Thomas H. McLaughlin
Encyclopedia
Thomas Henry McLaughlin was an American
prelate
of the Roman Catholic Church
. He served as President of Seton Hall College
(1922-1933) and Bishop of Paterson
(1937-1947).
to John and Margaret (née Byrne) McLaughlin. He later moved with his family to Montclair
, New Jersey
, and attended St. Francis Xavier College
, from where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts
degree in 1901. He then furthered his studies at the University of Innsbruck in Austria
, where he was ordained
to the priesthood
by Bishop Balthasar Kaltner on July 26, 1904. He earned a doctorate in sacred theology
from Innsbruck in 1908.
Upon his return to the United States
, McLaughlin became a professor
at Seton Hall College
at South Orange
in 1908. He served as dean
from 1914 until 1922, when he was elected president of Seton Hall and rector
of Immaculate Conception Seminary
. He remained as president until 1933 and rector until 1938. He was named a Domestic Prelate
in 1923, and vicar general
of the Diocese of Newark
in 1933.
On May 18, 1935, McLaughlin was appointed Auxiliary Bishop
of Newark and Titular Bishop
of Nisa in Lycia by Pope Pius XI
. He received his episcopal
consecration
on the following July 25 from Archbishop Thomas J. Walsh, with Bishops John A. Duffy
and Joseph H. Schlarman
serving as co-consecrators
. He was named the first Bishop
of the newly-erected Diocese of Paterson
on December 16, 1937. The diocese encompassed Passaic
, Morris
, and Sussex Counties
in North Jersey
. He designated St. John the Baptist Church as the cathedral
.
McLaughlin remained as Bishop of Paterson until his death ten years later, aged 65.
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 President of Seton Hall College
Seton Hall University
Seton Hall University is a private Roman Catholic university in South Orange, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1856 by Archbishop James Roosevelt Bayley, Seton Hall is the oldest diocesan university in the United States. Seton Hall is also the oldest and largest Catholic university in the...
(1922-1933) and Bishop of Paterson
Roman Catholic Diocese of Paterson
The Diocese of Paterson is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States, which includes three counties in northern New Jersey: Passaic, Morris, and Sussex. The city of Paterson, third-largest in the state of New Jersey, was chosen as the episcopal see, even though...
(1937-1947).
Biography
Thomas McLaughlin was born in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
to John and Margaret (née Byrne) McLaughlin. He later moved with his family to Montclair
Montclair, New Jersey
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 38,977 people, 15,020 households, and 9,687 families residing in the township. The population density was 6,183.6 people per square mile . There were 15,531 housing units at an average density of 2,464.0 per square mile...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, and attended St. Francis Xavier College
Xavier High School (New York City)
Xavier High School is a independent Jesuit university-preparatory high school for young men located at 30 West 16th Street, in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. It was founded in 1847, as the College of St. Francis Xavier by Father John Larkin, S.J...
, from where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree in 1901. He then furthered his studies at the University of Innsbruck in Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, where 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 Balthasar Kaltner on July 26, 1904. He earned a doctorate in sacred theology
Doctor of Sacred Theology
The Doctor of Sacred Theology is the final theological degree in the pontifical university system of the Catholic Church....
from Innsbruck in 1908.
Upon his return to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, McLaughlin became a professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
at Seton Hall College
Seton Hall University
Seton Hall University is a private Roman Catholic university in South Orange, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1856 by Archbishop James Roosevelt Bayley, Seton Hall is the oldest diocesan university in the United States. Seton Hall is also the oldest and largest Catholic university in the...
at South Orange
South Orange, New Jersey
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 16,964 people, 5,522 households, and 3,766 families residing in the township. The population density was 5,945.3 people per square mile . There were 5,671 housing units at an average density of 1,987.5 per square mile...
in 1908. He served as dean
Dean (education)
In academic administration, a dean is a person with significant authority over a specific academic unit, or over a specific area of concern, or both...
from 1914 until 1922, when he was elected president of Seton Hall 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 Immaculate Conception Seminary
Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Theology
The Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Theology is part of Seton Hall University, the Roman Catholic university of New Jersey, and is located in South Orange. ICCST is one of the oldest Catholic seminaries in the United States. The university is the oldest diocesan university in the country....
. He remained as president until 1933 and rector until 1938. 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 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 Newark
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark
The Archdiocese of Newark is an archdiocese of the Catholic Church in northern New Jersey, United States. Its ecclesiastic territory includes all of the Catholic parishes and schools in the New Jersey counties of Bergen, Union, Hudson and Essex .-History:Originally established as the Diocese of...
in 1933.
On May 18, 1935, McLaughlin was appointed Auxiliary Bishop
Auxiliary bishop
An auxiliary bishop, in the Roman Catholic Church, is an additional bishop assigned to a diocese because the diocesan bishop is unable to perform his functions, the diocese is so extensive that it requires more than one bishop to administer, or the diocese is attached to a royal or imperial office...
of Newark 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 Nisa in Lycia 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 July 25 from Archbishop Thomas J. Walsh, with Bishops John A. Duffy
John A. Duffy
John Aloysius Duffy was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Syracuse from 1933 to 1937, and as Bishop of Buffalo from 1937 until his death.-Early life and ministry:...
and Joseph H. Schlarman
Joseph Henry Leo Schlarman
Joseph Henry Leo Schlarman was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Peoria from 1930 until his death in 1951.-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...
. He was named 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 Paterson
Roman Catholic Diocese of Paterson
The Diocese of Paterson is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States, which includes three counties in northern New Jersey: Passaic, Morris, and Sussex. The city of Paterson, third-largest in the state of New Jersey, was chosen as the episcopal see, even though...
on December 16, 1937. The diocese encompassed Passaic
Passaic County, New Jersey
Passaic County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 501,226. Its county seat is Paterson...
, Morris
Morris County, New Jersey
Morris County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey, about west of New York City. According to the United States 2010 Census, the population was 492,276. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Morristown....
, and Sussex Counties
Sussex County, New Jersey
The County of Sussex is the northernmost county in the State of New Jersey. It is part of the New York City Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 Federal decennial census, 149,265 persons resided in Sussex County...
in North Jersey
North Jersey
North Jersey is a colloquial term, with no precise consensus definition, for the northern portion of the U.S. state of New Jersey. A straightforward, noncolloquial term for the region is northern New Jersey.- Two-portion approaches :...
. He designated St. John the Baptist Church as the cathedral
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
.
McLaughlin remained as Bishop of Paterson until his death ten years later, aged 65.