Henry Joseph O'Leary (March 13, 1879 – March 5, 1938) was a Canadian cleric, the fifth

Bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlottetown, and later the second

Archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...

of the

Archdiocese of Edmonton The Archdiocese of Edmonton () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese in the Canadian civil province of Alberta and the seat of its archbishop is at St. Joseph Cathedral (Edmonton), St. Joseph Cathedral, a minor basilica in Edm ...

. Born in

Richibucto, New Brunswick Richibucto is a former town in Kent County, New Brunswick, Canada. It held town status prior to 2023 and is now part of the town of Beaurivage. Geography The town is situated on the Richibucto River where it discharges into the Northumberlan ...

to Henry O'Leary and Mary O'Leary, he received his higher education from St. Joseph's College in

Memramcook Memramcook, sometimes also spelled Memramcouke or Memramkouke, is a village in Westmorland County, New Brunswick, Canada. Located in south-eastern New Brunswick, the community is predominantly people of Acadian descent who speak the Chiac de ...

then studied

Theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

at the Grand Seminary in

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

. On September 21, 1901, O'Leary was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...

a priest in Richibucto. The same year he went 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, ...

, where he later earned doctorates in Theology,

Philosophy Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

, and

Canon Law Canon law (from , , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical jurisdiction, ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its membe ...

. In 1907 O'Leary was appointed priest for the Sacred Heart Parish in

Bathurst, New Brunswick Bathurst () is a city in northern New Brunswick with a population of 12,157 and the 4th largest metropolitan area in New Brunswick as defined by Census Canada with a population of 31,387 as of 2021. The City of Bathurst overlooks Nepisiguit Ba ...

. The following year, he was appointed

Vicar General A vicar general (previously, archdeacon) is the principal deputy of the bishop or archbishop of a diocese or an archdiocese for the exercise of administrative authority and possesses the title of local ordinary. As vicar of the bishop, the vica ...

for the Diocese of Chatham. In 1913 O'Leary became Bishop for the Diocese of Charlottetown on

Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island is an island Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. While it is the smallest province by land area and population, it is the most densely populated. The island has several nicknames: "Garden of the Gulf", ...

but as St. Dunstan's Basilica in

Charlottetown Charlottetown is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Prince Edward Island, and the county seat of Queens County, Prince Edward Island, Queens County. Named after Queen Charlotte, Charlott ...

had recently burned down, O'Leary was

consecrated Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects (a ...

at the Sacred Heart Church in Bathurst. One of his first acts was to have a new cathedral built on the site of the ruined Basilica. It was completed during O'Leary's tenure and opened in 1919. In

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

many Diocesan parishioners joined the armed services and several priests became

chaplains A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a Minister (Christianity), minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a laity, lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secularity, secular institution (such as a ho ...

. During this time, the new Saint Vincent Orphanage was completed to replace the old one in Charlottetown. O'Leary founded a convent in 1916 when the Sisters of St. Martha of Prince Edward Island was established. In 1919, during his tenure, St. Dunstan's College, which had been started years ago by Bishop Bernard McDonald on the closure of St. Andrew's College, became a university with the power to grant its own degrees. The first fundraising for the university raised over $40,000. The Charlottetown Hospital, which had been backed by Bishop Peter McIntyre in the 19th century continued to grow as a new maternity department opened in 1918 and a school of nursing was established in 1920. The hospital was under the supervision of the Grey Nuns of Quebec, whose presence had been felt in the Diocese of Charlottetown for many years. After seven years as Bishop of Charlottetown, O'Leary was appointed Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Edmonton, in the Western Canadian region. Archbishop Henry Joseph O'Leary died in 1938. His remains were interred in St. Joachim's Cemetery in

Edmonton Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...

. The Archbishop O'Leary Catholic High School in

, founded in the 1960s, was named after him.

External links

The Era of Bishop Henry O'Leary : Diocese of Charlottetown
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oleary, Henry Joseph 1879 births 1938 deaths 20th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in Canada Roman Catholic bishops of Charlottetown Canadian people of Irish descent People from Kent County, New Brunswick St. Joseph's College alumni Roman Catholic archbishops of Edmonton