John J. Conroy

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John J. Conroy
Bishop of Albany
In office1865-1877
SuccessorFrancis McNeirny
Orders
OrdinationMay 21, 1842
by Bishop John Hughes
ConsecrationOctober 15, 1866
by Archbishop John McCloskey
Personal details
Born(1819-07-25)July 25, 1819
Clonaslee, Queen's County
DiedNovember 20, 1895(1895-11-20) (aged 76)
New York City
NationalityIrish
DenominationRoman Catholic
EducationCollege of Montreal
Alma materMount St. Mary's Seminary

John Joseph Conroy (July 25, 1819 – November 20, 1895) was an Irish-born clergyman of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Albany from 1865 to 1877.

Biography[edit]

John Conroy was born in Clonaslee, Queen's County, and came to the United States at the age of twelve.[1] After studying under the Sulpicians at the College of Montreal, he made his theological studies at Mount St. Mary's Seminary in Emmitsburg, Maryland, and at St. John's College in Fordham, New York.[2]

He was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop John Hughes on May 21, 1842. He was appointed vice-president of St. John's College in 1843, becoming president shortly afterward.[1] In 1844, he was transferred to the pastorate of St. Joseph's Church in Albany, where he established St. Vincent's Orphan Asylum, erected a convent for the Sisters of Charity, and rebuilt the parish church.[1] He became vicar general of the Diocese of Albany in 1857.[2]

On July 7, 1865, Conroy was appointed the second Bishop of Albany by Pope Pius IX.[3] He received his episcopal consecration on the following October 15 from Archbishop John McCloskey, with Bishops John Timon and John Loughlin serving as co-consecrators.[3] During his administration, he greatly increased the number of priests in the diocese, securing the services of the Augustinians and the Conventual Franciscans.[4] Among the many institutions he founded were an industrial school, St. Agnes's Rural Cemetery, St. Peter's Hospital, and a house for the Little Sisters of the Poor.[4] On June 28, 1868 Conroy laid the cornerstone for a new hospital building for Troy Hospital (later known as St. Mary's).[5]

He convoked the second diocesan synod, and attended the Plenary Councils of Baltimore and the First Vatican Council.[1]

After twelve years as Bishop of Albany, he resigned due to ill health on October 16, 1877; he was named Titular Bishop of Curium on the same date.[3] He made his residence in New York City, where he later died at age 76.[2] His funeral was held at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, after which he was laid to rest in the crypt.[6]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d Shea, John Gilmary (1886). The Hierarchy of the Catholic Church in the United States. New York: Office of Catholic Publications.
  2. ^ a b c O'Donnell, John Hugh (1922). The Catholic Hierarchy of the United States, 1790-1922. Washington, D.C.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  3. ^ a b c "Bishop John Joseph Conroy". Catholic-Hierarchy.org.
  4. ^ a b "Albany". Catholic Encyclopedia.
  5. ^ Weise, Arthur James. Troy's One Hundred Years 1789-1889, Troy. William H. Young, 1891, p. 210
  6. ^ "Past bishops", Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
Catholic Church titles
Preceded by Bishop of Albany
1865—1877
Succeeded by