His Eminence John Murphy Farley | |
|---|---|
| CardinalArchbishop of New York | |
 | |
| See | New York |
| Appointed | September 15, 1902 |
| Term ended | September 17, 1918 |
| Predecessor | Michael Corrigan |
| Successor | Patrick Joseph Hayes |
| Other post(s) | Cardinal-Priest of S. Maria sopra Minerva |
| Previous post(s) |
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| Orders | |
| Ordination | June 11, 1870 by Costantino Patrizi Naro |
| Consecration | December 21, 1895 by Michael Corrigan |
| Created cardinal | November 27, 1911 byPius X |
| Rank | Cardinal-Priest |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1842-04-20)April 20, 1842 |
| Died | September 17, 1918(1918-09-17) (aged 76) Mamaroneck,New York,United States |
| Buried | St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York |
| Motto | Non Nobis Domine (Not Unto Us, O Lord) |
John Murphy Farley (April 20, 1842 – September 17, 1918) was an Irish-Americancardinal of theCatholic Church. He served asArchbishop of New York from 1902 until his death in 1918, and became acardinal in 1911.
John Farley was born inNewtownhamilton,County Armagh,Ireland, to Catherine (née Murphy) and Philip Farrelly.[1] At age twelve, he wasorphaned and went to live with his mother's family in the townland of Moyles.[2] He received his early education under the direction of a private tutor named Hugh McGuire.[3] He then attendedSt. Macartan's College inMonaghan from 1859 to 1864.[4]
Under the auspices of an uncle, Farley emigrated to theUnited States at the height of theCivil War in 1864. He immediately enrolled atSt. John's College inNew York City, graduating in 1865. He then began his studies for thepriesthood atSt. Joseph's Provincial Seminary inTroy.[5] In 1866, he was sent to continue his studies at thePontifical North American College inRome.[3] He was present in Rome during the whole period of theFirst Vatican Council.[6]
Farley wasordained a priest by CardinalCostantino Patrizi Naro on June 11, 1870.[7] His first assignment, following his return to New York, was as acurate atSt. Peter's Church (Staten Island), where he remained for two years.[8] Following the appointment ofFrancis McNeirny to theDiocese of Albany, in 1872 Farley became secretary to ArchbishopJohn McCloskey,[6] whom he had earlier met while in Rome. It was about this time that he changed the spelling of his name from "Farrelly" to "Farley".[2] He accompanied McCloskey to the1878 papal conclave, but they arrived after the election ofPope Leo XIII had already taken place.[1] Farley wrote the article on Cardinal McCloskey for theCatholic Encyclopedia.[9]
From 1884 to 1902, Farley served aspastor ofSt. Gabriel's Church inManhattan.[3] During his tenure at St. Gabriel's, he freed the parish from debt, oversaw the consecration of the church, and built a parish hall. He was named apapal chamberlain in 1884 with the title of "monsignor", and raised to the rank ofdomestic prelate in 1892.[4] In addition to his pastoral duties at St. Gabriel's, Farley served asvicar general for theArchdiocese of New York from 1891 to 1902.[1] He also served as president of the Catholic school board, in which position he organized a Catholic school parade in 1892.[5] He later organized a Catholic school exhibit in 1894.[5] He became aprotonotary apostolic in 1895.[4]
| Styles of John Murphy Farley | |
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| Reference style | His Eminence |
| Spoken style | Your Eminence |
| Informal style | Cardinal |
| See | New York |
Ordination history of John Murphy Farley | |||||||||||||||||||
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On November 18, 1895, Farley was appointedauxiliary bishop of New York andtitular bishop ofZeugma in Syria by Leo XIII. He received hisepiscopalconsecration on the following December 21 from ArchbishopMichael Corrigan, with BishopsCharles Edward McDonnell andHenry Gabriels serving asco-consecrators, atSt. Patrick's Cathedral.[7] Farley becameApostolic Administrator of the archdiocese upon the death of Archbishop Corrigan on May 5, 1902, and was himself named the fourthArchbishop of New York on September 15 of that year.[10] He was honored as anAssistant at the Pontifical Throne in 1905.
Pope Pius X created himCardinal Priest ofSanta Maria sopra Minerva in theconsistory of November 27, 1911.[9] He was one of thecardinal electors who participated in the1914 papal conclave, which selectedPope Benedict XV. Following the outbreak ofWorld War I, Farley stated,
"As Catholics in America, we owe unswerving allegiance to the Government of America, and it is our sacred duty to answer with alacrity every demand our country makes upon our loyalty and devotion... I would that peace could come byarbitration anddiplomacy. It seems, however, that no permanent peace can be hoped for except through the defeat of German arms in the field or the repudiation of thePrussian autocracy by the German people themselves. Criticism of the government irritates me. I consider it little short of treason."[11]
His dedication to victory in the war angered theSinn Féin element of the New York clergy, who believed the Cardinal was bowing toanti-Irish bigots.
He made progress inCatholic education in the archdiocese the keynote of his tenure as Archbishop, and established nearly fifty newparochial schools within his first eight years; he also founded theCathedral Preparatory Seminary.[10] He was known to take daily walks with one of his priests downMadison orFifth Avenue, noting, "A man never collects his thoughts so well as when he walks alone or with a congenial spirit."
Farley died inMamaroneck, at age 76.[8] He is buried in thecrypt under thealtar ofSt. Patrick's Cathedral.
| Catholic Church titles | ||
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| Preceded by | Archbishop of New York 1902 – 1918 | Succeeded by |
