Peter James Muldoon | |
|---|---|
| Bishop of Rockford Titular bishop of Tamassus | |
 | |
| See | Diocese of Rockford |
| In office | December 15, 1908 October 8, 1927 |
| Successor | Edward Francis Hoban |
| Other posts | Auxiliary Bishop of Chicago 1901 to 1908 |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | December 18, 1886 by John Loughlin |
| Consecration | July 25, 1901 by Sebastiano Martinelli |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1863-10-10)October 10, 1863 |
| Died | October 8, 1927(1927-10-08) (aged 63) |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Education | St. Mary's College St. Mary's Seminary |
| Motto | Pro fide et patria (For faith and country) |
Peter James Muldoon (October 10, 1863 – October 8, 1927) was an American prelate of theRoman Catholic Church. He served as the first bishop of the newDiocese of Rockford in Illinois from 1908 until his death in 1927. He previously served as an auxiliary bishop of theArchdiocese of Chicago in Illinois from 1901 to 1908.
Muldoon served as chair of the National Catholic War Council during World War I and was a leader of the National Catholic Welfare Council during the 1920s.
Peter Muldoon was born on October 10, 1863, inColumbia, California, to Irish immigrants John and Catherine (Coughlin) Muldoon.[1] He was the oldest child in a family of five children. Muldoon attended public schools inStockton, California, then in 1877 enteredSt. Mary's College in St. Mary, Kentucky, where his uncle, the Reverend John Coughlin, was a faculty member. In 1881, Muldoon enrolled atSt. Mary's Seminary in Baltimore, Maryland.[2][3] When John Coughlin was transferred to the Archdiocese of Chicago, Muldoon applied to beincardinated there.[3]
Muldoon was ordained a priest by BishopJohn Loughlin for the Archdiocese of Chicago on December 18, 1886.[1] Muldoon served as chancellor of the archdiocese and secretary from 1888 to 1895 for ArchbishopPatrick A. Feehan.[4] He spent the next 13 years as pastor of St. Charles Borromeo Parish in Chicago.[2]
On 25 July 1901,Pope Leo XIII appointed Muldoon as titular bishop ofTamassus and auxiliary bishop of Chicago. He was consecrated on July 25, 1901, by CardinalSebastiano Martinelli atHoly Name Cathedral in Chicago.[5][1] After his ordination, Muldoon was assigned as an assistant pastor at St. Pius Parish in Chicago. After noticing Muldoon's abilities, ArchbishopPatrick Feehan appointed him as his secretary. His appointment raised jealously among many local priests and German priests resentful of Irish clergy. Some of these discontented priests engaged in character defamation against Muldoon - one of them was ultimatelyexcommunicated by Feehan for these actions.[1] Muldoon was appointed asvicar-general of the archdiocese.[6]
As auxiliary bishop, Muldoon became very interested in the welfare of working people. He would visit theUnion Stock Yards, the meat packing district in Chicago. and speak with workers there. He became a strong proponent oflabor unions.[3]
When Feehan died on July 12, 1902, Muldoon was named asarchdiocesan administrator. While there was some support for naming Muldoon as the new archbishop, that initiative was abandoned in the face of his previous opposition in Chicago. When BishopJames Quigley was installed, he retained Muldoon as his vicar-general.[3]
In 1908,Pope Pius X appointed Muldoon as the first bishop of the new Diocese of Rockford. He was installed on December 15, 1908.[1] Muldoon later told a friend that he was worried his enemies in the archdiocese might assault him due to his appointment.[1]
In December 1916, the Vatican told Muldoon that the pope wanted to appoint him as bishop of theDiocese of Monterey-Los Angeles in California. Muldoon preferred to stay in Rockford, but was ready to accept the appointment. He was appointed bishop of Monterey-Los Angeles in 1917. When thepapal bull arrived in Rockford, Muldoon had it placed unopened on the mantle of his fireplace. Meanwhile, the clergy and laity of Rockford petitioned the Vatican to cancel the appointment. On May 15th, the Vatican allowed Muldoon to remain as bishop of Rockford.[3]
With the 1917 entry of the United States intoWorld War I, Muldoon became active in ministering to soldiers and recruits atCamp Grant, the US Army facility in Rockford. He was later appointed as chair of theNational Catholic War Council.[7] He worked for the establishment of recreational facilities for soldiers in bases throughout the country. He also assisted and coordinated with Protestant and secular agencies that were helping soldiers. The organization was considered a great success.[3]
In 1919, after the end of the war, Muldoon persuaded CardinalJames Gibbons to propose to the Vatican the creation ofNational Catholic Welfare Council (NCWC), a peacetime organization that was comparable to the National Catholic War Council. With Vatican approval, the NCWC was created in 1919 with Muldoon as episcopal chair of its Social Action Department. In his vision for the NCWC, he supported a paper on social reconstruction written by Father John Ryan.[8] The paper, which begun with the sentence "The only safeguard of peace is social justice and a contented people" contained series of proposed social reforms that were quite advanced for the time.[8] These reforms includedchild labor laws andpublic housing for the poor.[8]
However, some American bishops felt that the NCWC was infringing on their control of their dioceses. They complained about it toPope Pius XI in March 1922, who then revoked the NCWC approbation. Muldoon andBishop Joseph Schrembs were among the NCWC's most vigorous defenders. After the American hierarchy sent a delegation headed by Shrembs to Rome, the Vatican agreed to restore the approbation providing, among other things, that the organization be renamed the National Catholic Welfare Conference.
Peter Muldoon died in Rockford on October 8, 1927, after a long illness.[2]
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