The Right Reverend Francis Patrick McFarland | |
|---|---|
| Bishop of Hartford | |
 | |
| Church | Catholic |
| Diocese | Hartford, Connecticut |
| Appointed | January 8, 1858 |
| Predecessor | Bernard O'Reilly |
| Successor | Thomas Galberry |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | May 18, 1845 by John Joseph Hughes |
| Consecration | March 14, 1858 by John Joseph Hughes |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1819-04-16)April 16, 1819[1] Franklin, Pennsylvania, US |
| Died | October 2, 1874(1874-10-02) (aged 55) Hartford, Connecticut, US |
| Parents | John McFarland and Mary McKeever |
| Education | Mount St. Mary's College |
| Signature | .png) |
Francis Patrick McFarland (April 16, 1819 – October 2, 1874) was anAmerican Catholic prelate who served asbishop of Hartford from 1858 until his death in 1874.
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Francis McFarland was born inFranklin, Pennsylvania on April 16, 1819. His parents, John McFarland and Mary McKeever, emigrated to the United States fromArmagh in Ireland. They took up farming nearWaynesboro, Pennsylvania.[2]
After finishing his early education, Francis was employed as teacher in the village school. Deciding that he want to become a priest, he then enteredMount St. Mary's College inEmmitsburg, Maryland. McFarland graduated from Mount St. Mary's with high honours and was hired to teach there.[2]
On May 18, 1845, McFarland was ordained into the priesthood for theDiocese of New York atSt. Patrick's Old Cathedral in New York City by BishopJohn Hughes.[3] After McFarland's ordination, Hughes appointed him to the faculty ofSt. John's College in theBronx. While teaching at St. John's, he also made missionary journeys to remote parts of the diocese, frequently visiting the sick inStamford, Connecticut.[4]
McFarland soon realized that he enjoyed pastoral work more than teaching. He left St. John's to serve as an assistant pastor at theChurch of St. Joseph in theGreenwich Village section of New York City. The diocese in 1846 then assigned McFarland to conduct missionary work out of St. Mary's Church inWatertown in theNorth Country region of New York State.
In 1847, the Vatican removed all ofUpstate New York from the Diocese of New York, creating the Dioceses of Buffalo andAlbany.[5] Since Watertown now resided in the Diocese of Albany, McFarland wasincardinated, or transferred there. In March 1851, the first bishop of Albany,John McCloskey, moved McFarland to serve as pastor at St. John's Parish inUtica, New York.
On March 9, 1857,Pope Pius IX appointed McFarland asvicar apostolic of the new Apostolic Vicariate of Florida. This position would have given him ecclesiastical jurisdiction over the entireState of Florida. However, McFarland declined the appointment.[3]
One year later, in January 1858, Pius IX named McFarland as the second bishop of Hartford, which he accepted. He was consecrated at St. Patrick's Church inProvidence, Rhode Island on March 14, 1858, by Archbishop Hughes; the sermon was delivered by Bishop McCloskey.[3]
At this time, the Diocese of Hartford included the states of Connecticut and Rhode Island. Because the majority of Catholics in the diocese lived inProvidence, Rhode Island, rather thanHartford, Connecticut, McFarland followed the lead of his two predecessors by residing in Providence.[2]
McFarland made repeated attempts to communicate to the community that Catholics were loyal Americans. After the outbreak of theAmerican Civil War in 1861, he encouraged Catholics to actively support the federal government. McFarland frequently spoke to congregations at Protestant churches in Rhode Island.[6]
While visiting England in 1863, McFarland met Reverend Florimonde DeBruycker, aBelgian priest. McFarland convinced him to come to Connecticut to organizeFrench-Canadian workers into parishes. He would ultimately recruit more Belgian priests to staff both French-Canadian and German parishes.[7] McFarland also recruited an Italian priest to minister to the growing Italian immigrant population inNew Haven, Connecticut.[7]
To staff schools, orphanages and other charitable institutions, McFarland recruited religious brothers and sisters from theFranciscan Friars, the Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis, the Christian Brothers, theSisters of Charity, and the Congregation De Notre Dame.[4]
In 1869, McFarland travelled to Rome to participate with other bishops in theFirst Vatican Council. While there, he announced his plan to resign as bishop of Hartford because he was no longer healthy enough to handle the job. The American bishops then asked Pius IX to lessen McFarland's responsibilities by moving Rhode Island out of the Diocese of Hartford into its own diocese. The Vatican erected the Diocese of Providence in 1872 and McFarland decided to remain as bishop in Hartford.[8][2]
In 1872, McFarland moved the episcopal see to Hartford. Since Hartford did not have a suitable church to be a cathedral, he purchased an estate in Hartford to serve as the site of the new cathedral. He built a convent there for theSisters of Mercy religious order and designated the convent chapel, St. Joseph's, as the diocesanpro-cathedral (temporary cathedral). McFarland dedicated the convent chapel in 1873. It would be up to his successors to construct Hartford's cathedral[9]
By 1873, McFarland's health was declining rapidly. He visitedAiken, South Carolina, a popular winter resort, and thenRichlands, Virginia, in efforts to rebuild his strength. He finally returned to Hartford to spend his remaining time.[4]
McFarland died in Hartford on October 2, 1874, at age 55.[2] He was buried on the grounds of St. Joseph's Chapel, then reinterred in the crypt of the first St. Joseph's Cathedral in 1892.[4] After the cathedral was destroyed by fire in 1958, McFarland's remains were re-interred with those of other bishops in Mount Saint Benedict Cemetery inBloomfield, Connecticut.[10]
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Francis Patrick McFarland".Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
| Catholic Church titles | ||
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| Preceded by | Bishop of Hartford 1858–1875 | Succeeded by |
