Hugh Charles Boyle
Encyclopedia
Hugh Charles Boyle was an American
prelate
of the Roman Catholic Church
. He served as Bishop of Pittsburgh
from 1921 until his death in 1950.
, Pennsylvania
, one of nine children Charles and Anna (née Keelan) Boyle. His father was an Irish
immigrant who worked as a coal miner
. He received his early education at local parochial school
s, and enrolled at St. Vincent College
in Latrobe
at age 14. During the 1889 Johnstown Flood
, his father and most of his siblings drowned; only his mother and one brother survived. He began his studies for the priesthood
at St. Vincent Seminary
, also in Latrobe, in 1891.
Boyle was ordained
a priest by Bishop Richard Phelan
on July 2, 1898. His first assignment was as a curate
at St. Aloysius Church in Wilmerding
, where he remained for five years. He then served at the Cathedral of St. Paul
and secretary to Bishop Regis Canevin
until 1909, when he became superintendent
of diocesan schools. From 1916 to 1921, he served as pastor
of St. Mary Magdalene Church in Homestead
.
On June 16, 1921, Boyle was appointed the sixth Bishop of Pittsburgh
by Pope Benedict XV
. He received his episcopal
consecration
on the following June 29 from Bishop Canevin, with Bishops Philip R. McDevitt
and John Joseph McCort
serving as co-consecrators
. During his 29-year tenure, he earned a reputation as one of the leading Catholic educators in the nation, and sponsored a comprehensive school-building program in the diocese, most notably asking the Brothers of the Christian Schools to establish Central Catholic High School
. He was a strong supporter of social justice
movements, such as the Catholic Radical Alliance
. In 1941, he established the Catholic Workers' School in Pittsburgh.
During World War II
, Boyle served as chairman of the National Catholic Welfare Council
's Committee for Polish
Relief. He defended the Allied
bombing of Rome
as a wartime necessity and praised the care that was taken in the air raids to protect the city's religious and cultural treasures. Boyle also played a prominent role in the activities of the Legion of Decency
and was a member of the Episcopal Committee on Motion Pictures.
Boyle died at Mercy Hospital
in Pittsburgh, at age 77. He is buried in St. Mary Cemetery
in the city's Lawrenceville
neighborhood.
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 Pittsburgh
Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh is a Roman Catholic diocese. It was established in Western Pennsylvania on August 11, 1843. The diocese includes 211 parishes in the counties of Allegheny, Beaver, Butler, Greene, Lawrence, and Washington, an area of with a Catholic population of 719,801...
from 1921 until his death in 1950.
Biography
Hugh Boyle was born in JohnstownJohnstown, Pennsylvania
Johnstown is a city in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, United States, west-southwest of Altoona, Pennsylvania and east of Pittsburgh. The population was 20,978 at the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes Cambria County...
, 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...
, one of nine children Charles and Anna (née Keelan) Boyle. His father was an Irish
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
immigrant who worked as a coal miner
Coal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
. He received his early education at local parochial school
Parochial school
A parochial school is a school that provides religious education in addition to conventional education. In a narrower sense, a parochial school is a Christian grammar school or high school which is part of, and run by, a parish.-United Kingdom:...
s, and enrolled at St. Vincent College
Saint Vincent College
Saint Vincent College is a four-year, coeducational, Roman Catholic, Benedictine, liberal arts college in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, located about 40 miles southeast of Pittsburgh. It was founded in 1846 by Boniface Wimmer, a monk from Bavaria, Germany. It was the first Benedictine monastery in the...
in Latrobe
Latrobe, Pennsylvania
Latrobe is a city in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania in the United States, approximately southeast of Pittsburgh.The city population was 7,634 as of the 2000 census . It is located near the Pennsylvania's scenic Chestnut Ridge. Latrobe was incorporated as a borough in 1854, and as a city in 1999...
at age 14. During the 1889 Johnstown Flood
Johnstown Flood
The Johnstown Flood occurred on May 31, 1889. It was the result of the catastrophic failure of the South Fork Dam situated upstream of the town of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, USA, made worse by several days of extremely heavy rainfall...
, his father and most of his siblings drowned; only his mother and one brother survived. He began his studies for 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....
at St. Vincent Seminary
Saint Vincent Seminary
Saint Vincent Seminary is the fourth oldest Roman Catholic seminary in the United States and is located in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, forty miles southeast of Pittsburgh....
, also in Latrobe, in 1891.
Boyle 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....
a priest by Bishop Richard Phelan
Richard Phelan
Richard Phelan, D.D. was the fourth Roman Catholic Bishop of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.- Background :...
on July 2, 1898. His first assignment was as 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. Aloysius Church in Wilmerding
Wilmerding, Pennsylvania
Wilmerding is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,190 at the 2010 census. It is located southeast of Pittsburgh. At the start of the twentieth century, it had extensive foundries and machine shops of the Westinghouse Air Brake Company. In 1900, the...
, where he remained for five years. He then served at the Cathedral of St. Paul
Cathedral of Saint Paul in Pittsburgh
The Cathedral of Saint Paul is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States...
and secretary to Bishop Regis Canevin
Regis Canevin
John Francis Regis Canevin was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Pittsburgh from 1904 to 1921.-Biography:...
until 1909, when he became superintendent
Superintendent (education)
In education in the United States, a superintendent is an individual who has executive oversight and administration rights, usually within an educational entity or organization....
of diocesan schools. From 1916 to 1921, he served as 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"....
of St. Mary Magdalene Church in Homestead
Homestead, Pennsylvania
Homestead is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, USA, in the "Mon Valley," southeast of downtown Pittsburgh and directly across the river from the city limit line. The borough is known for the Homestead Strike of 1892, an important event in the history of labor relations in the United...
.
On June 16, 1921, Boyle was appointed the sixth Bishop of Pittsburgh
Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh is a Roman Catholic diocese. It was established in Western Pennsylvania on August 11, 1843. The diocese includes 211 parishes in the counties of Allegheny, Beaver, Butler, Greene, Lawrence, and Washington, an area of with a Catholic population of 719,801...
by Pope Benedict XV
Pope Benedict XV
Pope Benedict XV , born Giacomo Paolo Giovanni Battista della Chiesa, reigned as Pope from 3 September 1914 to 22 January 1922...
. 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 June 29 from Bishop Canevin, with Bishops Philip R. McDevitt
Philip R. McDevitt
Philip Richard McDevitt was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Harrisburg from 1916 until his death in 1935.-Biography:...
and John Joseph McCort
John Joseph McCort
John Joseph McCort was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Altoona, Pennsylvania, from 1920 until his death in 1936.-Biography:...
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...
. During his 29-year tenure, he earned a reputation as one of the leading Catholic educators in the nation, and sponsored a comprehensive school-building program in the diocese, most notably asking the Brothers of the Christian Schools to establish Central Catholic High School
Central Catholic High School (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
Central Catholic High School is a Roman Catholic college preparatory school for boys in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. It is a part of the Diocese of Pittsburgh and is administrated and partially staffed by the Brothers of the Christian Schools....
. He was a strong supporter of social justice
Social justice
Social justice generally refers to the idea of creating a society or institution that is based on the principles of equality and solidarity, that understands and values human rights, and that recognizes the dignity of every human being. The term and modern concept of "social justice" was coined by...
movements, such as the Catholic Radical Alliance
Catholic Radical Alliance
The Catholic Radical Alliance was founded in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1937 by Roman Catholic priests Charles Owen Rice, Carl Hensler, and George Barry O'Toole. , with the approval of their bishop, Hugh C. Boyle. It supported the unionization of workers in the H.J. Heinz Company and the Loose...
. In 1941, he established the Catholic Workers' School in Pittsburgh.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Boyle served as chairman of the National Catholic Welfare Council
National Catholic Welfare Council
The National Catholic Welfare Council was the annual meeting of the American Catholic hierarchy and its standing secretariat; it was established in 1919 as the successor to the emergency organization, the National Catholic War Council....
's Committee for Polish
History of Poland (1939–1945)
The history of Poland from 1939 to 1945 encompasses the German invasion of Poland as well as the Soviet invasion of Poland through to the end of World War II. On 1 September 1939, without a formal declaration of war, Germany invaded Poland...
Relief. He defended the Allied
Allies of World War II
The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
bombing of Rome
Bombing of Rome in World War II
The bombing of Rome in World War II took place on several occasions in 1943 and 1944, primarily by Allied and to a smaller degree by Axis aircraft, before the city was freed from Axis occupation by the Allies on June 4, 1944...
as a wartime necessity and praised the care that was taken in the air raids to protect the city's religious and cultural treasures. Boyle also played a prominent role in the activities of the Legion of Decency
National Legion of Decency
The National Legion of Decency was an organization dedicated to identifying and combating objectionable content, from the point of view of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States, in motion pictures...
and was a member of the Episcopal Committee on Motion Pictures.
Boyle died at Mercy Hospital
UPMC Mercy
UPMC Mercy is a main hospital facility of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and is located in the Uptown section of the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, adjacent to downtown Pittsburgh and a few blocks from the Mellon Arena...
in Pittsburgh, at age 77. He is buried in St. Mary Cemetery
St. Mary Cemetery, Pittsburgh
St. Mary Cemetery is a Roman Catholic burial ground located at 45th and Penn Avenues in the Lawrenceville neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. It is adjacent to the city's slightly older and much larger Allegheny Cemetery....
in the city's Lawrenceville
Lawrenceville (Pittsburgh)
Lawrenceville is one of the largest neighborhoods in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is located northeast of downtown, and like many of Pittsburgh's riverfront neighborhoods, it has an industrial past. Lawrenceville is bordered by the Allegheny River, Polish Hill, Bloomfield, the Strip District and...
neighborhood.