Thomas Joseph Brosnahan

The Most Reverend Thomas Joseph Brosnahan, Archbishop Emeritus, C.S.Sp. (30 March 1905 – 26 January 1996) was Archbishop of Freetown and Bo in Sierra Leone.[1]

Thomas Joseph Brosnahan

C.S.Sp.
Archbishop of the Diocese of Freetown and Bo
ChurchSacred Heart Cathedral, Freetown
DioceseRoman Catholic Diocese of Freetown and Bo
SeeRoman Catholic Diocese of Freetown and Bo
Elected4 June 1984
In office2 December 1984
Retired26 April 2002
PredecessorAmbrose Kelly
SuccessorJoseph Henry Ganda
Other post(s)President of Inter-territorial Catholic Bishops' Conference of The Gambia and Sierra Leone
Orders
Ordination16 June 1929
Consecration7 March 1953
Personal details
Born
Thomas Joseph Brosnahan

(1905-03-30)30 March 1905
Whitegate, County Clare, Ireland
Died26 January 1996(1996-01-26) (aged 90)
NationalityIrish
DenominationRoman Catholic Church
ProfessionCatholic priest
EducationRockwell College
Alma materBlackrock College
Kimmage Manor
Styles of
Thomas Joseph Brosnahan
Reference style
Spoken styleYour Excellency
Religious styleBishop

Early life

Born in Whitegate, Ireland, on 30 March 1905.[2] He was educated in Rockwell College, County Tipperary. He played hurling for the school senior team. He entered Holy Ghost Missionary College, Kimmage Manor, Dublin to study for the Holy Ghost Fathers, and studied in Blackrock College.

Ministry

He entered the Holy Ghost Fathers and his ordination took place on 16 June 1929.[1][2] His ministry in east Nigeria began in 1933, where he remained for 20 years.[1]

Bishop of Freetown and Bo

He arrived in Freetown in 1953 to succeed Archbishop Ambrose Kelly, who had died the previous year.[1] He was appointed Bishop of Freetown and Bo and began his ministry in Sierra Leone.[1][2] The main focus of his work was education and he made tremendous progress in this area.[1] He founded Christ the King College in Bo in the year of his arrival.[1] On 9 April 1961, he performed the first ordination of a diocesan priest, Joseph Ganda, at the Immaculate Heart Church in Bo.[1] He was a council father in Sessions 1 to 4 of the Second Vatican Council.[2]

First archbishop of Freetown and Bo

Brosnahan became the first Archbishop of Freetown and Bo, in 1971.[1] From 1971 to 1975, he was president of the Inter-territorial Catholic Bishops' Conference of The Gambia and Sierra Leone.[1] In 1975, he erected the Archdiocesan Secretariat Santanno House on Howe Street.[1] He retired in 1980 and was succeeded by Joseph Ganda.[1]

Legacy

He founded Christ the King College in 1953. Today it is a technical college that is a subsidiary of the University of Sierra Leone and has many prominent figures among its alumni, including politician Charles Margai and former vice president of Sierra Leone Solomon Berewa. A number of international students from Liberia, Gambia, Ghana and Nigeria attend the college.

References
  1. "A Brief History of the Catholic Church in Sierra Leone". Catholic Bishop's Conference of Sierra Leone. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
  2. "Archbishop Thomas Joseph Brosnahan". David M. Cheney. Retrieved 7 May 2018.
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