Ambrose Maréchal
The Baltimore, Maryland United States | |
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Nationality | French |
Motto | Auspice Maria (Under the protection of Mary). |
Signature |
Ambrose Maréchal,
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 and Charleston.
Biography
Early life
Ambrose Maréchal was born at Ingré 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, with the intentions of becoming a priest. The Sulpician Order gave Maréchal his tonsure, a crown-like haircut allowing a seminarian to continue his studies, at the end of 1787.[1][2]
Priesthood
Due to popular unrest in the Paris area, Maréchal left the Saint-Sulpice Seminary for Bordeaux, 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.[3][1][4]
Bishop
With the ascension of
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. [1]
Archbishop of Baltimore
On January 26, 1816,
Instead, Maréchal was consecrated archbishop of Baltimore by
Schisms
Maréchal indicated that the most pressing problems facing the archdiocese were the shortage of priests and overly independent lay parish trustees.[9] The latter problem, known as trusteeism, 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.[10] At the same time, the Propaganda Fide 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.[11]
In 1816, Neale had to deal with a schism in Charleston, South Carolina. 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. [12]
Maréchal in 1818 became involved with a second schism in Norfolk, Virginia, 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.[11]
In 1820, Bishop
Concerned that the schisms in Charleston and Norfolk might spread, the Vatican on July 11, 1820, erected the dioceses of Richmond and Charleston, taking the Southeastern United States away from the Archdiocese of Baltimore. Maréchal was very unhappy with this action, complaining that the Vatican never consulted him on their creation.[6][11]
On May 31, 1821, Maréchal dedicated the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Baltimore, which had been started by Archbishop
Visit to Rome
In 1821, Maréchal took his He [Maréchal] did 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.[16] In January 1821, Kelly took up residence in Norfolk which had a larger Catholic population than Richmond. Kelly was soon involved in disputes with Maréchal over their jurisdictions.[16] 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.[6]
In 1822, at Maréchal's request, the Vatican designated St. Mary's Seminary as a
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.[18] Ambrose Maréchal died at age 63 on January 29, 1828, in Baltimore.[6] 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
- Historical list of the Catholic bishops of the United States
- List of Catholic bishops of the United States
- Lists of patriarchs, archbishops, and bishops
Notes
- ^ a b c d e f g h "CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Ambrose Marechal". www.newadvent.org. Retrieved 2023-12-02.
- ^ "Province of France". Compagnie des Prêtres de Saint-Sulpice - Généralat. Retrieved 2023-12-02.
- ^ "Archbishop Jérôme-Marie Champion de Cicé [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 2023-12-02.
- ^ "History | The Sulpicians, Province of the United States". sulpicians.org. Retrieved 2023-12-04.
- ^ "The Seminary". Saint Mary's Seminary & University. Retrieved 2023-12-02.
- ^ a b c d e "Most Rev. Ambrose Maréchal S.S. | Archdiocese of Baltimore". Archdiocese of Baltimore. Retrieved 2018-08-17.
- ^ a b 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
- ^ a b "Archbishop Ambrose Maréchal [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 2023-12-03.
- ISBN 9780807875636, p. 76
- ISBN 9781597529082.
- ^ a b c "THREE CONTROVERSIAL FRIARS" (PDF). Dominican University. Retrieved December 3, 2023.
- ISSN 2155-5273.
- ISBN 978-0-8131-3881-7.
- ISSN 0735-8318.
- ^ "Sacred Heart Church - The Parish with Colonial Roots - since 1728". www.sacredheartbowie.org. Retrieved 2018-08-17.
- ^ a b Magennis, Michael I. J. (October 1910). "BISHOP PATRICK KELLY OF RICHMOND, VA". American Catholic Historical Society. Retrieved 2023-12-03.
- ^ "St. Mary's Seminary". Archdiocese of Baltimore. Retrieved 2023-12-03.
- ^ "Archbishop James Whitfield [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 2023-12-03.
References
- This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: McNeal, James Preston Wickham (1910). "Ambrose Maréchal". In Herbermann, Charles (ed.). Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 9. New York: Robert Appleton Company.