John Ireland First Archbishop of Saint Paul Date of Birth: 11.09.1838 Country: USA

Biography of John Ireland

John Ireland was the first Archbishop of Saint Paul, Minnesota, serving from 1888 to 1918. He was a religious and social leader in Saint Paul throughout his life. His influential personality made him a key figure in many significant projects for the state and the country. John Ireland became well-known for his progressive positions on education, immigration, and the relationship between the church and the state. However, he held conservative views on political corruption. His harsh attitude towards Greek Catholics, as he did not accept married priests, led to the Greek Catholic Church merging with the Orthodox Church and Ireland receiving the ironic nickname "The Father of the Orthodox Church in America."

John Ireland was born in Burnchurch, County Kilkenny, Ireland, and baptized on September 11, 1838. His family emigrated to the United States in 1848 and settled in Saint Paul in 1852, which became his lifelong home. A year later, Joseph Crétin, the first Bishop of Saint Paul, sent John to a preparatory seminary in Meximieux, France. He returned to Saint Paul in 1861, took holy orders, and served as a chaplain for the Fifth Minnesota Regiment during the Civil War until his resignation in 1863.

In 1867, at the age of 29, John Ireland was appointed pastor of the Saint Paul Cathedral. He held this position until 1875 when he became the coadjutor bishop of Saint Paul. In 1884, Ireland assumed the role of ordinary bishop and, four years later, became the first Archbishop of Saint Paul. He maintained his position for 30 years until his death in 1918 at the age of 80. Prior to his death, Ireland burned all his personal documents.

Archbishop Ireland was a personal friend of two U.S. presidents, William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt. His funeral was attended by eight archbishops, thirty bishops, twelve papal prelates, seven hundred priests, and two hundred seminarians. Ireland played a crucial role in what was known as colonization. Concerned about reports of Catholic immigrants suffering from social and economic obstacles in eastern cities, Ireland and John Spalding founded the Irish Catholic Colonization Association. This organization purchased land in rural areas in the west and south and facilitated the resettlement of Irish Catholics from urban slums. As a result, Ireland helped establish numerous Irish colony settlements in Minnesota and led the National Colonization Association.

From 1876 to 1881, Ireland organized and headed the most successful rural colonization programs in U.S. history with the support of the Catholic Church. He worked with western railroads and the government of Minnesota, relocating over 4,000 Irish families from slums to rural areas, covering an area of approximately 1,600 square kilometers.

Archbishop Ireland advocated for state support and oversight of Catholic schools. When several parish schools in the state were at risk of closure, Ireland succeeded in transferring their governance to reliable city educational boards. These schools continued to operate with nuns and priests but also provided secular education. This scheme generated significant controversy, leading Ireland to travel to the Vatican to defend his project. He also opposed the use of foreign languages in schools. As the United States experienced a large influx of immigrants from European countries, instruction often took place in students' native languages. However, Ireland insisted on the universal study of the English language, aiming for all nationalities to eventually become one - the American people. Ireland played a role in establishing numerous religious and educational institutions in Saint Paul and Washington, D.C.