Nicholas Chrysostom Matz
Encyclopedia
Nicholas Chrysostom Matz (April 6, 1850—August 9, 1917) was a French
-born prelate
of the Roman Catholic Church
. He served as Bishop of Denver
from 1889 until his death in 1917.
, Lorraine
, to Antoine and Marie-Anne Boul Matz. He began his classical
course at the minor seminary
of Fénétrange
in 1865. In 1868 he and his family came to the United States
, where they settled at Cincinnati
, Ohio
. He then studied for the priesthood
at Mount St. Mary's of the West Seminary
. He accepted an invitation from Bishop Joseph Projectus Machebeuf
in 1869 to join the newly-erected Apostolic Vicariate
of Colorado
. After his arrival in Colorado, Matz was ordained
a priest by Bishop Machebeuf on May 31, 1874. He then served as a curate
at the cathedral of Denver
until 1877, when he became pastor
of Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Georgetown
. He there erected a church, parochial school
, and a hospital
, which he placed under the care of the Sisters of St. Joseph
. He was transferred to St. Anne's Church at Denver in 1885.
On August 16, 1887, Matz was appointed Coadjutor Bishop
of Denver and Titular Bishop
of Telmissus by Pope Leo XIII
. He received his episcopal
consecration
on the following October 28 from Archbishop Jean-Baptiste Salpointe. Upon the death of Bishop Machebeuf, Matz succeeded him as the second Bishop of Denver
on July 10, 1889. During his 28-year-long tenure, he made Catholic education his top priority, establishing dozens of parochial schools and demanding Catholic parents to send their children to Catholic schools under pain of mortal sin
. In 1905 he founded St. Thomas Seminary, which was staffed by the Vincentians. He broke ground
for the new Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
in 1902, later dedicating it in 1912. He also established thirty-four new parishes
, a cemetery
, and a diocesan newspaper
. However, he met opposition from many priests and his ambitious building projects drove the diocese into a large amount of debt. He was a strong opponent of labor unions
, especially the Western Federation of Miners
.
Following a nervous breakdown
and a series of stroke
s, Matz delegated the administration of the diocese to his vicar general
and requested his own coadjutor bishop. He later died at St. Anthony's Hospital, aged 67.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
-born 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 Denver
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Denver
The Archdiocese of Denver is the Roman Catholic Archdiocese for Denver, Colorado and the Colorado counties of Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Jefferson, Larimer, Logan and Weld in the northern part of the state. The Archdiocese's home is at the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate...
from 1889 until his death in 1917.
Biography
Nicholas Matz was born in MunsterMunster, Moselle
Munster ) is a commune in the Moselle department in Lorraine in north-eastern France.-Demographics:-Architecture:Notable buildings include the 13th-century Saint Nicholas Collegiate Roman Catholic church . Some of the church's features were replicated in the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate...
, Lorraine
Lorraine (région)
Lorraine is one of the 27 régions of France. The administrative region has two cities of equal importance, Metz and Nancy. Metz is considered to be the official capital since that is where the regional parliament is situated...
, to Antoine and Marie-Anne Boul Matz. He began his classical
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...
course at the minor seminary
Minor seminary
A minor seminary is a secondary boarding school created for the specific purpose of enrolling teenage boys who have expressed interest in becoming priests. They are generally Roman Catholic institutions, and designed to prepare boys both academically and spiritually for vocations to the priesthood...
of Fénétrange
Fénétrange
Fénétrange is a commune in the Moselle department in Lorraine in north-eastern France.-External links:* IGN website* INSEE website* Quid website* *...
in 1865. In 1868 he and his family came 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 at Cincinnati
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
. He then studied 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 Mount St. Mary's of the West Seminary
Athenaeum of Ohio
The Athenaeum of Ohio – Mount St. Mary's Seminary of the West, originally St. Francis Xavier Seminary, is the third-oldest Roman Catholic seminary in the United States and is currently located at 6616 Beechmont Avenue in the Cincinnati, Ohio neighborhood of Mt. Washington, in the former Saint...
. He accepted an invitation from Bishop Joseph Projectus Machebeuf
Joseph Projectus Machebeuf
Joseph Projectus Machebeuf was a French Roman Catholic missionary and the first Bishop of Denver.-Biography:...
in 1869 to join the newly-erected Apostolic Vicariate
Apostolic vicariate
An apostolic vicariate is a form of territorial jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic Church established in missionary regions and countries that do not have a diocese. It is essentially provisional, though it may last for a century or more...
of Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
. After his arrival in Colorado, Matz 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 Machebeuf on May 31, 1874. He then 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...
at the cathedral of Denver
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
until 1877, when he became 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 Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Georgetown
Georgetown, Colorado
The historic town of Georgetown is a Territorial Charter Municipality that is the county seat of Clear Creek County, Colorado, United States. The former silver mining camp along Clear Creek in the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains was established in 1859 during the Pike's Peak Gold Rush...
. He there erected a church, 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:...
, and a hospital
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
, which he placed under the care of the Sisters of St. Joseph
Sisters of St. Joseph
The title Sisters of St. Joseph applies to several Roman Catholic religious congregations of women. The largest and oldest of these was founded in Le Puy-en-Velay, France...
. He was transferred to St. Anne's Church at Denver in 1885.
On August 16, 1887, Matz was appointed Coadjutor Bishop
Coadjutor bishop
A coadjutor bishop is a bishop in the Roman Catholic or Anglican churches who is designated to assist the diocesan bishop in the administration of the diocese, almost as co-bishop of the diocese...
of Denver and Titular Bishop
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 Telmissus by Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII , born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci to an Italian comital family, was the 256th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, reigning from 1878 to 1903...
. 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 October 28 from Archbishop Jean-Baptiste Salpointe. Upon the death of Bishop Machebeuf, Matz succeeded him as the second Bishop of Denver
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Denver
The Archdiocese of Denver is the Roman Catholic Archdiocese for Denver, Colorado and the Colorado counties of Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Jefferson, Larimer, Logan and Weld in the northern part of the state. The Archdiocese's home is at the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate...
on July 10, 1889. During his 28-year-long tenure, he made Catholic education his top priority, establishing dozens of parochial schools and demanding Catholic parents to send their children to Catholic schools under pain of mortal sin
Mortal sin
Mortal sins are in the theology of some, but not all Christian denominations wrongful acts that condemn a person to Hell after death. These sins are considered "mortal" because they constitute a rupture in a person's link to God's saving grace: the person's soul becomes "dead", not merely weakened...
. In 1905 he founded St. Thomas Seminary, which was staffed by the Vincentians. He broke ground
Groundbreaking
Groundbreaking, also known as cutting, sod-cutting, turning the first sod or a sod-turning ceremony, is a traditional ceremony in many cultures that celebrates the first day of construction for a building or other project. Such ceremonies are often attended by dignitaries such as politicians and...
for the new Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, Denver
The Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception is the cathedral of the Archdiocese of Denver of Roman Catholic Church. It is located at the corner of Logan St. and Colfax Avenue in the North Capitol Hill neighborhood of central Denver. The cathedral has a capacity of 800 persons and hosts...
in 1902, later dedicating it in 1912. He also established thirty-four new parishes
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...
, a cemetery
Cemetery
A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term "cemetery" implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are where the final ceremonies of death are observed...
, and a diocesan newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
. However, he met opposition from many priests and his ambitious building projects drove the diocese into a large amount of debt. He was a strong opponent of labor unions
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
, especially the Western Federation of Miners
Western Federation of Miners
The Western Federation of Miners was a radical labor union that gained a reputation for militancy in the mines of the western United States and British Columbia. Its efforts to organize both hard rock miners and smelter workers brought it into sharp conflicts – and often pitched battles...
.
Following a nervous breakdown
Mental breakdown
Mental breakdown is a non-medical term used to describe an acute, time-limited phase of a specific disorder that presents primarily with features of depression or anxiety.-Definition:...
and a series of stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
s, Matz delegated the administration of the diocese to his 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...
and requested his own coadjutor bishop. He later died at St. Anthony's Hospital, aged 67.