Charles Edward McDonnell
Encyclopedia
Charles Edward McDonnell (February 1, 1854—August 8, 1921) was an American
prelate
of the Roman Catholic Church
. He served as Bishop of Brooklyn
from 1892 until his death in 1921.
to Charles and Eleanor (née Preston) McDonnell. After attending De La Salle Institute
, he entered St. Francis Xavier College
in 1868. He was sent to Rome
by Cardinal John McCloskey in 1872 to further his studies at the Pontifical North American College
. While in Rome, he was ordained
to the priesthood
by Bishop Silas Chatard
on May 19, 1878. He earned his Doctor of Divinity
degree shortly afterwards. Following his return to New York in the fall of 1878, he was named a curate
at St. Mary's Church on Grand Street
until 1879, when he was transferred to St. Stephen's Church (under Rev. Edward McGlynn
) and afterwards St. Patrick's Cathedral
. He became private secretary
to Cardinal McCloskey in 1884, and remained in that position under McCloskey's successor, Michael Corrigan
, who also named him chancellor
of the Archdiocese of New York
in 1889. In 1890 he was made Private Chamberlain
by Pope Leo XIII
and spiritual director
of the Catholic Club.
On March 11, 1892, McDonnell was appointed the second Bishop of Brooklyn
by Leo XIII. He received his episcopal
consecration
on the following April 25 from Archbishop Michael Corrigan, with Bishops Bernard John McQuaid
and Silas Chatard serving as co-consecrators
, at St. Patrick's Cathedral. He was installed
at the Cathedral of St. James
on May 2, 1892. One of his first official acts was to administer Confirmation
to 600 individuals on the following May 18 at Sacred Heart Church. During his 29-year-long tenure, he erected several parishes
and schools
for new immigrant groups settling in the diocese, many from Italy
and Eastern Europe
, as well as for Hispanics
and African American
s. He established the forerunner of the Catholic Schools Office in 1894 and Catholic Charities
in 1899. He was named an Assistant at the Pontifical Throne
in 1903, and founded the diocesan newspaper, The Tablet, in 1908. He also invited several religious orders
into the diocese, including the Redemptorists
, Benedictines
, Franciscan
s (including the Minor Conventuals
and Capuchins
), Jesuits
, Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth
, Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart
, Daughters of Wisdom
, and Sisters of the Holy Infant Jesus
. He increased the number of Catholics in the diocese from 250,000 in 1891 to 900,000 in 1921.
McDonnell later died from kidney
trouble in Brentwood
, aged 67. He is buried in the crypt
of the Cathedral of St. James.
St.James does not have a crypt. He is buried in Douglaston.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
prelate
Prelate
A prelate is a high-ranking member of the clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin prælatus, the past participle of præferre, which means "carry before", "be set above or over" or "prefer"; hence, a prelate is one set over others.-Related...
of the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
. He served as Bishop of Brooklyn
Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn, which includes territory that was previously part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, was established as a separate diocese in 1853 when the City of Brooklyn was separate from New York City....
from 1892 until his death in 1921.
Biography
Charles McDonnell was born in ManhattanManhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
to Charles and Eleanor (née Preston) McDonnell. After attending De La Salle Institute
De La Salle Institute, New York City
The De La Salle Institute was a Catholic Church school for boys which operated in New York City beginning in the 19th century. From 1902 it was located at 106 West 59th Street, running through to 107 West 58th Street. It fronted 59th Street for 53 feet 6 inches and faced Central Park. It had a...
, he entered St. Francis Xavier College
Xavier High School (New York City)
Xavier High School is a independent Jesuit university-preparatory high school for young men located at 30 West 16th Street, in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. It was founded in 1847, as the College of St. Francis Xavier by Father John Larkin, S.J...
in 1868. He was sent to Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
by Cardinal John McCloskey in 1872 to further his studies at the Pontifical North American College
Pontifical North American College
The Pontifical North American College is a Roman Catholic educational institution in Rome, Italy educating seminarians for the dioceses in the United States and providing a residence for American priests studying in Rome. It was founded in 1859 by Blessed Pope Pius IX and was granted pontifical...
. While in Rome, he was ordained
Holy Orders
The term Holy Orders is used by many Christian churches to refer to ordination or to those individuals ordained for a special role or ministry....
to the priesthood
Priesthood (Catholic Church)
The ministerial orders of the Catholic Church include the orders of bishops, deacons and presbyters, which in Latin is sacerdos. The ordained priesthood and common priesthood are different in function and essence....
by Bishop Silas Chatard
Silas Chatard
Silas Francis Marean Chatard was a Roman Catholic Bishop of Indianapolis in the United States.He was born Francis Chatard in Baltimore, Maryland on December 13, 1834...
on May 19, 1878. He earned his Doctor of Divinity
Doctor of Divinity
Doctor of Divinity is an advanced academic degree in divinity. Historically, it identified one who had been licensed by a university to teach Christian theology or related religious subjects....
degree shortly afterwards. Following his return to New York in the fall of 1878, he was named a curate
Curate
A curate is a person who is invested with the care or cure of souls of a parish. In this sense "curate" correctly means a parish priest but in English-speaking countries a curate is an assistant to the parish priest...
at St. Mary's Church on Grand Street
Grand Street (Manhattan)
Grand Street is a street in Manhattan, New York City. It runs east-west parallel to and south of Delancey Street, from SoHo through Chinatown, Little Italy, the Lower East Side to the East River....
until 1879, when he was transferred to St. Stephen's Church (under Rev. Edward McGlynn
Edward McGlynn
Father Edward McGlynn , American Roman Catholic priest and social reformer, was born in New York City of Irish parents, Peter and Sarah McGlynn. His parents had immigrated in 1824, and his father became a contractor, acquiring a small fortune before dying in 1847, leaving a widow and ten children...
) and afterwards St. Patrick's Cathedral
St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York
The Cathedral of St. Patrick is a decorated Neo-Gothic-style Roman Catholic cathedral church in the United States...
. He became private secretary
Personal assistant
A personal assistant or personal aide is someone who assists in daily business or personal tasks. It is common in design to have a PDA, or personal design assistant....
to Cardinal McCloskey in 1884, and remained in that position under McCloskey's successor, Michael Corrigan
Michael Corrigan
Michael Augustine Corrigan was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church, who served as the third archbishop of New York from 1885 to 1902.-Early life:...
, who also named him chancellor
Chancellor (ecclesiastical)
Two quite distinct officials of some Christian churches have the title Chancellor.*In some churches, the Chancellor of a diocese is a lawyer who represents the church in legal matters....
of the Archdiocese of New York
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York covers New York, Bronx, and Richmond counties in New York City , as well as Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster, and Westchester counties in New York state. There are 480 parishes...
in 1889. In 1890 he was made Private Chamberlain
Monsignor
Monsignor, pl. monsignori, is the form of address for those members of the clergy of the Catholic Church holding certain ecclesiastical honorific titles. Monsignor is the apocopic form of the Italian monsignore, from the French mon seigneur, meaning "my lord"...
by Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII , born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci to an Italian comital family, was the 256th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, reigning from 1878 to 1903...
and spiritual director
Spiritual direction
Spiritual direction is the practice of being with people as they attempt to deepen their relationship with the divine, or to learn and grow in their own personal spirituality. The person seeking direction shares stories of his or her encounters of the divine, or how he or she is experiencing...
of the Catholic Club.
On March 11, 1892, McDonnell was appointed the second Bishop of Brooklyn
Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn, which includes territory that was previously part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, was established as a separate diocese in 1853 when the City of Brooklyn was separate from New York City....
by Leo XIII. He received his episcopal
Bishop (Catholic Church)
In the Catholic Church, a bishop is an ordained minister who holds the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders and is responsible for teaching the Catholic faith and ruling the Church....
consecration
Consecration
Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service, usually religious. The word "consecration" literally means "to associate with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different groups...
on the following April 25 from Archbishop Michael Corrigan, with Bishops Bernard John McQuaid
Bernard John McQuaid
Bernard John McQuaid was an American Catholic priest, the first Bishop of Rochester, U.S.A. and the first president of Seton Hall University...
and Silas Chatard serving as co-consecrators
Consecrator
Consecrator is a term used in the Roman Catholic Church to designate a bishop who ordains a priest to the episcopal state. The term is often used in Eastern Rite Churches and in Anglican communities. The term "Principal Consecrator" is used to designate the primary bishop who ordains a new bishop...
, at St. Patrick's Cathedral. He was installed
Enthronement
An enthronement is a ceremony of inauguration, involving a person—usually a monarch or religious leader—being formally seated for the first time upon their throne. This ritual is generally distinguished from a coronation because there is no crown or other regalia that is physically...
at the Cathedral of St. James
Cathedral Basilica of St. James (Brooklyn)
The Cathedral Basilica of St. James is the cathedral church of the Diocese of Brooklyn. It is located at the corner of Jay Street and Cathedral Place in Downtown Brooklyn....
on May 2, 1892. One of his first official acts was to administer Confirmation
Confirmation (Catholic Church)
Confirmation is one of the seven sacraments through which Catholics pass in the process of their religious upbringing. According to Catholic doctrine, in this sacrament they receive the Holy Spirit and become adult members of the Catholic Church....
to 600 individuals on the following May 18 at Sacred Heart Church. During his 29-year-long tenure, he erected several parishes
Parish (Catholic Church)
In the Roman Catholic Church, a parish is the lowest ecclesiastical geographical subdivision: from ecclesiastical province to diocese to deanery to parish.-Requirements:A parish needs two things under common law to become a parish...
and schools
Catholic school
Catholic schools are maintained parochial schools or education ministries of the Catholic Church. the Church operates the world's largest non-governmental school system...
for new immigrant groups settling in the diocese, many from Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
, as well as for Hispanics
Hispanic and Latino Americans
Hispanic or Latino Americans are Americans with origins in the Hispanic countries of Latin America or in Spain, and in general all persons in the United States who self-identify as Hispanic or Latino.1990 Census of Population and Housing: A self-designated classification for people whose origins...
and African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
s. He established the forerunner of the Catholic Schools Office in 1894 and Catholic Charities
Catholic Charities
Catholic Charities is a network of charities whose aim is "to provide service to people in need, to advocate for justice in social structures, and to call the entire church and other people of good will to do the same." It is one of the largest charities in the United States...
in 1899. He was named an Assistant at the Pontifical Throne
Assistant at the Pontifical Throne
Assistant at the Pontifical Throne is an ecclesiastical title in the Roman Catholic Church. It signifies a prelate belonging to the papal chapel, who stands near the throne of the Pope at solemn functions....
in 1903, and founded the diocesan newspaper, The Tablet, in 1908. He also invited several religious orders
Roman Catholic religious order
Catholic religious orders are, historically, a category of Catholic religious institutes.Subcategories are canons regular ; monastics ; mendicants Catholic religious orders are, historically, a category of Catholic religious institutes.Subcategories are canons regular (canons and canonesses regular...
into the diocese, including the Redemptorists
Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer
The Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer is a Roman Catholic missionary Congregation founded by Saint Alphonsus Liguori at Scala, near Amalfi, Italy for the purpose of labouring among the neglected country people in the neighbourhood of Naples.Members of the Congregation, priests and brothers,...
, Benedictines
Order of Saint Benedict
The Order of Saint Benedict is a Roman Catholic religious order of independent monastic communities that observe the Rule of St. Benedict. Within the order, each individual community maintains its own autonomy, while the organization as a whole exists to represent their mutual interests...
, Franciscan
Franciscan
Most Franciscans are members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Non-denominational Franciscan communities....
s (including the Minor Conventuals
Conventual Franciscans
The Order of Friars Minor Conventual , commonly known as the Conventual Franciscans, is a branch of the order of Catholic Friars founded by Francis of Assisi in 1209.-History:...
and Capuchins
Order of Friars Minor Capuchin
The Order of Friars Minor Capuchin is an Order of friars in the Catholic Church, among the chief offshoots of the Franciscans. The worldwide head of the Order, called the Minister General, is currently Father Mauro Jöhri.-Origins :...
), Jesuits
Society of Jesus
The Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...
, Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth
Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth
The Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth are a Roman Catholic religious order which was founded in Rome in 1875 by Blessed Mary of Jesus the Good Shepherd . The Sisters of the Holy Family are an apostolic, international congregation, located on four continents and in thirteen countries. There are...
, Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart
Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart
The Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart is a Roman Catholic order, founded on 25 March 1900 in Germany by a Dutch MSC, Fr. Hubert Linckens. It is a member of the Chevalier Family....
, Daughters of Wisdom
Daughters of Wisdom
Daughters of Wisdom is a Catholic contemplative organization founded by Saint Louis de Montfort and Blessed Marie Louise Trichet.While he was temporary chaplain of the hospital of Poitiers in 1707, he associated into a little community some pious but afflicted girls, and gave them a rule of life,...
, and Sisters of the Holy Infant Jesus
Sisters of the Holy Infant Jesus
Sisters of the Infant Jesus, previously also referred to as Sisters of the Holy Infant Jesus or Les Dames de Saint-Maur, is a Roman Catholic missionary order. It was founded in 1666 by Father Nicolas Barré, a Minim priest, for the gratuitous instruction of poor girls.The foundation suggested to St...
. He increased the number of Catholics in the diocese from 250,000 in 1891 to 900,000 in 1921.
McDonnell later died from kidney
Kidney
The kidneys, organs with several functions, serve essential regulatory roles in most animals, including vertebrates and some invertebrates. They are essential in the urinary system and also serve homeostatic functions such as the regulation of electrolytes, maintenance of acid–base balance, and...
trouble in Brentwood
Brentwood, New York
Brentwood is a hamlet of the Town of Islip in Suffolk County, New York. According to the 2000 Census, the population of Brentwood is 53,917.The colony was established on March 21, 1851, on 750 acres of land on Long Island, New York, by Josiah Warren and Stephen Pearl Andrews...
, aged 67. He is buried in the crypt
Crypt
In architecture, a crypt is a stone chamber or vault beneath the floor of a burial vault possibly containing sarcophagi, coffins or relics....
of the Cathedral of St. James.
St.James does not have a crypt. He is buried in Douglaston.