births 1949 deaths People from Dover, New Hampshire Roman Catholic Diocese of Manchester 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States Religious leaders from New Hampshire Roman Catholic bishops of Springfield in Massachusetts Elms College faculty Catholics from New Hampshire