Thomas O'Gorman

Thomas O'Gorman
Bishop of Sioux Falls
In office
January 24, 1896 – September 18, 1921
Personal details
Born(1843-05-01)May 1, 1843
Boston, Massachusetts
DiedSeptember 18, 1921(1921-09-18) (aged 78)
Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Thomas O'Gorman (May 1, 1843 – September 18, 1921) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Sioux Falls from 1896 until his death in 1921.

Biography

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Thomas O'Gorman was born in Boston, Massachusetts, to John and Margaret (née O'Keefe) O'Gorman.[1] He and his parents moved to Chicago, Illinois, when he was still a child, and then to Saint Paul, Minnesota.[2] In 1853 he and John Ireland were chosen by Bishop Joseph Crétin to study for the priesthood in France.[3] Upon his return to Minnesota, O'Gorman was ordained a priest on November 5, 1865.[4] He then served as pastor of St. John Church in Rochester until 1878, when he joined the Paulist Fathers in their missionary work in New York and also served as a curate at St. Paul Church.[2]

He returned to Minnesota in 1882 and was then appointed pastor of Immaculate Conception Church at Faribault.[1] In 1885 he became the first president of the newly established College of St. Thomas, where he also served as professor of dogmatic theology.[1] He was named professor of church history at Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. in 1890.[3] During his tenure at Washington, he wrote A History of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States.[2]

On January 24, 1896, O'Gorman was appointed the second Bishop of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, by Pope Leo XIII.[4] He received his episcopal consecration on the following April 19 from Cardinal Francesco Satolli, with Bishops John Joseph Keane and Martin Marty, O.S.B., serving as co-consecrators, at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Washington, D.C.[4] He was later installed at Sioux Falls on May 1, 1896.[3] During his 25-year-long tenure, he increased the number of priests and Catholics in the diocese, and erected numerous churches, schools, and hospitals.[3] He dedicated St. Joseph's Cathedral in 1919, and founded Columbus College in 1921.[3] O'Gorman died from a stroke in Sioux Falls on September 18, 1921, at age 78.[5]

O'Gorman Catholic High School in Sioux Falls is named in his honor.

References

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  1. ^ a b c Marquis, Albert Nelson, ed. (1912). Who's Who in America. Vol. VII. Chicago: A.N. Marquis & Company.
  2. ^ a b c Kingsbury, George Washington (1915). History of Dakota Territory. Vol. IV. Chicago: The S.J. Clarke Publishing Company.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Sioux Falls". Catholic Encyclopedia.
  4. ^ a b c "Bishop Thomas O'Gorman". Catholic-Hierarchy.org.
  5. ^ "Catholic Bishop at Sioux Falls is Dead at 78". The Minneapolis Morning Tribune. Sioux Falls, South Dakota. September 19, 1921. p. 1. Retrieved February 8, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
Catholic Church titles
Preceded by Bishop of Sioux Falls
1896–1921
Succeeded by