Thomas Edmund Molloy (September 4, 1885 – November 26, 1956) was an Americanprelate of theCatholic Church. He served asBishop of Brooklyn from 1921 until his death in 1956.
He was born inNashua,New Hampshire, the fourth of the eight children of John and Ellen Molloy.[1] He attendedSaint Anselm College inGoffstown, New Hampshire, before enteringSt. Francis College inBrooklyn,New York and graduating in 1904.[1] He then decided to study for thepriesthood and was enrolled at St. John's Seminary in Brooklyn.[1] He was later sent to further his studies inRome at thePontifical North American College and thePropaganda University.[2]
Molloy wasordained a priest by CardinalPietro Respighi on September 19, 1908.[3] Upon his return to theUnited States in 1909, Molloy became acurate atQueen of All Saints Church in Brooklyn.[2] He was later namedprivate secretary to BishopGeorge Mundelein, accompanying the latter toIllinois following his promotion toArchbishop of Chicago.[4] After several months inChicago, he returned to Brooklyn and joined thefaculty of St. Joseph's College for Women, serving asspiritual director andprofessor ofphilosophy and laterpresident.[4]
On June 28, 1920, Molloy was appointedAuxiliary Bishop of Brooklyn andTitular Bishop ofLorea byPope Benedict XV.[3] He received hisepiscopalconsecration on the following October 3 from BishopCharles Edward McDonnell, with BishopsEdmund Gibbons andThomas Joseph Walsh serving asco-consecrators.[3] At age 35, he was one of the youngest members of the American hierarchy.[4] Following the death of Bishop McDonnell in August 1921, Molloy was named the thirdBishop of Brooklyn on November 21, 1921.[3] He wasinstalled on February 15, 1922.[3] During his 35-year-long tenure, the number of Catholics exceeded one million and made the Brooklyn diocese the most populous in the country.[5] He founded Immaculate Conception Seminary in 1930.[5] During theGreat Depression, he established a labor school where working men could learn the Catholic principles that apply totrade unionism.[4] He also ordered the diocesan clergy to take courses in industrial issues to better instruct their parishioners.[4] While Bishop of Brooklyn, Molloy was a prominent supporter of the far right, pro-NaziChristian Front. His diocesan newspaper, the Tablet, once addressed the charge that the Christian Front was anti-Semitic: "Well what of it? Just what law was violated?" He was given the personal title ofArchbishop on April 7, 1951.[3]
Molloy suffered astroke and an attack ofpneumonia on November 15, 1956.[4] He died eleven days later at his residence in Brooklyn, aged 72.[4]
Molloy was originally interred at theSeminary of the Immaculate Conception inHuntington, NY until 2016, when he was re-interred at theCathedral College of the Immaculate Conception inDouglaston, NY.
Archbishop Molloy High School in Queens is named after him.[citation needed]
In 1956, the year of his death, Molloy Catholic College for Women was established in Rockville Centre. The Sisters of St Dominic (Order of Preachers) of Amityville initiated the school and teach there. The college is now co-educational and simply namedMolloy University.[citation needed]
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| Preceded by | Bishop of Brooklyn 1921–1956 | Succeeded by |
