John Quinlan
Encyclopedia
Bishop John Quinlan was a Roman Catholic bishop
and the second Bishop of Mobile.
He emigrated to the United States in 1844 and was ordained to the priesthood for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cincinnati on August 30, 1852. He was named Bishop of Mobile on September 26, 1859, and consecrated on December 4, 1859, by Archbishop Antoine Blanc
in St. Louis Cathedral, New Orleans
.
In his diocese he found twelve churches and fourteen schools for which he had only eight secular priests and he therefore brought from Ireland eleven young candidates for the priesthood. Bishop Quinlan's administration fell upon the storm days of the American Civil War
. After the battle of Shiloh
, he hastened on a special train to the blood-stained battle-ground and ministered to the temporal and spiritual wants of North and South.
After the war diocesan activities were crippled. Nevertheless, besides repairing ruined churches, Bishop Quinlan built the portico of the Mobile cathedral, founded St. Patrick's and St. Mary's churches in the same city, and established churches in Huntsville, Decatur, Tuscumbia, Florence, Cullman, Birmingham, Eufaula, Whistler, and Toulminville.
In April 1876, Bishop Quinlan invited the Benedictines from St. Vincent's Abbey, Pennsylvania
to the diocese, and they settled at Cullman, Alabama
.
He died March 9, 1883, and is entombed under the portico
of the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Mobile, Alabama
.
Quinlan Hall, on the campus of Spring Hill College
, is named in his honor.
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
and the second Bishop of Mobile.
He emigrated to the United States in 1844 and was ordained to the priesthood for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cincinnati on August 30, 1852. He was named Bishop of Mobile on September 26, 1859, and consecrated on December 4, 1859, by Archbishop Antoine Blanc
Antoine Blanc
Antoine Blanc was the fifth Bishop and first Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans. His tenure, during which the diocese was elevated to an archdiocese, was at a time of growth in the city, which he matched with the most rapid church expansion in the history of New Orleans...
in St. Louis Cathedral, New Orleans
St. Louis Cathedral, New Orleans
Saint Louis Cathedral , also known as the Basilica of St. Louis, King of France, is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans; it has the distinction of being the oldest continuously operating cathedral in the United States...
.
In his diocese he found twelve churches and fourteen schools for which he had only eight secular priests and he therefore brought from Ireland eleven young candidates for the priesthood. Bishop Quinlan's administration fell upon the storm days of the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. After the battle of Shiloh
Battle of Shiloh
The Battle of Shiloh, also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing, was a major battle in the Western Theater of the American Civil War, fought April 6–7, 1862, in southwestern Tennessee. A Union army under Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant had moved via the Tennessee River deep into Tennessee and...
, he hastened on a special train to the blood-stained battle-ground and ministered to the temporal and spiritual wants of North and South.
After the war diocesan activities were crippled. Nevertheless, besides repairing ruined churches, Bishop Quinlan built the portico of the Mobile cathedral, founded St. Patrick's and St. Mary's churches in the same city, and established churches in Huntsville, Decatur, Tuscumbia, Florence, Cullman, Birmingham, Eufaula, Whistler, and Toulminville.
In April 1876, Bishop Quinlan invited the Benedictines from St. Vincent's Abbey, 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 the diocese, and they settled at Cullman, Alabama
Cullman, Alabama
Cullman is a city in Cullman County, State of Alabama. Cullman is located along Interstate 65, about north of Birmingham, and about south of Huntsville. According to the U.S...
.
He died March 9, 1883, and is entombed under the portico
Portico
A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls...
of the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Mobile, Alabama
Mobile, Alabama
Mobile is the third most populous city in the Southern US state of Alabama and is the county seat of Mobile County. It is located on the Mobile River and the central Gulf Coast of the United States. The population within the city limits was 195,111 during the 2010 census. It is the largest...
.
Quinlan Hall, on the campus of Spring Hill College
Spring Hill College
Spring Hill College is a private, Roman Catholic Jesuit liberal arts college in the United States. It was founded in 1830 on the Gulf Coast in Mobile, Alabama, by Most Rev. Michael Portier, Bishop of Mobile, Alabama...
, is named in his honor.