Joseph Anthony O'Sullivan
Encyclopedia
Joseph Anthony O'Sullivan (November 29, 1886—June 6, 1972) was a Canadian
prelate
of the Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Charlottetown
(1931–44) and Archbishop of Kingston
(1944–66).
, Ontario
, to Joseph and Catherine (née Fogarty) O'Sullivan. He received his early education at St. Mary's School
in his native city, and then attended St. Jerome's College
in Kitchener
from 1903 to 1908. He studied philosophy
and theology
at the Grand Seminary of Montreal
in Quebec
from 1908 to 1911.
He was ordained
to the priesthood
by Bishop Thomas J. Dowling
on August 5, 1911. He was first appointed to St. Mary's Cathedral in Hamilton, where he served as a curate
for ten years. From 1921 to 1925, he served as chancellor
of the diocese and rector
of the cathedral. He was named a domestic prelate
in 1923, and became rector of St. Augustine's Seminary
in Toronto
in 1925.
On February 6, 1931, O'Sullivan was appointed Bishop of Charlottetown
in Prince Edward Island
by Pope Pius XI
. He received his episcopal
consecration
on the following May 7 from Archbishop Andrea Cassulo
. In 1932, he began radio broadcasts of his Lenten sermons and the Christmas midnight Masses. He also encouraged Eucharistic Congresses, established the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine
, and presided over several developments of St. Dunstan's University
.
He was appointed Archbishop of Kingston
in Ontario on February 26, 1944. From 1962 to 1965, he attended all four sessions of the Second Vatican Council
. He retired as archbishop on December 14, 1966; he was named Titular Archbishop
of Maraguia by Pope Paul VI
on the same date, but resigined this title on November 23, 1970.
O'Sullivan died at age 85, and is buried at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Hamilton.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
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 Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Charlottetown
Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlottetown
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlottetown is a Roman Catholic diocese which comprises the Canadian province of Prince Edward Island. It is currently led by Bishop Richard John Grecco...
(1931–44) and Archbishop of Kingston
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kingston
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kingston is a Roman Catholic archdiocese in Canada that includes part of the Province of Ontario and includes the suffragan dioceses of Alexandria-Cornwall, Peterborough, and Sault Sainte Marie....
(1944–66).
Biography
Joseph O'Sullivan was born in HamiltonHamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, to Joseph and Catherine (née Fogarty) O'Sullivan. He received his early education at St. Mary's School
Cathedral High School (Hamilton, Ontario)
Cathedral High School is an inner city public Roman Catholic high school in Hamilton, Ontario, under the jurisdiction of the Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board. Cathedral High School dates back to 1912, when high school classes where offered to the youth of Hamilton by the Hamilton...
in his native city, and then attended St. Jerome's College
St. Jerome's University
Saint Jerome's University is a public Roman Catholic university in Waterloo, Ontario. It is federated with the University of Waterloo.St. Jerome's, within the University of Waterloo, combines academics and a residence. Students may both reside at and take classes through St...
in Kitchener
Kitchener, Ontario
The City of Kitchener is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada. It was the Town of Berlin from 1854 until 1912 and the City of Berlin from 1912 until 1916. The city had a population of 204,668 in the Canada 2006 Census...
from 1903 to 1908. He studied philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
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 the Grand Seminary of Montreal
Grand séminaire de Montréal
The Grand séminaire de Montréal is the sacerdotal school of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Montreal. The institution was founded by the sulpicians in 1840 on the demands of Ignace Bourget. A branch of Université Laval's faculty of theology was installed in the seminar in 1878...
in Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
from 1908 to 1911.
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 Thomas J. Dowling
Thomas Joseph Dowling
Thomas Joseph Dowling was a Canadian Roman Catholic priest and Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Peterborough.-External links:*...
on August 5, 1911. He was first appointed to St. Mary's Cathedral in Hamilton, where he served 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...
for ten years. From 1921 to 1925, he served as 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 diocese and rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
of the cathedral. He was named a domestic prelate
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"...
in 1923, and became rector of St. Augustine's Seminary
St. Augustine's Seminary
St. Augustine's Seminary is the archdiocesan seminary of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Toronto, in Canada. It also welcomes candidates from elsewhere.It is a member of the Toronto School of Theology. It is located by the shore of Lake Ontario in Toronto....
in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
in 1925.
On February 6, 1931, O'Sullivan was appointed Bishop of Charlottetown
Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlottetown
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlottetown is a Roman Catholic diocese which comprises the Canadian province of Prince Edward Island. It is currently led by Bishop Richard John Grecco...
in Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island is a Canadian province consisting of an island of the same name, as well as other islands. The maritime province is the smallest in the nation in both land area and population...
by Pope Pius XI
Pope Pius XI
Pope Pius XI , born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti, was Pope from 6 February 1922, and sovereign of Vatican City from its creation as an independent state on 11 February 1929 until his death on 10 February 1939...
. 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 May 7 from Archbishop Andrea Cassulo
Andrea Cassulo
Andrea Cassulo was an archbishop of the Roman Catholic Church and a representative of the Holy See in Egypt, Canada, Romania and Turkey from 1921 to 1952.-Early life and ordination:...
. In 1932, he began radio broadcasts of his Lenten sermons and the Christmas midnight Masses. He also encouraged Eucharistic Congresses, established the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine
Confraternity of Christian Doctrine
The Confraternity of Christian Doctrine was an association established at Rome in 1562 for the purpose of giving religious education. Its modern usage, often abbreviated CCD or C.C.D., is a religious education program of the Catholic Church, normally designed for children.-History:Until the...
, and presided over several developments of St. Dunstan's University
Saint Dunstan's University
St. Dunstan's University is a former university which was located on the northern outskirts of Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada. SDU merged with Prince of Wales College in 1969 to form the University of Prince Edward Island.St...
.
He was appointed Archbishop of Kingston
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kingston
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kingston is a Roman Catholic archdiocese in Canada that includes part of the Province of Ontario and includes the suffragan dioceses of Alexandria-Cornwall, Peterborough, and Sault Sainte Marie....
in Ontario on February 26, 1944. From 1962 to 1965, he attended all four sessions of the Second Vatican Council
Second Vatican Council
The Second Vatican Council addressed relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the modern world. It was the twenty-first Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church and the second to be held at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. It opened under Pope John XXIII on 11 October 1962 and closed...
. He retired as archbishop on December 14, 1966; he was named 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 Maraguia 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...
on the same date, but resigined this title on November 23, 1970.
O'Sullivan died at age 85, and is buried at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Hamilton.