Charles Warren Currier
Encyclopedia
Bishop Charles Warren Currier (22 March 1857 in St. Thomas
, Virgin Islands
, USA - 23 September 1918 in Maryland
, USA) was the first Bishop
of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Matanzas
(1913–1914). His parents were Warren Green Currier (born in New York
) and Deborah Heyliger of the Netherlands
.
He studied at the College of Our Lady of the Assumption, Roermond
, Limburg
, The Netherlands and at St. Alphonsus Seminary in Wittem
, Limburg
, The Netherlands . He joined the missionary order of Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer
(Redemptorists) in 1875 and was ordained a priest on November 24, 1880 in Amsterdam
, The Netherlands, by Bishop Henry Schaap (vicar apostolic of Dutch Guiana
). In January 1881, he arrived in Surinam for his first missionary assignment where he remained until 1882 . In November 1891 he was allowed to leave the Redemptorists and then worked in the Archdiocese of Baltimore.
On June 25, 1910 he was appointed Bishop of Zamboanga
, Philippines
by Pope Pius X
but he declined. Because he had published articles on Cuban history, he was appointed on April 26, 1913 as the first Bishop of Matanzas and in Rome
, on July 6, 1913 he was consecrated by Cardinal Diomede Angelo Raffaele Gennaro Falconio, O.F.M., and assisted by Domenico Serafini, Titular Archbishop of Seleucia Pieria, and Donato Sbarretti, Titular Archbishop of Efeso, Bishop Emeritus of Havana.
He arrived in Matanzas on November 3, 1913 and took position of the archdiocese the following day. He repaired and redecorated the Cathedral of San Carlos Borromeo
that was in poor condition. Due to his poor health he resigned his position as Bishop of the Archdiocese of Matanzas on February 11, 1914 and was appointed Titular Bishop
of Hetalonia on June 15, 1915.
Bishop Currier knew Greek
and Hebrew and was fluent in Latin
, English
, Dutch
, Spanish
, French
, German
, and Italian
.
Bishop Currier died on September 23, 1918 on a train traveling from Waldorf
, Maryland to Baltimore to assist in the funeral of Cardinal John Murphy Farley, Archbishop of the Archdiocese of New York. His funeral took place in the Cathedral of Baltimore where he is also buried.
Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
Saint Thomas is an island in the Caribbean Sea and with the islands of Saint John, Saint Croix, and Water Island a county and constituent district of the United States Virgin Islands , an unincorporated territory of the United States. Located on the island is the territorial capital and port of...
, Virgin Islands
Virgin Islands
The Virgin Islands are the western island group of the Leeward Islands, which are the northern part of the Lesser Antilles, which form the border between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean...
, USA - 23 September 1918 in Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, USA) was the first Bishop
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...
of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Matanzas
Roman Catholic Diocese of Matanzas
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Matanzas is a suffragan diocese of the Archdiocese of San Cristobal de la Habana.-Ordinaries:*Charles Warren Currier *Severiano Sainz y Bencamo...
(1913–1914). His parents were Warren Green Currier (born in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
) and Deborah Heyliger of the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
.
He studied at the College of Our Lady of the Assumption, Roermond
Roermond
Roermond is a city, a municipality, and a diocese in the southeastern part of the Netherlands.The city of Roermond is a historically important town, on the lower Roer at the east bank of the Meuse river. It received city rights in 1231...
, Limburg
Limburg (Netherlands)
Limburg is the southernmost of the twelve provinces of the Netherlands. It is located in the southeastern part of the country and bordered by the province of Gelderland to the north, Germany to the east, Belgium to the south and part of the west, andthe Dutch province of North Brabant partly to...
, The Netherlands and at St. Alphonsus Seminary in Wittem
Wittem
Wittem is a small village in the Dutch province of Limburg. It is located in the municipality of Gulpen-Wittem.Wittem was a separate municipality until 1999, when it merged with Gulpen.-External links: Map of the former municipality, around 1868....
, Limburg
Limburg (Netherlands)
Limburg is the southernmost of the twelve provinces of the Netherlands. It is located in the southeastern part of the country and bordered by the province of Gelderland to the north, Germany to the east, Belgium to the south and part of the west, andthe Dutch province of North Brabant partly to...
, The Netherlands . He joined the missionary order of Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer
Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer
The Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer is a Roman Catholic missionary Congregation founded by Saint Alphonsus Liguori at Scala, near Amalfi, Italy for the purpose of labouring among the neglected country people in the neighbourhood of Naples.Members of the Congregation, priests and brothers,...
(Redemptorists) in 1875 and was ordained a priest on November 24, 1880 in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, The Netherlands, by Bishop Henry Schaap (vicar apostolic of Dutch Guiana
Dutch Guiana
Dutch Guiana, also known as Netherlands Guyana or Dutch Guyana , is the name given to various Dutch colonies on the northern coast of South America, created by the Dutch West India Company...
). In January 1881, he arrived in Surinam for his first missionary assignment where he remained until 1882 . In November 1891 he was allowed to leave the Redemptorists and then worked in the Archdiocese of Baltimore.
On June 25, 1910 he was appointed Bishop of Zamboanga
Zamboanga City
The City of Zamboanga : is a highly urbanized, independent and a chartered city located in Mindanao, Philippines....
, Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
by Pope Pius X
Pope Pius X
Pope Saint Pius X , born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto, was the 257th Pope of the Catholic Church, serving from 1903 to 1914. He was the first pope since Pope Pius V to be canonized. Pius X rejected modernist interpretations of Catholic doctrine, promoting traditional devotional practices and orthodox...
but he declined. Because he had published articles on Cuban history, he was appointed on April 26, 1913 as the first Bishop of Matanzas and in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, on July 6, 1913 he was consecrated by Cardinal Diomede Angelo Raffaele Gennaro Falconio, O.F.M., and assisted by Domenico Serafini, Titular Archbishop of Seleucia Pieria, and Donato Sbarretti, Titular Archbishop of Efeso, Bishop Emeritus of Havana.
He arrived in Matanzas on November 3, 1913 and took position of the archdiocese the following day. He repaired and redecorated the Cathedral of San Carlos Borromeo
Cathedral of San Carlos De Borromeo (Matanzas, Cuba)
La Catedral San Carlos De Borromeo is the seat of Manuel Hilario de Céspedes y García Menocal, the Bishop of Roman Catholic Diocese of Matanzas, Cuba.-History:...
that was in poor condition. Due to his poor health he resigned his position as Bishop of the Archdiocese of Matanzas on February 11, 1914 and was appointed 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 Hetalonia on June 15, 1915.
Bishop Currier knew Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
and Hebrew and was fluent in Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
, English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
, Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
, and Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
.
Bishop Currier died on September 23, 1918 on a train traveling from Waldorf
Waldorf
- People :* William Waldorf Astor, 1st Viscount Astor , financier and statesman* Waldorf Astor, 2nd Viscount Astor , businessman and politician- Communities :United States* Waldorf, Maryland* Waldorf, MinnesotaGermany...
, Maryland to Baltimore to assist in the funeral of Cardinal John Murphy Farley, Archbishop of the Archdiocese of New York. His funeral took place in the Cathedral of Baltimore where he is also buried.