Peter Richard Kenrick
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Most Reverend Peter Richard Kenrick | |
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St. Louis, Missouri, US | |
| Buried | Calvary Cemetery, St. Louis |
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Ordination history of Peter Richard Kenrick | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Peter Richard Kenrick (August 17, 1806 – March 4, 1896) was an Irish Catholic priest who served as Bishop of St. Louis from 1843 to 1895. The see was made an archdiocese in 1847, when he was called as the first archbishop west of the Mississippi River. The archdiocese covered nearly all the territory of the Louisiana Purchase. He served in this position for nearly 50 years, until months before his death.
Kenrick was born and raised in
Early life, ordination, and emigration
Peter Richard Kenrick was born in Dublin on August 17, 1806.
In 1833, the year following his ordination, Peter Kenrick emigrated to the United States with his older brother, Francis Kenrick, who had also been ordained. They both served initially in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Francis Kenrick eventually became the Bishop of Philadelphia and later the Archbishop of Baltimore.[2]
In his early years as a priest in Philadelphia, Father Kenrick wrote several works relating to Catholic theology and
At the time, the diocese included the entire vast area of the Louisiana Purchase, except for Iowa, Louisiana, and Minnesota. In 1847, when the diocese became an archdiocese, Kenrick became the first archbishop of the newly created archdiocese. The city of Saint Louis grew almost thirtyfold over the term of his residency.
Bishop
During his tenure in St. Louis, Father Kenrick visited many parts of the state of
During the period of the
Father Kenrick took part in the second
It is known that Kenrick also owned slaves.[3]
Later life
After harassment by his detractors and members of the
During the period when the Knights of Labor, a strongly Roman Catholic labor union and the first national labor union, turned to violence in seeking their goals, Kenrick vocally opposed them and condemned their actions. However, the higher-ranking Cardinal James Gibbons, the Archbishop of Baltimore, overruled his objections.
In 1893, Kenrick's attempt to name his coadjutor bishop failed when his nominee did not win the support of his fellow bishops. John Joseph Kain was appointed to fill the role instead. Kenrick's conflicts and failed communication with Kain lent a note of discord to his final years.[4] While Kenrick continued as archbishop, Kain was given responsibility for administration of the archdiocese.
With advancing age, Kenrick became increasingly infirm. In 1895 he was canonically deposed by Pope
He died on March 4, 1896, and is buried in
References
- ^ Johnson, Rossiter; Brown, John Howard, eds. (1904). The Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans. Vol. VI. Boston: The Biographical Society. Retrieved May 1, 2022 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ a b O'Shea, J.J. (1910). "Francis Patrick and Peter Richard Kenrick". In The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Retrieved May 1, 2022 from New Advent.
- ^ "Archdiocese's research into history with slavery reveals three bishops, priests as slaveowners". www.archstl.org. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
- ^ "Kain is Ruler, Archbishop Kenrick Divested of His Power". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. September 25, 1893. p. 1. Retrieved May 1, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Archbishop Kenrick is Deposed; The Physical Infirmity of the St. Louis Prelate Causes the Pope to Take Action -- Bishop Kain Succeeds". The New York Times. St. Louis. June 4, 1895. p. 1. Retrieved May 1, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Peter Richard Kenrick, the Aged Archbishop of St. Louis, is No More". Iron County Register. St. Louis. March 12, 1896. p. 6. Retrieved May 1, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Archbishop Kenrick Buried". The Times. St. Louis. March 12, 1896. p. 5. Retrieved May 1, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
External links
Media related to Peter Richard Kenrick at Wikimedia Commons- Peter Richard Kenrick at Find a Grave
- Christensen, Lawrence O., et al., Dictionary of Missouri Biography. Columbia, MO and London:University of Missouri Press, 1999. ISBN 0-8262-1222-0
