Francis Patrick McFarland
Encyclopedia
Francis Patrick McFarland (born at Franklin, Pennsylvania, 16 April 1819; died at Hartford, Connecticut
, 2 October 1874) was an American Catholic bishop, the third Bishop of Hartford.
. He was employed as teacher in the village school, but soon entered Mount St. Mary's College, Emmitsburg, Maryland
, where he graduated with high honours and was retained as teacher.
The following year, 1845, he was ordained, 18 May, at New York by Archbishop Hughes, who immediately detailed the young priest to a professor's chair at St. John's College, Fordham. Father McFarland from his college made frequent missionary journeys among scattered Catholics.
After a year at Fordham he was appointed pastor of Watertown, New York. In March 1851, he was transferred by his new ordinary, Bishop McCloskey of Albany, to St. John's Church, Utica. He was appointed Vicar-Apostolic of Florida, 9 March, 1857. He declined this, only to be elected Bishop of Hartford. He was consecrated at Providence, 14 March, 1858, and resided in that city until the division of his diocese in 1872.
Failing health prompted him, while attending the First Vatican Council
, to resign his see. His colleagues of the American episcopate would not hear of such a step. By dividing the diocese it was hoped that his burden would be sufficiently lightened. He left Providence for Hartford 28 February, 1872. After reorganizing his diocese he immediately set about the erection of a cathedral. He died aged 55.
Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...
, 2 October 1874) was an American Catholic bishop, the third Bishop of Hartford.
Life
His parents, John McFarland and Mary McKeever, emigrated from ArmaghArmagh
Armagh is a large settlement in Northern Ireland, and the county town of County Armagh. It is a site of historical importance for both Celtic paganism and Christianity and is the seat, for both the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of Ireland, of the Archbishop of Armagh...
. He was employed as teacher in the village school, but soon entered Mount St. Mary's College, Emmitsburg, 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...
, where he graduated with high honours and was retained as teacher.
The following year, 1845, he was ordained, 18 May, at New York by Archbishop Hughes, who immediately detailed the young priest to a professor's chair at St. John's College, Fordham. Father McFarland from his college made frequent missionary journeys among scattered Catholics.
After a year at Fordham he was appointed pastor of Watertown, New York. In March 1851, he was transferred by his new ordinary, Bishop McCloskey of Albany, to St. John's Church, Utica. He was appointed Vicar-Apostolic of Florida, 9 March, 1857. He declined this, only to be elected Bishop of Hartford. He was consecrated at Providence, 14 March, 1858, and resided in that city until the division of his diocese in 1872.
Failing health prompted him, while attending the First Vatican Council
First Vatican Council
The First Vatican Council was convoked by Pope Pius IX on 29 June 1868, after a period of planning and preparation that began on 6 December 1864. This twentieth ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church, held three centuries after the Council of Trent, opened on 8 December 1869 and adjourned...
, to resign his see. His colleagues of the American episcopate would not hear of such a step. By dividing the diocese it was hoped that his burden would be sufficiently lightened. He left Providence for Hartford 28 February, 1872. After reorganizing his diocese he immediately set about the erection of a cathedral. He died aged 55.