Edward Francis Ryan (March 10, 1879 – November 3, 1956) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Burlington in Vermont from 1945 until his death in 1956.

The Most Reverend

Edward Francis Ryan
Bishop of Burlington
ChurchRoman Catholic Church
SeeBurlington
In officeFebruary 7, 1945 –
November 3, 1956
PredecessorMatthew Francis Brady
SuccessorRobert Francis Joyce
Orders
OrdinationAugust 10, 1905
by Giuseppe Ceppetelli
ConsecrationJanuary 3, 1945
by Richard James Cushing, Francis Joseph Spellman, and Francis Patrick Keough
Personal details
Born(1879-03-10)March 10, 1879
Lynn, Massachusetts, United States
DiedNovember 3, 1956(1956-11-03) (aged 77)
Burlington, Vermont, United States
EducationBoston College
Pontifical North American College

Biography

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Early life

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Edward Ryan was born on March 10, 1879, in Lynn, Massachusetts, to Simon Joseph and Mary (née Breen) Ryan. After graduating from Ingalls Grammar School in Lynn, he attended Lynn Classical High School and Boston College in Boston, where he was editor-in-chief of The Stylus.[1] He furthered his studies at the Pontifical North American College in Rome.[2]

Priesthood

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Ryan was ordained to the priesthood in Rome for the Archdiocese of Boston by Archbishop Giuseppe Ceppetelli on August 10, 1905. He said his first Mass at San Clemente al Laterano and earned a doctorate in theology from the Pontificio Collegio Urbano de Propaganda Fide. He then did pastoral work in the archdiocese. Commissioned as a first lieutenant, he served as an Army chaplain with the 89th Infantry Division during the Meuse–Argonne offensive.[1]

Upon his return, Ryan served as curate in two parishes before becoming a pastor Our Lady, Help of Christians in Concord. He became pastor of Holy Name Parish in West Roxbury, Massachusetts in July, 1932. Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Roxbury was a mission station of Holy Name. Ryan started construction of an enlarged church in 1937, which was completed in March 1939. He also instituted the practice of a number of novenas. He served as State Chaplain for the Catholic Daughters of America.[2]

Bishop of Burlington

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On November 11, 1944, Ryan was appointed the fifth bishop of the Diocese of Burlington by Pope Pius XII.[3] He received his episcopal consecration on January 3, 1945, from Archbishop Richard Cushing, with Archbishop Francis Spellman and Bishop Francis Keough serving as co-consecrators.[3] He was installed at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Burlington on February 7, 1945.[4]

During his 11-year-long tenure, Ryan established the first Carthusian monastery in the United States in Whitingham, Vermont in 1951. He also established the Benedictine Priory at Weston, Vermont in 1953, and the College of St. Joseph at Rutland, Vermont, in 1954.[5] He erected almost two dozen new churches, established the Vermont Catholic Tribune in 1956, and provided a camp and a school for boys in Burlington.[5]

Edward Ryan died in Burlington on November 3, 1956, at age 77. He is buried at Resurrection Park in South Burlington, Vermont.[4]

References

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  1. ^ a b The Story of Holy Name Church, 1977, Custombook, South Hackensack, New Jersey
  2. ^ a b "Late Bishop Edw. Ryan, 76, Consecrated at 64", The St. Louis Review, Volume 16, Number 47, 16 November 1956
  3. ^ a b "Bishop Edward Francis Ryan". Catholic-Hierarchy.org.
  4. ^ a b "Most Reverend Edward Francis Ryan, Fifth Bishop of Burlington". Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington.
  5. ^ a b "A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE DIOCESE BURLINGTON". Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington.
Catholic Church titles
Preceded by Bishop of Burlington
1945–1956
Succeeded by