Ambrose Maréchal,
P.S.S. (August 28, 1764 – January 29, 1828) was a
French
French may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France
** French people, a nation and ethnic group
** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices
Arts and media
* The French (band), ...
-born
Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
prelate who served as
Archbishop of Baltimore
The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Baltimore () is the archdiocese of the Latin Church of the Catholic Church in northern and western Maryland in the United States. It is the metropolitan see of the Ecclesiastical Province of Baltimore.
The Archd ...
from 1817 until his death. He was a member of the
Sulpicians
The Society of Priests of Saint-Sulpice (; PSS), also known as the Sulpicians, is a society of apostolic life of Pontifical Right for men, named after the Church of Saint-Sulpice, Paris, where it was founded. The members of the Society add the ...
.
Maréchal dedicated the
Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the oldest cathedral in the United States, in Baltimore in 1821. Maréchal's tenure as archbishop was marked with conflicts with lay trustees of parishes in Virginia and South Carolina who believed they had the power to appoint their own priests. He also clashed with the new Bishops of
Richmond
Richmond most often refers to:
* Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada
* Richmond, California, a city in the United States
* Richmond, London, a town in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England
* Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town ...
and
Charleston.
Biography
Early life
Ambrose Maréchal was born at
Ingré
Ingré () is a commune in the Loiret department, central France. It is part of the urban area of Orléans.
Population
Twin towns — sister cities
Ingré is twinned with:
* Castel Maggiore, Italy (2011)
* Drensteinfurt, Germany (2017)
...
in France on August 28, 1764. Following his parents' wishes, he began studies for the legal profession. However, he later decided to enter the
Saint-Sulpice Seminary at
Issy-les-Moulineaux, France
Issy-les-Moulineaux () is a Communes of France, commune in the southwestern suburban area of Paris, France, lying on the left bank of the river Seine. Its citizens are called in French. It is one of Paris's entrances and is located from Notre D ...
, with the intentions of becoming a priest. The
Sulpician Order
The Society of Priests of Saint-Sulpice (; PSS), also known as the Sulpicians, is a society of apostolic life of Pontifical Right for men, named after the Church of Saint-Sulpice, Paris, where it was founded. The members of the Society add t ...
gave Maréchal his
tonsure
Tonsure () is the practice of cutting or shaving some or all of the hair on the scalp as a sign of religious devotion or humility. The term originates from the Latin word ' (meaning "clipping" or "shearing") and referred to a specific practice in ...
, a crown-like haircut allowing a seminarian to continue his studies, at the end of 1787.
Priesthood
Due to popular unrest in the Paris area, Maréchal left the Saint-Sulpice Seminary for
Bordeaux
Bordeaux ( ; ; Gascon language, Gascon ; ) is a city on the river Garonne in the Gironde Departments of France, department, southwestern France. A port city, it is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the Prefectures in F ...
, France, in early 1792. Eleven Sulpician priests were murdered in France during this period. Maréchal was ordained there into the priesthood on March 25, 1792, by Archbishop Archbishop Jérôme-Marie Champion de Cicé.
Bishop
John Carroll of the Diocese of Baltimore in 1791 had invited the Sulpicians to Baltimore, Maryland to establish
St. Mary's Seminary, the first Catholic seminary in the new United States. The Sulpician Order in the spring of 1792 sent Maréchal to the United States to help staff St. Mary's. He arrived Baltimore on June 24, 1792, where he celebrated his first
mass
Mass is an Intrinsic and extrinsic properties, intrinsic property of a physical body, body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the physical quantity, quantity of matter in a body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physi ...
as a new priest.
After spending time at the seminary, he was assigned by the Sulpicians to perform pastoral work in
Bohemia, Maryland. By 1799, Maréchal was back in Baltimore, teaching theology at the seminary. In 1801, the Sulpicians sent Maréchal to teach philosophy at the new
Georgetown College
Georgetown College is a private Christian liberal arts college in Georgetown, Kentucky. Chartered in 1829, Georgetown was the first Baptist college west of the Appalachian Mountains.
The college offers over 40 undergraduate degrees and a Mas ...
in Washington, D.C.
[Clarke, Richard Henry. "Most Rev. Ambrose Maréchal, D.D.", ''Lives of the Deceased Bishops of the Catholic Church in the United States'', Vol. 1, P. O'Shea, 1872](_blank)
/ref>
With the ascension of Napoleon Bonaparte
Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...
as first consul of the new French Republic
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
, it became safer for Catholic clergy to practice in France. In 1803, the Sulpicians ordered Maréchal to return home. He would spend the next nine years teaching at Sulpician schools in Saint-Flour
Saint-Flour (; Auvergnat: ''Sant Flor'') is a commune in the south-central French department of Cantal, approximately 100 km south of Clermont-Ferrand. Its inhabitants are called ''Sanflorains''.
Geography
The upper city (''ville haut ...
, Lyon, Aix-en-Provence
Aix-en-Provence, or simply Aix, is a List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, city and Communes of France, commune in southern France, about north of Marseille. A former capital of Provence, it is the Subprefectures in France, s ...
and Marseille
Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...
. In appreciation of his service, Maréchal's students in Marseille presented him with a marble altar. Louis XVIII
Louis XVIII (Louis Stanislas Xavier; 17 November 1755 – 16 September 1824), known as the Desired (), was King of France from 1814 to 1824, except for a brief interruption during the Hundred Days in 1815. Before his reign, he spent 23 y ...
, who became the French monarch in 1814, later presented him with several paintings. The altar and the paintings went to the Basilica of the Assumption in Baltimore.
In 1812, the Sulpicians sent Maréchal back to Baltimore, where he resumed teaching at St. Mary's Seminary. He later served as president of the seminary.
Archbishop of Baltimore
On January 26, 1816, Pope Pius VII
Pope Pius VII (; born Barnaba Niccolò Maria Luigi Chiaramonti; 14 August 1742 – 20 August 1823) was head of the Catholic Church from 14 March 1800 to his death in August 1823. He ruled the Papal States from June 1800 to 17 May 1809 and again ...
named Maréchal as Bishop of Philadelphia. However, he did not want the appointment and the Vatican allowed him to decline it. On July 24, 1817, Pius VII appointed him as titular bishop of Stauropolis and coadjutor archbishop The term "coadjutor" (literally "co-assister" in Latin) is a title qualifier indicating that the holder shares the office with another person, with powers equal to the other in all but formal order of precedence.
These include:
* Coadjutor bishop ...
of Baltimore to assist the ailing Archbishop Leonard Neale. However, Neale died before Maréchal could be consecrated.
Instead, Maréchal was consecrated archbishop of Baltimore by Bishop Jean-Louis Cheverus at the St. Peter's Pro-Cathedral in Baltimore on December 14, 1817. The co-consecrators were Bishop John Connolly and Bishop-elect Louis de Barth.
Schisms
Maréchal indicated that the most pressing problems facing the archdiocese were the shortage of priests and overly independent lay parish trustees. The latter problem, known as trusteeism
Trusteeism and the trustee system are practices and institutions within certain parishes of the Catholic Church in the United States, under which laypersons participate in the administration of Ecclesiastical Property. When laypersons are among ...
, was most pronounced in parishes with a dominant number of Irish immigrants. These trustees were willing to accept a cleric, regardless of their incompetence or lack of qualifications, as long as they were Irish. At the same time, the ''Propaganda Fide
The Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples (CEP; ) was a congregation of the Roman Curia of the Catholic Church in Rome, responsible for missionary work and related activities. It is also known by its former title, the Sacred Congregati ...
'' in Rome was receiving reports from primarily Irish parishes in Virginia and South Carolina that were unhappy with French priests who were not fluent in English or ignorant of local customs.
In 1816, Neale had to deal with a schism in Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the List of municipalities in South Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint of South Carolina's coastline on Charleston Harbor, an inlet of the Atla ...
. He had placed St. Mary's, a primarily Irish parish in that city, under interdict because its trustees had refused to accept a French priest that Neale had appointed as pastor. After several appeals to the Vatican, Pius VII upheld Neale's ruling on July 6, 1817, soon after his death. Even after receiving the pope's ruling, the trustees defied Maréchal, petitioning the Vatican to form a new diocese in the Carolinas. However, when Maréchal appointed an Irish priest to the parish, the trustees submitted to Maréchal's authority.
Maréchal in 1818 became involved with a second schism in Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk ( ) is an independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. It had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Virginia, third-most populous city ...
, involving a French pastor, Reverend James Lucas, in an Irish parish. Complaining of Lucas' difficulty in conducting mass in English, the board of trustees had finally locked him out of St. Mary's church there. Neale then put that parish under interdict. The trustees petitioned the Vatican to lift the interdict and install an Irish priest of their choosing, Reverend Thomas Cabry. The ''Propaganda Fide'' suggested that Maréchal appoint Cabry, but Maréchal refused. Cabry then went to Norfolk and assumed the duties of pastor, despite Maréchal's threats.
In 1820, Bishop Joseph Flaget of the Diocese of Bardstown
The Diocese of Bardstown () was a Latin Church Catholic diocese in the United States established in Bardstown, Kentucky on April 8, 1808, along with the Diocese of Boston, Diocese of New York, and Diocese of Philadelphia, comprising the former ...
warned Maréchal about a certain priest seeking transfer to the archdiocese. The man had the appropriate letters of introduction from his bishop; however, when the archdiocesan staff observed him celebrating mass, it became clear that he was definitely not qualified. That same year, Maréchal wrote to the ''Propaganda Fide'', complaining that European and Irish bishops were dumping their problematic Irish and European priests in the United States. Some of these priests had alcohol abuse
Alcohol abuse encompasses a spectrum of alcohol-related substance abuse. This spectrum can range from being mild, moderate, or severe. This can look like consumption of more than 2 drinks per day on average for men, or more than 1 drink per ...
problems, others had broken church law or had criminal records.
Concerned that the schisms in Charleston and Norfolk might spread, the Vatican on July 11, 1820, erected the dioceses of Richmond
Richmond most often refers to:
* Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada
* Richmond, California, a city in the United States
* Richmond, London, a town in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England
* Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town ...
and Charleston, taking the Southeastern United States
The Southeastern United States, also known as the American Southeast or simply the Southeast, is a geographical List of regions in the United States, region of the United States located in the eastern portion of the Southern United States and t ...
away from the Archdiocese of Baltimore. Maréchal was very unhappy with this action, complaining that the Vatican never consulted him on their creation.
On May 31, 1821, Maréchal dedicated the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Baltimore, which had been started by Archbishop John Carroll in 1806.
Visit to Rome
In 1821, Maréchal took his '' ad limina'' visit to Rome
Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
to visit the pope and resolve several pressing issues. One issue was the ownership of White Marsh plantation, Carroll's original home in Bowie, Maryland. Carroll had given the plantation to the Jesuit Order
The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rome. It was founded in 1540 by ...
on February 17, 1728, but Maréchal now claimed that a significant part of the property belonged to the archdiocese. Pius VII ruled in Maréchal's favor, but the Jesuits refused to comply with his, contesting ownership of White Marsh for many more years. A more significant outcome of Maréchal's trip was the pope's agreement to consult with the archbishop of Baltimore on the erection of new dioceses and the appointment of new bishops in the United States. The new bishop of Richmond, Patrick Kelly, stopped in Baltimore in December 1820 on his way to Richmond to meet Maréchal. Kelly wrote about the meeting:He aréchaldid not receive me over kindly, and tried to persuade me it would be dangerous to take possession of my See; but his arguments did not satisfy me, and I arrived Norfolk on 19th January.
In January 1821, Kelly took up residence in Norfolk
Norfolk ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in England, located in East Anglia and officially part of the East of England region. It borders Lincolnshire and The Wash to the north-west, the North Sea to the north and eas ...
which had a larger Catholic population than Richmond
Richmond most often refers to:
* Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada
* Richmond, California, a city in the United States
* Richmond, London, a town in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England
* Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town ...
. Kelly was soon involved in disputes with Maréchal over their jurisdictions. Maréchal soon came into conflict with John England, the first bishop of Charleston. England kept pressing Maréchal to call a provincial counsel to discuss church problems in the United States, but Maréchal refused. He felt that England was intruding into the affairs of the other suffragan dioceses of the archdiocese.
In 1822, at Maréchal's request, the Vatican designated St. Mary's Seminary as a pontifical university
A pontifical university or athenaeum is an ecclesiastical university established or approved directly by the Holy See, composed of three main ecclesiastical faculties (Theology, Philosophy and canon law (Catholic Church), Canon Law) and at least o ...
, giving it the authority to grant Doctor of Divinity
A Doctor of Divinity (DD or DDiv; ) is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity (academic discipline), divinity (i.e., Christian theology and Christian ministry, ministry or other theologies. The term is more common in the Englis ...
degrees. After returning to Baltimore from a trip to Canada in 1826, Maréchal went to Mount Saint Mary's Seminary in Emmitsburg, Maryland on a visit. While at the seminary, he experience his first symptoms of chest dropsy (heart failure
Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome caused by an impairment in the heart's ability to Cardiac cycle, fill with and pump blood.
Although symptoms vary based on which side of the heart is affected, HF ...
).
Death and legacy
With Maréchal gravely ill, the Vatican on January 8, 1828, appointed Reverend James Whitfield as coadjutor archbishop of Baltimore to assist him. Ambrose Maréchal died at age 63 on January 29, 1828, in Baltimore. His body is interred in the crypt of the Baltimore Basilica; his heart is in the Historical Seminary Chapel of the St. Mary's Spiritual Center & Historic Site in Baltimore, the original St Mary's Seminary campus.
Works
Maréchal's writings consist almost entirely of scholarly letters and documents.
See also
* Catholic Church in the United States
The Catholic Church in the United States is part of the worldwide Catholic Church in full communion, communion with the pope, who as of 2025 is Chicago, Illinois-born Pope Leo XIV, Leo XIV. With 23 percent of the United States' population , t ...
* Historical list of the Catholic bishops of the United States
History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some theorists categ ...
* List of Catholic bishops of the United States
The following is a list of bishops of the Catholic Church in the United States. The list also includes bishops in the American territories of Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The Cath ...
* Lists of patriarchs, archbishops, and bishops
This is a directory of patriarchs, archbishops, and bishops across various Christian denominations. To find an individual who was a bishop, see the most relevant article linked below or :Bishops.
Lists
Catholic
* Bishops in the Catholic Chu ...
Notes
References
*
External links
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore
{{DEFAULTSORT:Marechal, Ambrose
1764 births
1828 deaths
People from Loiret
Sulpicians
18th-century French Roman Catholic priests
French emigrants to the United States
Georgetown University faculty
St. Mary's Seminary and University faculty
Roman Catholic archbishops of Baltimore
19th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in the United States
Sulpician bishops
Burials at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
18th-century American Roman Catholic priests