Maurice Francis Burke

Maurice Francis Burke (May 5, 1845 – March 17, 1923) was an Irish-born prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Cheyenne in Wyoming (1887–1893) and as bishop of the Diocese of Saint Joseph in Missouri (1893–1923).

The Most Reverend

Maurice Francis Burke
Bishop of Saint Joseph
SeeDiocese of Saint Joseph
PredecessorJohn Joseph Hogan
SuccessorFrancis Gilfillan
Other post(s)Bishop of Cheyenne
1887 - 1893
Orders
OrdinationMay 22, 1875
by Costantino Patrizi Naro
ConsecrationOctober 28, 1887
by Patrick Feehan
Personal details
Born(1845-05-05)May 5, 1845
Knockainy, County Limerick, Ireland
DiedMay 17, 1923(1923-05-17) (aged 78)
St. Joseph, Missouri, US
DenominationRoman Catholic
EducationUniversity of Saint Mary of the Lake
University of Notre Dame
Pontifical North American College

Biography

Early life

Maurice Burke was born on May 5, 1845, in Knockainy, County Limerick, in Ireland to Francis Noonan and Joanna (née Casey) Burke.[1] When he was four years old, his family immigrated to the United States, settling in Chicago, Illinois.[2] He received his education at the University of Saint Mary of the Lake in Chicago and at the University of Notre Dame in Notre Dame, Indiana.[2]Burke continued his studies at the Pontifical North American College in Rome. [3][4]

Priesthood

Burke was ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Chicago by Cardinal Costantino Patrizi Naro on May 22, 1875.[3] On his return to Chicago, Burke was assigned to serve as a curate at St. Mary's Parish in that city.[1] After three years, he was appointed pastor of St. Mary's Church in Joliet, Illinois.[1][4]

Bishop of Cheyenne

On August 9, 1887, Burke was appointed the first bishop of the new Diocese of Cheyenne by Pope Leo XIII.[3] Burke received his episcopal consecration on October 28, 1887, from Archbishop Patrick Feehan, with Bishops William McCloskey and Henry Cosgrove serving as co-consecrators, at Holy Name Cathedral in Chicago.[3]

By 1889, the diocese had five priests and 5,000 parishioners spread over a huge area.[4] In addition, he faced attacks by the American Protective Association, an anti-Catholic and anti-Irish hate group. The virulence forced the Sisters of Charity to abandon their institutions in the diocese. Burke travelled to Rome to petition the Vatican to attach the diocese to a more established one, citing the dire conditions in Wyoming. The pope denied his request.[5] [6] In a letter to Katherine Drexel, Burke described himself as a "bishop in name only" without parishioners or priests.[7] In 1893, Pope Leo XIII attached the Diocese of Cheyenne to the ecclesiastical province of Dubuque, and transferred Burke to another diocese.

Bishop of Saint Joseph

Pope Leo XIII appointed Burke as bishop of the Diocese of Saint Joseph on June 19, 1893.[3] During his tenure in Saint Joseph, he liquidated the heavy debt incurred by the construction of its cathedral, built an episcopal residence and a school for the cathedral parish, and opened new missions and parishes.[8]

Burke was considered an authority on the Italian writer Dante Alighieri and served as president of the American Dante Society.[9]

Death and legacy

After three years of failing health, Maurice Burke died in St. Joseph, Missouri, on May 12, 1923, at age 77. [3] Burke's collection of 3,000 books was donated to the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.

References
  1. Marquis, Albert Nelson, ed. (1912–1913). Who's Who in America: A Biographical Dictionary of Notable Living Men and Women of the United States. Vol. VII. Chicago: A.N. Marquis & Company.
  2. John Gilmary, Shea (1886). The Hierarchy of the Catholic Church in the United States. New York: The Office of Catholic Publications.
  3. "Bishop Maurice Francis Burke". Catholic-Hierarchy.org.
  4. Judge, Thomas E. (1902). Lives of American Prelates ; Or, Illustrated Biographies of the Catholic Bishops of the United States. Wm. J. McAssey.
  5. Larson, T. A. (1990-08-01). History of Wyoming (Second ed.). U of Nebraska Press. ISBN 978-0-8032-7936-0.
  6. "Most Reverend Maurice F. Burke". Roman Catholic Diocese of Cheyenne. Archived from the original on 2008-06-04. Retrieved 2010-04-04.
  7. Hughes, Cheryl D. (2014-08-03). Katharine Drexel: The Riches-to-Rags Life Story of an American Catholic Saint. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. ISBN 978-0-8028-6992-0.
  8. "Diocese of St. Joseph". Catholic Encyclopedia.
  9. "RT. REV. M. F. BURKE DEAD.; Oldest Catholic Bishop In Point of Service Was a Noted Dante Student". The New York Times. 1923-03-18. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-06-28.
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