Thomas O'Gorman (May 1, 1843 – September 18, 1921) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Sioux Falls from 1896 until his death in 1921.
Thomas O'Gorman | |
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| Bishop of Sioux Falls | |
| In office January 24, 1896 – September 18, 1921 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | May 1, 1843 Boston, Massachusetts |
| Died | September 18, 1921 (aged 78) Sioux Falls, South Dakota |
Biography
editThomas O'Gorman was born in Boston, Massachusetts, to John and Margaret (née O'Keefe) O'Gorman.[1] He and his parents moved to Chicago, Illinois, when he was still a child, and then to Saint Paul, Minnesota.[2] In 1853 he and John Ireland were chosen by Bishop Joseph Crétin to study for the priesthood in France.[3] Upon his return to Minnesota, O'Gorman was ordained a priest on November 5, 1865.[4] He then served as pastor of St. John Church in Rochester until 1878, when he joined the Paulist Fathers in their missionary work in New York and also served as a curate at St. Paul Church.[2]
He returned to Minnesota in 1882 and was then appointed pastor of Immaculate Conception Church at Faribault.[1] In 1885 he became the first president of the newly established College of St. Thomas, where he also served as professor of dogmatic theology.[1] He was named professor of church history at Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. in 1890.[3] During his tenure at Washington, he wrote A History of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States.[2]
On January 24, 1896, O'Gorman was appointed the second Bishop of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, by Pope Leo XIII.[4] He received his episcopal consecration on the following April 19 from Cardinal Francesco Satolli, with Bishops John Joseph Keane and Martin Marty, O.S.B., serving as co-consecrators, at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Washington, D.C.[4] He was later installed at Sioux Falls on May 1, 1896.[3] During his 25-year-long tenure, he increased the number of priests and Catholics in the diocese, and erected numerous churches, schools, and hospitals.[3] He dedicated St. Joseph's Cathedral in 1919, and founded Columbus College in 1921.[3] O'Gorman died from a stroke in Sioux Falls on September 18, 1921, at age 78.[5]
O'Gorman Catholic High School in Sioux Falls is named in his honor.
References
edit- ^ a b c Marquis, Albert Nelson, ed. (1912). Who's Who in America. Vol. VII. Chicago: A.N. Marquis & Company.
- ^ a b c Kingsbury, George Washington (1915). History of Dakota Territory. Vol. IV. Chicago: The S.J. Clarke Publishing Company.
- ^ a b c d e "Sioux Falls". Catholic Encyclopedia.
- ^ a b c "Bishop Thomas O'Gorman". Catholic-Hierarchy.org.
- ^ "Catholic Bishop at Sioux Falls is Dead at 78". The Minneapolis Morning Tribune. Sioux Falls, South Dakota. September 19, 1921. p. 1. Retrieved February 8, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.