Mathias Lenihan was educated at St. Joseph College (now Loras College) in Dubuque, Iowa; St. John's College in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin; and the Grand Séminaire de Montréal in Canada.
Fr. Mathias Clement Lenihan was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Dubuque (which became an Archdiocese in 1893) on December 20, 1879, by Bishop John Hennessy. He was a 5th-generation descendant of an early Dubuque family, and was the first native-born Iowan to be ordained a priest. Two of his brothers were also priests.
From the time of his ordination until 1904, he was involved in parish ministry. His first assignment was at Vail, Iowa, and his second was at Marshalltown.
Fr. Lenihan was appointed as the 6th pastor of St. Mary's,
Marshalltown, Iowa, then called Immaculate Conception, on July 26, 1887.
Father was responsible for building the new red brick (and current) St. Mary's Church at W. Linn and S. 1st Streets in Marshalltown. He acted as his own contractor, overseeing purchasing, hiring skilled and unskilled laborers, and obtaining financing. To all his special building collections, he always contributed more than any parishioner.
The first Mass was celebrated in the church basement, January 6, 1889. The upper church was finished October 4, 1890. Fr. Lenihan's older brother, Rev. Thomas Mathias Lenihan, of Fort Dodge, Iowa, presided over the dedication on October 15. The school was transferred to the basement, for a 10-year stay. Another brother, Rev. B.C. Lenihan, of Boone, Iowa, lectured at a parish Forty Hours devotion.
Fr. Lenihan was the first of the "educated" pastors of Marshalltown, holding a Doctor of Divinity degree. He was highly respected throughout the town. His bay horse and buggy were a familiar sight in the 1890s.
On March 19, 1898, construction began on the new Institute (school building). On October 2, the new Institute was dedicated by his brother, the Rt. Rev. Thomas Mathias Lenihan, D.D., who was, by then, Bishop of Cheyenne, Wyoming. The new school had the latest in gas lighting, as did the church. Enrollment kept increasing, and an annex, doubling the size of the school, was built from September, 1903, to September, 1904.
On January 14, 1902, the start of Marshalltown's first hospital was announced: St. Thomas Mercy Hospital (named in memory of Fr. Mathias Clement Lenihan's brother, Bishop Thomas Mathias Lenihan, who had died December 15, 1901; and for the Mercy Sisters whom Fr. Lenihan brought to town). The hospital opened September 22, 1903, and dealt with typhoid epidemics; the March 21, 1910, Green Mountain train wreck; and the 1918 influenza epidemic.
The talents of St. Mary's pastor did not go unnoticed. The new Archbishop of Dubuque, Most Rev. John J. Keane, appointed Fr. Lenihan dean of Marshall, Hardin, and Story counties. When the Archbishop traveled to Rome in late 1903, he let it be known that, in his diocese, there was a young pastor with all the qualities a bishop might need. Fr. Lenihan had built a church, a school, and a hospital, then doubled the capacity of the school, all in 17 years, before he was 50 years old.
On August 26, 1904, Pope Pius X named Fr. Mathias Clement Lenihan the first Bishop of the Diocese of Great Falls, Montana, now the Diocese of Great Falls-Billings. It was a new diocese, created out of the Diocese of Helena. On September 21, 1904, he was formally consecrated as a Bishop, in St. Raphael Cathedral, Dubuque, by Archbishop John Joseph Keane of Dubuque. The co-consecrators were Bishops James John Keane of Cheyenne, Wyoming; and Joseph Bernard Cotter, of Winona, Minnesota. Famed Archbishop John Ireland of St. Paul, Minnesota, delivered the sermon. Nine bishops were in attendance. Bishop Mathias Clement Lenihan was installed in office in his new diocese on November, 1904, at St. Ann Cathedral in Great Falls. He was the first native-born Iowan to become a bishop of the Roman Catholic Church.
Bishop Lenihan brought Sisters from the Congregation of the Humility of Mary (C.H.M.) from Ottumwa, Iowa, to teach in his schools. He served the diocese as Bishop for 26 years, and was involved in temperance reform, building the parochial school system in the diocese, and constructing a new cathedral. The new St. Ann Cathedral in Great Falls was dedicated on December 15, 1907. He was also instrumental in establishing an orphanage staffed by the Sisters of Charity of Providence, and established several new parishes during his episcopate.
Pope Pius XI accepted his resignation as Bishop of Great Falls on January 18, 1930. Following his retirement, he was named Titular Archbishop of Preslavus, Bulgaria, on February 14, 1930. He retired to his native Dubuque and died there on August 19, 1943.
Information from "A Century of Service to God and Community, the Story of St. Mary's Church, Marshalltown, Iowa, 1869 - 1969," by Wendell R. Benson; and from Wikipedia. Submitted by Angela, Member #48520699.
Fr. Mathias Clement Lenihan was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Dubuque (which became an Archdiocese in 1893) on December 20, 1879, by Bishop John Hennessy. He was a 5th-generation descendant of an early Dubuque family, and was the first native-born Iowan to be ordained a priest. Two of his brothers were also priests.
From the time of his ordination until 1904, he was involved in parish ministry. His first assignment was at Vail, Iowa, and his second was at Marshalltown.
Fr. Lenihan was appointed as the 6th pastor of St. Mary's,
Marshalltown, Iowa, then called Immaculate Conception, on July 26, 1887.
Father was responsible for building the new red brick (and current) St. Mary's Church at W. Linn and S. 1st Streets in Marshalltown. He acted as his own contractor, overseeing purchasing, hiring skilled and unskilled laborers, and obtaining financing. To all his special building collections, he always contributed more than any parishioner.
The first Mass was celebrated in the church basement, January 6, 1889. The upper church was finished October 4, 1890. Fr. Lenihan's older brother, Rev. Thomas Mathias Lenihan, of Fort Dodge, Iowa, presided over the dedication on October 15. The school was transferred to the basement, for a 10-year stay. Another brother, Rev. B.C. Lenihan, of Boone, Iowa, lectured at a parish Forty Hours devotion.
Fr. Lenihan was the first of the "educated" pastors of Marshalltown, holding a Doctor of Divinity degree. He was highly respected throughout the town. His bay horse and buggy were a familiar sight in the 1890s.
On March 19, 1898, construction began on the new Institute (school building). On October 2, the new Institute was dedicated by his brother, the Rt. Rev. Thomas Mathias Lenihan, D.D., who was, by then, Bishop of Cheyenne, Wyoming. The new school had the latest in gas lighting, as did the church. Enrollment kept increasing, and an annex, doubling the size of the school, was built from September, 1903, to September, 1904.
On January 14, 1902, the start of Marshalltown's first hospital was announced: St. Thomas Mercy Hospital (named in memory of Fr. Mathias Clement Lenihan's brother, Bishop Thomas Mathias Lenihan, who had died December 15, 1901; and for the Mercy Sisters whom Fr. Lenihan brought to town). The hospital opened September 22, 1903, and dealt with typhoid epidemics; the March 21, 1910, Green Mountain train wreck; and the 1918 influenza epidemic.
The talents of St. Mary's pastor did not go unnoticed. The new Archbishop of Dubuque, Most Rev. John J. Keane, appointed Fr. Lenihan dean of Marshall, Hardin, and Story counties. When the Archbishop traveled to Rome in late 1903, he let it be known that, in his diocese, there was a young pastor with all the qualities a bishop might need. Fr. Lenihan had built a church, a school, and a hospital, then doubled the capacity of the school, all in 17 years, before he was 50 years old.
On August 26, 1904, Pope Pius X named Fr. Mathias Clement Lenihan the first Bishop of the Diocese of Great Falls, Montana, now the Diocese of Great Falls-Billings. It was a new diocese, created out of the Diocese of Helena. On September 21, 1904, he was formally consecrated as a Bishop, in St. Raphael Cathedral, Dubuque, by Archbishop John Joseph Keane of Dubuque. The co-consecrators were Bishops James John Keane of Cheyenne, Wyoming; and Joseph Bernard Cotter, of Winona, Minnesota. Famed Archbishop John Ireland of St. Paul, Minnesota, delivered the sermon. Nine bishops were in attendance. Bishop Mathias Clement Lenihan was installed in office in his new diocese on November, 1904, at St. Ann Cathedral in Great Falls. He was the first native-born Iowan to become a bishop of the Roman Catholic Church.
Bishop Lenihan brought Sisters from the Congregation of the Humility of Mary (C.H.M.) from Ottumwa, Iowa, to teach in his schools. He served the diocese as Bishop for 26 years, and was involved in temperance reform, building the parochial school system in the diocese, and constructing a new cathedral. The new St. Ann Cathedral in Great Falls was dedicated on December 15, 1907. He was also instrumental in establishing an orphanage staffed by the Sisters of Charity of Providence, and established several new parishes during his episcopate.
Pope Pius XI accepted his resignation as Bishop of Great Falls on January 18, 1930. Following his retirement, he was named Titular Archbishop of Preslavus, Bulgaria, on February 14, 1930. He retired to his native Dubuque and died there on August 19, 1943.
Information from "A Century of Service to God and Community, the Story of St. Mary's Church, Marshalltown, Iowa, 1869 - 1969," by Wendell R. Benson; and from Wikipedia. Submitted by Angela, Member #48520699.
Mathias Lenihan was educated at St. Joseph College (now Loras College) in Dubuque, Iowa; St. John's College in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin; and the Grand Séminaire de Montréal in Canada.
Fr. Mathias Clement Lenihan was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Dubuque (which became an Archdiocese in 1893) on December 20, 1879, by Bishop John Hennessy. He was a 5th-generation descendant of an early Dubuque family, and was the first native-born Iowan to be ordained a priest. Two of his brothers were also priests.
From the time of his ordination until 1904, he was involved in parish ministry. His first assignment was at Vail, Iowa, and his second was at Marshalltown.
Fr. Lenihan was appointed as the 6th pastor of St. Mary's,
Marshalltown, Iowa, then called Immaculate Conception, on July 26, 1887.
Father was responsible for building the new red brick (and current) St. Mary's Church at W. Linn and S. 1st Streets in Marshalltown. He acted as his own contractor, overseeing purchasing, hiring skilled and unskilled laborers, and obtaining financing. To all his special building collections, he always contributed more than any parishioner.
The first Mass was celebrated in the church basement, January 6, 1889. The upper church was finished October 4, 1890. Fr. Lenihan's older brother, Rev. Thomas Mathias Lenihan, of Fort Dodge, Iowa, presided over the dedication on October 15. The school was transferred to the basement, for a 10-year stay. Another brother, Rev. B.C. Lenihan, of Boone, Iowa, lectured at a parish Forty Hours devotion.
Fr. Lenihan was the first of the "educated" pastors of Marshalltown, holding a Doctor of Divinity degree. He was highly respected throughout the town. His bay horse and buggy were a familiar sight in the 1890s.
On March 19, 1898, construction began on the new Institute (school building). On October 2, the new Institute was dedicated by his brother, the Rt. Rev. Thomas Mathias Lenihan, D.D., who was, by then, Bishop of Cheyenne, Wyoming. The new school had the latest in gas lighting, as did the church. Enrollment kept increasing, and an annex, doubling the size of the school, was built from September, 1903, to September, 1904.
On January 14, 1902, the start of Marshalltown's first hospital was announced: St. Thomas Mercy Hospital (named in memory of Fr. Mathias Clement Lenihan's brother, Bishop Thomas Mathias Lenihan, who had died December 15, 1901; and for the Mercy Sisters whom Fr. Lenihan brought to town). The hospital opened September 22, 1903, and dealt with typhoid epidemics; the March 21, 1910, Green Mountain train wreck; and the 1918 influenza epidemic.
The talents of St. Mary's pastor did not go unnoticed. The new Archbishop of Dubuque, Most Rev. John J. Keane, appointed Fr. Lenihan dean of Marshall, Hardin, and Story counties. When the Archbishop traveled to Rome in late 1903, he let it be known that, in his diocese, there was a young pastor with all the qualities a bishop might need. Fr. Lenihan had built a church, a school, and a hospital, then doubled the capacity of the school, all in 17 years, before he was 50 years old.
On August 26, 1904, Pope Pius X named Fr. Mathias Clement Lenihan the first Bishop of the Diocese of Great Falls, Montana, now the Diocese of Great Falls-Billings. It was a new diocese, created out of the Diocese of Helena. On September 21, 1904, he was formally consecrated as a Bishop, in St. Raphael Cathedral, Dubuque, by Archbishop John Joseph Keane of Dubuque. The co-consecrators were Bishops James John Keane of Cheyenne, Wyoming; and Joseph Bernard Cotter, of Winona, Minnesota. Famed Archbishop John Ireland of St. Paul, Minnesota, delivered the sermon. Nine bishops were in attendance. Bishop Mathias Clement Lenihan was installed in office in his new diocese on November, 1904, at St. Ann Cathedral in Great Falls. He was the first native-born Iowan to become a bishop of the Roman Catholic Church.
Bishop Lenihan brought Sisters from the Congregation of the Humility of Mary (C.H.M.) from Ottumwa, Iowa, to teach in his schools. He served the diocese as Bishop for 26 years, and was involved in temperance reform, building the parochial school system in the diocese, and constructing a new cathedral. The new St. Ann Cathedral in Great Falls was dedicated on December 15, 1907. He was also instrumental in establishing an orphanage staffed by the Sisters of Charity of Providence, and established several new parishes during his episcopate.
Pope Pius XI accepted his resignation as Bishop of Great Falls on January 18, 1930. Following his retirement, he was named Titular Archbishop of Preslavus, Bulgaria, on February 14, 1930. He retired to his native Dubuque and died there on August 19, 1943.
Information from "A Century of Service to God and Community, the Story of St. Mary's Church, Marshalltown, Iowa, 1869 - 1969," by Wendell R. Benson; and from Wikipedia. Submitted by Angela, Member #48520699.
Fr. Mathias Clement Lenihan was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Dubuque (which became an Archdiocese in 1893) on December 20, 1879, by Bishop John Hennessy. He was a 5th-generation descendant of an early Dubuque family, and was the first native-born Iowan to be ordained a priest. Two of his brothers were also priests.
From the time of his ordination until 1904, he was involved in parish ministry. His first assignment was at Vail, Iowa, and his second was at Marshalltown.
Fr. Lenihan was appointed as the 6th pastor of St. Mary's,
Marshalltown, Iowa, then called Immaculate Conception, on July 26, 1887.
Father was responsible for building the new red brick (and current) St. Mary's Church at W. Linn and S. 1st Streets in Marshalltown. He acted as his own contractor, overseeing purchasing, hiring skilled and unskilled laborers, and obtaining financing. To all his special building collections, he always contributed more than any parishioner.
The first Mass was celebrated in the church basement, January 6, 1889. The upper church was finished October 4, 1890. Fr. Lenihan's older brother, Rev. Thomas Mathias Lenihan, of Fort Dodge, Iowa, presided over the dedication on October 15. The school was transferred to the basement, for a 10-year stay. Another brother, Rev. B.C. Lenihan, of Boone, Iowa, lectured at a parish Forty Hours devotion.
Fr. Lenihan was the first of the "educated" pastors of Marshalltown, holding a Doctor of Divinity degree. He was highly respected throughout the town. His bay horse and buggy were a familiar sight in the 1890s.
On March 19, 1898, construction began on the new Institute (school building). On October 2, the new Institute was dedicated by his brother, the Rt. Rev. Thomas Mathias Lenihan, D.D., who was, by then, Bishop of Cheyenne, Wyoming. The new school had the latest in gas lighting, as did the church. Enrollment kept increasing, and an annex, doubling the size of the school, was built from September, 1903, to September, 1904.
On January 14, 1902, the start of Marshalltown's first hospital was announced: St. Thomas Mercy Hospital (named in memory of Fr. Mathias Clement Lenihan's brother, Bishop Thomas Mathias Lenihan, who had died December 15, 1901; and for the Mercy Sisters whom Fr. Lenihan brought to town). The hospital opened September 22, 1903, and dealt with typhoid epidemics; the March 21, 1910, Green Mountain train wreck; and the 1918 influenza epidemic.
The talents of St. Mary's pastor did not go unnoticed. The new Archbishop of Dubuque, Most Rev. John J. Keane, appointed Fr. Lenihan dean of Marshall, Hardin, and Story counties. When the Archbishop traveled to Rome in late 1903, he let it be known that, in his diocese, there was a young pastor with all the qualities a bishop might need. Fr. Lenihan had built a church, a school, and a hospital, then doubled the capacity of the school, all in 17 years, before he was 50 years old.
On August 26, 1904, Pope Pius X named Fr. Mathias Clement Lenihan the first Bishop of the Diocese of Great Falls, Montana, now the Diocese of Great Falls-Billings. It was a new diocese, created out of the Diocese of Helena. On September 21, 1904, he was formally consecrated as a Bishop, in St. Raphael Cathedral, Dubuque, by Archbishop John Joseph Keane of Dubuque. The co-consecrators were Bishops James John Keane of Cheyenne, Wyoming; and Joseph Bernard Cotter, of Winona, Minnesota. Famed Archbishop John Ireland of St. Paul, Minnesota, delivered the sermon. Nine bishops were in attendance. Bishop Mathias Clement Lenihan was installed in office in his new diocese on November, 1904, at St. Ann Cathedral in Great Falls. He was the first native-born Iowan to become a bishop of the Roman Catholic Church.
Bishop Lenihan brought Sisters from the Congregation of the Humility of Mary (C.H.M.) from Ottumwa, Iowa, to teach in his schools. He served the diocese as Bishop for 26 years, and was involved in temperance reform, building the parochial school system in the diocese, and constructing a new cathedral. The new St. Ann Cathedral in Great Falls was dedicated on December 15, 1907. He was also instrumental in establishing an orphanage staffed by the Sisters of Charity of Providence, and established several new parishes during his episcopate.
Pope Pius XI accepted his resignation as Bishop of Great Falls on January 18, 1930. Following his retirement, he was named Titular Archbishop of Preslavus, Bulgaria, on February 14, 1930. He retired to his native Dubuque and died there on August 19, 1943.
Information from "A Century of Service to God and Community, the Story of St. Mary's Church, Marshalltown, Iowa, 1869 - 1969," by Wendell R. Benson; and from Wikipedia. Submitted by Angela, Member #48520699.
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