Francis Xavier Gartland
Encyclopedia
Francis Xavier Gartland (January 13, 1805 – September 20, 1854) was an Irish American
prelate
of the Roman Catholic Church
. He was the first Bishop of Savannah
, Georgia
, serving between 1850 and his death in 1854.
One of ten children, Gartland was born in Dublin to James and Mary (née Conroy) Gartland. At an early age he came with his family to the United States
, where they settled in Philadelphia
, Pennsylvania
. He studied the classics
and theology
at Mount St. Mary's College in Emmitsburg
, Maryland
, and was ordained
to the priesthood
by Bishop Henry Conwell
on August 5, 1832. He then served as curate
under Rev. John Hughes
at St. John's Church in Philadelphia, becoming its pastor
in 1838. Made vicar general
of the Diocese of Philadelphia
in 1845, he was Bishop Francis Kenrick
's "chief lieutenant" in the latter's attempts to restore peace and order following the Know Nothing
riots, and became "the most popular
priest in the city among all classes."
On July 23, 1850, Gartland was appointed the first Bishop
of the newly-erected Diocese of Savannah
by Pope Pius IX
. He received his episcopal consecration
on the following November 10 from Archbishop Samuel Eccleston
, P.S.S.
, with Bishops Francis Kenrick and Michael O'Connor
, S.J.
, serving as co-consecrators
, in Philadelphia. The new diocese (which comprised the state
of Georgia
and East Florida
) contained 15 churches, eight priests, and around 5,000 Catholics. During his tenure, he doubled the Catholic population in his diocese; greatly increased the number of priests, many of whom he recruited from his native Ireland; erected three new churches; and enlarged the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, which he dedicated in June 1853.
and several Catholic school
s, and attended the Eighth Provincial Council of Baltimore
. As a bishop in the South
, he considered "the freedom
of the slave population" to be "untimely," saying, "All we have to do is mite their souls [so that] whether bond of free they may be saved
."
In 1854 Gartland made the nearer rounds of the city of Savannah
, visiting victims of a raging yellow fever
epidemic. He died, a victim of the disease himself, at age 49.
Irish American
Irish Americans are citizens of the United States who can trace their ancestry to Ireland. A total of 36,278,332 Americans—estimated at 11.9% of the total population—reported Irish ancestry in the 2008 American Community Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau...
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 was the first Bishop of Savannah
Roman Catholic Diocese of Savannah
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Savannah is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the southern United States comprising the southern counties of the state of Georgia...
, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, serving between 1850 and his death in 1854.
One of ten children, Gartland was born in Dublin to James and Mary (née Conroy) Gartland. At an early age he came with his family to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, where they settled in 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,...
, 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...
. He studied the classics
Classics
Classics is the branch of the Humanities comprising the languages, literature, philosophy, history, art, archaeology and other culture of the ancient Mediterranean world ; especially Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome during Classical Antiquity Classics (sometimes encompassing Classical Studies or...
and theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
at Mount St. Mary's College in Emmitsburg
Emmitsburg, Maryland
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 2,290 people, 811 households, and 553 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,992.9 people per square mile . There were 862 housing units at an average density of 750.2 per square mile...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, and 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 Henry Conwell
Henry Conwell
Henry Conwell was a Roman Catholic clergyman. A priest in Ireland for over forty years, he served as Bishop of Philadelphia between Henry Conwell was born in Moneymore, County Londonderry, and studied at the Irish College in Paris, where his family had founded a burse. He was ordained to the...
on August 5, 1832. He then served as 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...
under Rev. John Hughes
John Hughes (archbishop)
John Joseph Hughes , was an Irish-born clergyman of the Roman Catholic Church. He was the fourth Bishop and first Archbishop of the Archdiocese of New York, serving between 1842 and his death in 1864....
at St. John's Church in Philadelphia, becoming its pastor
Pastor
The word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....
in 1838. Made vicar general
Vicar general
A vicar general is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar general exercises the bishop's ordinary executive power over the entire diocese and, thus, is the highest official in a diocese or other particular...
of the Diocese 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...
in 1845, he was Bishop Francis Kenrick
Francis Kenrick
Francis Patrick Kenrick was an Irish-born clergyman of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the third Bishop of Philadelphia and the sixth Archbishop of Baltimore .-Early life and education:...
's "chief lieutenant" in the latter's attempts to restore peace and order following the Know Nothing
Know Nothing
The Know Nothing was a movement by the nativist American political faction of the 1840s and 1850s. It was empowered by popular fears that the country was being overwhelmed by German and Irish Catholic immigrants, who were often regarded as hostile to Anglo-Saxon Protestant values and controlled by...
riots, and became "the most popular
priest in the city among all classes."
On July 23, 1850, Gartland was appointed the first Bishop
Ordinary
In those hierarchically organised churches of Western Christianity which have an ecclesiastical law system, an ordinary is an officer of the church who by reason of office has ordinary power to execute the church's laws...
of the newly-erected Diocese of Savannah
Roman Catholic Diocese of Savannah
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Savannah is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the southern United States comprising the southern counties of the state of Georgia...
by Pope Pius IX
Pope Pius IX
Blessed Pope Pius IX , born Giovanni Maria Mastai-Ferretti, was the longest-reigning elected Pope in the history of the Catholic Church, serving from 16 June 1846 until his death, a period of nearly 32 years. During his pontificate, he convened the First Vatican Council in 1869, which decreed papal...
. 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 November 10 from Archbishop Samuel Eccleston
Samuel Eccleston
Samuel Eccleston, P.S.S. was an American clergyman of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the fifth Archbishop of Baltimore from 1834 until his death in 1851.-Early life:...
, P.S.S.
Society of Saint-Sulpice
The Society of Saint-Sulpice is a Catholic Society of Apostolic Life named for Eglise Saint-Sulpice, Paris, in turn named for St. Sulpitius the Pious. Typically, priests become members of the Society of St. Sulpice only after ordination and some years of pastoral work. Uniquely, Sulpicians retain...
, with Bishops Francis Kenrick and Michael O'Connor
Michael O'Connor (bishop)
Michael O'Connor, S.J. was an Irish-born clergyman of Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Pittsburgh and Bishop of Erie .-Early life and education:...
, S.J.
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...
, 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...
, in Philadelphia. The new diocese (which comprised the state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
and East Florida
East Florida
East Florida was a colony of Great Britain from 1763–1783 and of Spain from 1783–1822. East Florida was established by the British colonial government in 1763; as its name implies it consisted of the eastern part of the region of Florida, with West Florida comprising the western parts. Its capital...
) contained 15 churches, eight priests, and around 5,000 Catholics. During his tenure, he doubled the Catholic population in his diocese; greatly increased the number of priests, many of whom he recruited from his native Ireland; erected three new churches; and enlarged the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, which he dedicated in June 1853.
Orphanage
An orphanage is a residential institution devoted to the care of orphans – children whose parents are deceased or otherwise unable or unwilling to care for them...
and several Catholic school
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...
s, and attended the Eighth Provincial Council of Baltimore
Provincial Councils of Baltimore
The Provincial Councils of Baltimore were councils of Roman Catholic bishops that set the pattern for Catholic organisation in the United States of America...
. As a bishop in the South
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
, he considered "the freedom
Abolitionism
Abolitionism is a movement to end slavery.In western Europe and the Americas abolitionism was a movement to end the slave trade and set slaves free. At the behest of Dominican priest Bartolomé de las Casas who was shocked at the treatment of natives in the New World, Spain enacted the first...
of the slave population" to be "untimely," saying, "All we have to do is mite their souls [so that] whether bond of free they may be saved
Salvation
Within religion salvation is the phenomenon of being saved from the undesirable condition of bondage or suffering experienced by the psyche or soul that has arisen as a result of unskillful or immoral actions generically referred to as sins. Salvation may also be called "deliverance" or...
."
In 1854 Gartland made the nearer rounds of the city of Savannah
Savannah, Georgia
Savannah is the largest city and the county seat of Chatham County, in the U.S. state of Georgia. Established in 1733, the city of Savannah was the colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later the first state capital of Georgia. Today Savannah is an industrial center and an important...
, visiting victims of a raging yellow fever
Yellow fever
Yellow fever is an acute viral hemorrhagic disease. The virus is a 40 to 50 nm enveloped RNA virus with positive sense of the Flaviviridae family....
epidemic. He died, a victim of the disease himself, at age 49.