Francis Brennan
Encyclopedia
Francis John Joseph Brennan (May 7, 1894 – July 2, 1968) was an American
Cardinal
of the Roman Catholic Church
. He served as Dean of the Roman Rota
from 1959 to 1968, and then as Prefect of the Congregation for the Discipline of the Sacraments
from 1968 until his death. Brennan was elevated to the cardinalate
in 1967.
, Francis Brennan was born in Shenandoah
, Pennsylvania
, to James and Margaret (née Connors) Brennan. He studied at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary
in Overbrook before furthering his studies in Rome
, where he attended the Pontifical Roman Athenaeum S. Apollinare
and the Pontifical Roman Seminary
. He was ordained
to the priesthood
by Cardinal Basilio Pompilj
on April 3, 1920.
Upon his return to the United States
, Brennan did pastoral
work in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia
from 1924 to 1928, when he became a member of the faculty
at his alma mater
of St. Charles Seminary. He was also an official of the archdiocesan
curia
of Philadelphia
from 1937 to 1940. Described as a "brilliant canon lawyer
," he was named an Auditor
of the Roman Rota
on August 1, 1940, rising to become its Dean
on December 14, 1959.
On June 10, 1967, Brennan was appointed Titular Archbishop
of Tubunae in Mauretania
by Pope Paul VI
. He received his episcopal consecration
on the following June 25 from Cardinal Eugène-Gabriel-Gervais-Laurent Tisserant
, with Bishops Joseph Carroll McCormick
and Luigi Faveri serving as co-consecrators
, at the church of Sant'Anselmo all'Aventino
.
Paul VI created him Cardinal-Deacon
of S. Eustachio
in the consistory
the next day, on June 26, 1967. Brennan was later named Prefect
of the Congregation for the Discipline of the Sacraments
on January 15, 1968.
The Cardinal died from a heart attack
in Philadelphia, aged 74. At the time of his death, he had risen to the highest post within the Holy See
ever held by an American Brennan is buried in the crypt
of Ss. Peter and Paul Cathedral-Basilica.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Cardinal
Cardinal (Catholicism)
A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
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 Dean of the Roman Rota
Dean of the Roman Rota
The Dean of the Roman Rota is the senior auditor of the Tribunal of the Roman Rota, the last instance appellate tribunal of the Roman Catholic Church...
from 1959 to 1968, and then as Prefect of the Congregation for the Discipline of the Sacraments
Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments
The Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments is the congregation of the Roman Curia that handles most affairs relating to liturgical practices of the Latin Catholic Church as distinct from the Eastern Catholic Churches and also some technical matters relating to the...
from 1968 until his death. Brennan was elevated to the cardinalate
Cardinal (Catholicism)
A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
in 1967.
Biography
An Irish CatholicIrish Catholic
Irish Catholic is a term used to describe people who are both Roman Catholic and Irish .Note: the term is not used to describe a variant of Catholicism. More particularly, it is not a separate creed or sect in the sense that "Anglo-Catholic", "Old Catholic", "Eastern Orthodox Catholic" might be...
, Francis Brennan was born in Shenandoah
Shenandoah, Pennsylvania
Shenandoah is a small town located in the lower part of the anthracite Coal Region, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. It is northwest of Philadelphia. The Greater Shenandoah area includes Shenandoah Heights, which is part of West Mahanoy Township and is located just north of Shenandoah.-History:The...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, to James and Margaret (née Connors) Brennan. He studied at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary
St. Charles Borromeo Seminary
St. Charles Borromeo Seminary is the seminary of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Named for Charles Borromeo, it is located in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania,...
in Overbrook before furthering his studies in 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...
, where he attended the Pontifical Roman Athenaeum S. Apollinare
Pontifical Roman Athenaeum S. Apollinare
Pontifical Roman Athenaeum S. Apollinare was a university named after Saint Apollinaris. Notable people who have attended include:*Alfredo Ottaviani*Amleto Giovanni Cicognani*Eugène-Gabriel-Gervais-Laurent Tisserant*Benedetto Aloisi Masella*Gustavo Testa...
and the Pontifical Roman Seminary
Pontifical Roman Seminary
The Pontifical Roman Seminary is a seminary in Rome, Italy located at the Basilica of St. John Lateran.Its teachings are based on the Roman Pontifical.-History:...
. 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 Cardinal Basilio Pompilj
Basilio Pompilj
Basilio Pompilj was an Italian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Vicar General of Rome from 1913 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1911.-Biography:...
on April 3, 1920.
Upon his return to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Brennan did pastoral
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...
work in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in southeastern Pennsylvania, in the United States. It covers the City and County of Philadelphia as well as Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery counties. The diocese was...
from 1924 to 1928, when he became a member of the faculty
Faculty (university)
A faculty is a division within a university comprising one subject area, or a number of related subject areas...
at his alma mater
Alma mater
Alma mater , pronounced ), was used in ancient Rome as a title for various mother goddesses, especially Ceres or Cybele, and in Christianity for the Virgin Mary.-General term:...
of St. Charles Seminary. He was also an official of the archdiocesan
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
curia
Curia (Roman Catholic Church)
In Roman Catholicism, a curia consists of a group of officials who assist in the governance of a particular Church. These curias range from the relatively simple diocesan curia, to the larger patriarchal curias, to the Roman Curia, which is the central government of the Catholic Church.Other...
of Philadelphia
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
from 1937 to 1940. Described as a "brilliant canon lawyer
Canon law (Catholic Church)
The canon law of the Catholic Church, is a fully developed legal system, with all the necessary elements: courts, lawyers, judges, a fully articulated legal code and principles of legal interpretation. It lacks the necessary binding force present in most modern day legal systems. The academic...
," he was named an Auditor
Auditor (ecclesiastical)
In ecclesiastical terminology, an Auditor is a person given authority to hear cases in an ecclesiastical court.- Roman Catholic Church :...
of the Roman Rota
Sacra Rota Romana
The Tribunal Apostolicum Rotae Romanae — also called the Sacred Roman Rota, and anciently the Apostolic Court of Audience — is the highest appellate tribunal of the Roman Catholic Church, with respect to both Latin-rite members and the eastern-rite members and is, with respect to judicial trials...
on August 1, 1940, rising to become its Dean
Dean of the Roman Rota
The Dean of the Roman Rota is the senior auditor of the Tribunal of the Roman Rota, the last instance appellate tribunal of the Roman Catholic Church...
on December 14, 1959.
On June 10, 1967, Brennan was appointed Titular Archbishop
Titular bishop
A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese.By definition a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop the tradition of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches is that he be ordained for a specific place...
of Tubunae in Mauretania
Tubunae in Mauretania
Tubunae is a Catholic titular see. The original diocese was in Mauretania Caesariensis, according to the "Gerachia cattolica", or in Numidia according to Battandier, "Annuaire pontifical catholique" , 345. The official list of the Roman Curia does not mention it...
by Pope Paul VI
Pope Paul VI
Paul VI , born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding Pope John XXIII, who had convened the Second Vatican Council, he decided to continue it...
. He received his episcopal consecration
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....
on the following June 25 from Cardinal Eugène-Gabriel-Gervais-Laurent Tisserant
Eugène-Gabriel-Gervais-Laurent Tisserant
Eugène Tisserant was a French Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. Elevated to the cardinalate in 1936, Tisserant was a prominent and long-time member of the Roman Curia. He was also, for a time, Grand Master of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre...
, with Bishops Joseph Carroll McCormick
Joseph Carroll McCormick
Joseph Carroll McCormick was a Roman Catholic bishop.He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and studied at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Overbrook and the Pontifical Roman Seminary in Rome. He was ordained to the priesthood by his uncle, Cardinal Dennis Joseph Dougherty, on July 10, 1932...
and Luigi Faveri 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 the church of Sant'Anselmo all'Aventino
Sant'Anselmo all'Aventino
Sant' Anselmo all'Aventino is a church, monastery and college on the Aventine Hill in Rome, dedicated to Saint Anselm.They were designed by Hildebrand de Hemptinne and Fidelis von Stotzingen, and built in 1900...
.
Paul VI created him Cardinal-Deacon
Cardinal (Catholicism)
A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
of S. Eustachio
Sant'Eustachio
Sant'Eustachio is a Roman Catholic titular church in Rome, named for the martyr Saint Eustace.-History:The church was founded in the 8th century, or possibly even earlier . The church was recorded as a diaconia at the end of the pontificate of Pope Gregory II...
in the consistory
Consistory
-Antiquity:Originally, the Latin word consistorium meant simply 'sitting together', just as the Greek synedrion ....
the next day, on June 26, 1967. Brennan was later named Prefect
Prefect
Prefect is a magisterial title of varying definition....
of the Congregation for the Discipline of the Sacraments
Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments
The Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments is the congregation of the Roman Curia that handles most affairs relating to liturgical practices of the Latin Catholic Church as distinct from the Eastern Catholic Churches and also some technical matters relating to the...
on January 15, 1968.
The Cardinal died from a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
in Philadelphia, aged 74. At the time of his death, he had risen to the highest post within the Holy See
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
ever held by an American Brennan 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 Ss. Peter and Paul Cathedral-Basilica.
External links
- Francis John Cardinal Brennan via catholic-hierarchy.org