Christopher Edward Byrne
| Christopher Edward Byrne | |
|---|---|
| Bishop of Galveston | |
| Appointed | July 18, 1918 |
| Installed | 1918 |
| Term ended | 1950 |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | September 23, 1891 by Archbishop Peter Richard Kenrick |
| Consecration | November 10, 1919 by Archbishop John J. Glennon |
| Personal details | |
| Born | April 21, 1867 Byrnesville, Missouri |
| Died | Script error: The function "death_date_and_age" does not exist. Calvary Cemetery, Galveston |
| Nationality | American |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Parents | Patrick and Rose Byrne |
| Education | St. Mary's College, Kansas |
| Alma mater | St. Mary's Seminary, Baltimore, Maryland |
Christopher Edward Byrne (April 21, 1867 – April 1, 1950) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Galveston from 1918 until his death in 1950.
Biography
Christopher Byrne was born in Byrnesville, Missouri, to Patrick and Rose Byrne.[1] After attending the village school where his father taught, he studied at St. Mary's College in Kansas, from where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1886.[1] He then studied for the priesthood at St. Mary's Seminary in Baltimore, Maryland.[2] Returning to Missouri, he was ordained a priest by Archbishop Peter Richard Kenrick on September 23, 1891.[3]
Byrne then served as a curate at St. Bridget's Church in St. Louis until 1897, when he became pastor of Sacred Heart Church in Columbia.[2] In 1898 he took a leave due to poor health and lived at San Antonio, Texas, before returning to Missouri.[4] He was pastor of St. Joseph's Church in Edina from 1899 to 1910, and was transferred to Holy Name Church at St. Louis in 1911.[2] He erected churches and schools at every assignment, and for many years he also did editorial work on the Catholic newspaper The Church Progress.[1] He also served as diocesan director of the Holy Name Society and member of the Diocesan School Board.[4]
On July 18, 1918, Byrne was appointed the fourth Bishop of Galveston, Texas, by Pope Benedict XV.[3] He received his episcopal consecration on the following November 10 from Archbishop John J. Glennon, with Bishops Thomas Francis Lillis and John Baptist Morris serving as co-consecrators.[3] His expressed priority as bishop was vocations, saying, "If Catholicism has not taken that deep hold on the people which will make them dedicate their young to God's service, it cannot endure."[4] During his tenure he ordained about 130 priests and received several hundred people into religious communities.[1] He also increased the number of Catholics in the diocese from 70,000 to 200,000, and the number of schools from 51 to over 100.[1]
Byrne later died from a heart attack at age 82.[4] He is buried at Calvary Cemetery in Galveston.[1]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.[self-published source]
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
External links
| Catholic Church titles | ||
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| Preceded by | Bishop of Galveston 1918–1950 |
Succeeded by Wendelin Joseph Nold |
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- Accuracy disputes from April 2015
- Pages using S-rel template with ca parameter
- 1867 births
- 1950 deaths
- People from Jefferson County, Missouri
- American Roman Catholic bishops
- 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops
- Roman Catholic Ecclesiastical Province of Galveston–Houston
- St. Mary's College (Kansas) alumni
- St. Mary's Seminary and University alumni
- American people of Irish descent
- Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Louis
- Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Galveston–Houston
- Religious leaders from Texas
