Patrick Anthony Ludden
Encyclopedia
Patrick Anthony Ludden was an Irish
-born prelate
of the Roman Catholic Church
. He was the first Bishop of Syracuse, New York
(1887–1912).
, near Castlebar
, County Mayo
, to Anthony and Ellen (née Fitzgerald) Ludden. He graduated from St. Jarlath's College
in Tuam
in 1861 and then immigrated to North America
, where he entered the Grand Seminary of Montreal
in Quebec
, Canada
. After completing his theological
studies, he was ordained
to the priesthood
by Bishop Ignace Bourget
on May 21, 1864. He was attached to the Diocese of Albany
in New York
, and there served as rector
of St. Joseph's Church in Malone
. He was shortly afterwards named chancellor
of the diocese, and accompanied Bishop John J. Conroy
as his theologian to the First Vatican Council
. In 1872 he became rector of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception and vicar general
of the diocese. He was named rector of St. Peter's Church in Troy
in 1880.
On December 14, 1886, Ludden was appointed the first Bishop
of the newly-erected Diocese of Syracuse
by Pope Leo XIII
. He received his episcopal
consecration
on May 1, 1887 from Archbishop Michael Corrigan
, with Bishops Bernard John McQuaid
and Francis McNeirny
serving as co-consecrators
. During his 25-year-long tenure, he presided over a period of great growth in the young diocese.
At the time of Ludden's arrival, the diocese contained 70,000 Catholics, 74 priests, 46 parishes
, 20 mission
churches, and 16 parochial school
s. By the time of his death, there were over 150,000 Catholics, 129 priests, 80 parishes, 36 mission churches, and 21 parochial schools. He selected St. Mary's Church as his new cathedral
in 1903, and dedicated it in September 1910. In 1911 he gained a degree of notoriety when he declared that the deadlock in the New York Legislature
over the election of William F. Sheehan
to the United States Senate
was due to anti-Catholicism
. Sheehan was later defeated.
Bishop Ludden died at his residence in Syracuse, New York
, aged 74. He is buried in the crypt
of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Syracuse. Bishop Ludden Junior/Senior High School
is named after him.
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
-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 was the first Bishop of Syracuse, New York
Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse
The Diocese of Syracuse is a Catholic diocese headquartered in Syracuse, New York, USA. The current bishop is the Most Rev. Robert J. Cunningham. The Diocese of Syracuse includes 350,000 Catholics residing in seven counties of Central and South Central New York State...
(1887–1912).
Biography
Patrick Ludden was born in BreaffyBreaffy
Breaffy, officially Breaghwy , is a village near Castlebar in County Mayo, Ireland. It is southeast of Castlebar and has a population of about 1,500.- Village :...
, near Castlebar
Castlebar
Castlebar is the county town of, and at the centre of, County Mayo in Ireland. It is Mayo's largest town by population. The town's population exploded in the late 1990s, increasing by one-third in just six years, though this massive growth has slowed down greatly in recent years...
, County Mayo
County Mayo
County Mayo is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the village of Mayo, which is now generally known as Mayo Abbey. Mayo County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county is 130,552...
, to Anthony and Ellen (née Fitzgerald) Ludden. He graduated from St. Jarlath's College
St. Jarlath's College
St. Jarlath's College is a Roman Catholic secondary school for boys in Tuam, County Galway, Ireland. It is an amalgamation of the former St. Jarlath's College and St...
in Tuam
Tuam
Tuam is a town in County Galway, Ireland. The name is pronounced choo-um . It is situated west of the midlands of Ireland, and north of Galway city.-History:...
in 1861 and then immigrated to North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, where he entered 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....
, Canada
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...
. After completing his theological
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...
studies, 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 Ignace Bourget
Ignace Bourget
Ignace Bourget was a French-Canadian Roman Catholic priest who held the title of Bishop of Montreal from 1840 to 1876. Born in Lévis, Quebec in 1799, Bourget entered the clergy at an early age, undertook several courses of religious study, and in 1837 was named co-adjutor bishop of the newly...
on May 21, 1864. He was attached to the Diocese of Albany
Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany covers all or part of 14 counties in Eastern New York...
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 there served as 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 St. Joseph's Church in Malone
Malone (village), New York
-Notable natives:Notable natives include:*William Almon Wheeler served as Vice President of the United States under Rutherford Hayes. Is buried at Morningside Cemetery in Malone....
. He was shortly afterwards named 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 accompanied Bishop John J. Conroy
John J. Conroy
John Joseph Conroy was an Irish-born clergyman of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Albany from 1865 to 1877.-Biography:...
as his theologian to 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...
. In 1872 he became rector of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception 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. He was named rector of St. Peter's Church in Troy
Troy, New York
Troy is a city in the US State of New York and the seat of Rensselaer County. Troy is located on the western edge of Rensselaer County and on the eastern bank of the Hudson River. Troy has close ties to the nearby cities of Albany and Schenectady, forming a region popularly called the Capital...
in 1880.
On December 14, 1886, Ludden was appointed 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 Syracuse
Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse
The Diocese of Syracuse is a Catholic diocese headquartered in Syracuse, New York, USA. The current bishop is the Most Rev. Robert J. Cunningham. The Diocese of Syracuse includes 350,000 Catholics residing in seven counties of Central and South Central New York State...
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 May 1, 1887 from Archbishop Michael Corrigan
Michael Corrigan
Michael Augustine Corrigan was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church, who served as the third archbishop of New York from 1885 to 1902.-Early life:...
, with Bishops Bernard John McQuaid
Bernard John McQuaid
Bernard John McQuaid was an American Catholic priest, the first Bishop of Rochester, U.S.A. and the first president of Seton Hall University...
and Francis McNeirny
Francis McNeirny
Francis S. McNeirny was an American clergyman of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Albany from 1877 until his death in 1894.-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...
. During his 25-year-long tenure, he presided over a period of great growth in the young diocese.
At the time of Ludden's arrival, the diocese contained 70,000 Catholics, 74 priests, 46 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...
, 20 mission
Mission (Christian)
Christian missionary activities often involve sending individuals and groups , to foreign countries and to places in their own homeland. This has frequently involved not only evangelization , but also humanitarian work, especially among the poor and disadvantaged...
churches, and 16 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:...
s. By the time of his death, there were over 150,000 Catholics, 129 priests, 80 parishes, 36 mission churches, and 21 parochial schools. He selected St. Mary's Church as his new cathedral
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
in 1903, and dedicated it in September 1910. In 1911 he gained a degree of notoriety when he declared that the deadlock in the New York Legislature
New York Legislature
The New York State Legislature is the term often used to refer to the two houses that act as the state legislature of the U.S. state of New York. The New York Constitution does not designate an official term for the two houses together...
over the election of William F. Sheehan
William F. Sheehan
William Francis Sheehan was an American lawyer and politician. During his political career he became known as Blue-Eyed Billy.-Biography:He was born on November 6, 1859 in Buffalo, New York....
to the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
was due to anti-Catholicism
Anti-Catholicism in the United States
Strong political and theological positions hostile to the Catholic Church and its followers was prominent among Protestants in Britain and Germany from the Protestant Reformation onwards. Immigrants brought them to the American colonies. Two types of anti-Catholic rhetoric existed in colonial society...
. Sheehan was later defeated.
Bishop Ludden died at his residence in Syracuse, New York
Syracuse, New York
Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603...
, aged 74. He is buried in the crypt
Crypt
In architecture, a crypt is a stone chamber or vault beneath the floor of a burial vault possibly containing sarcophagi, coffins or relics....
of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Syracuse. Bishop Ludden Junior/Senior High School
Bishop Ludden Junior/Senior High School
Bishop Ludden Junior/Senior High School is a private, Roman Catholic high school in Syracuse, New York. It is located within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse...
is named after him.