Archbishop Dr Henry Hanlon MHM (13 January 1862 – 18 August 1937), was an English Roman Catholic bishop, belonging to the order of the Mill Hill Missionaries.[1]


Henry Hanlon
Vicar Apostolic of Upper Nile District
Archbishop Hanlon
DioceseRoman Catholic Archdiocese of Tororo
Appointed1894
Other post(s)Titular Archbishop of Teos
Orders
Ordination21 September 1889
Consecration17 July 1894
Personal details
Born
Henry Hanlon

(1862-01-13)13 January 1862
Died18 August 1937(1937-08-18) (aged 75)
Formby, Lancashire, England
NationalityBritish
DenominationRoman Catholic
ParentsHenry and Sarah Hanlon

Background and education

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Hanlon was born on 13 January 1862 in Manchester, the son of Henry Hanlon, a warehouse packer, and his wife Sarah. He was educated at St Augustine's Roman Catholic School, Manchester. Prior to joining the priesthood he trained as a cabinet maker. Having decided to train as a priest, he attended the Missionary School at Kelvedon, Essex, then St Joseph's College, Mill Hill. He was ordained Priest on 21 September 1889 for the Mill Hill Missionaries.[1]

Apostolic mission

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Hanlon travelled to Northern India, where he served until 1894 when he was recalled to Rome to be appointed the first Vicar Apostolic of Upper Nile District of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Tororo. He was appointed Archbishop on 17 July 1894 and was consecrated (ordained) on 25 November 1894, in Rome, taking the title of Titular Archbishop of Teos.[1]

He was then sent to lead the first band of four Mill Hill missionaries into the African interior, where they arrived in Kampala on 26 September 1895, having walked from Mombasa.[2]

Upon arrival Bishop Hanlon and his missionaries were received by Kabaka Mwanga II, who offered them land on Nsambya Hill where they established their mission station. As of June 2018, the site is occupied by St Peter's Catholic Church, Nsambya.[3] Hanlon founded new parishes at Budaka and Masaba in 1901 and at Nyondo in 1906. In 1903 he brought a congregation of the Fransciscan Sisters of St Joseph from Manchester to Kampala where they established a school, St. Peter's School Nsambya, and a hospital, St. Francis Hospital Nsambya, for the local district.[4] He continued in that position until 17 November 1911 when he resigned, becoming the Vicar Apostolic Emeritus.[1]

Bishop Hanlon is credited with he establishment of Namilyango College, an all-boys, residential, Catholic boarding school, founded in March 1902, at Namilyango, approximately 20 kilometres (12 mi), east of Kampala, Uganda's capital and largest city. One of the dormitories at the college, is named after him.[5]

In retirement

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Bishop Hanlon returned to England and began Parish work in his native Diocese of Salford. In 1915 he became Missionary Rector at the Church of St Alban, Blackburn where he would remain until ill health forced his retirement in 1934.[6] Along with Auxiliary Bishop John Vaughan, Bishop Hanlon took on many episcopal duties with the diocese to assist Bishop Louis Casartelli, who suffered from ill health through much of his episcopate. Bishop Henry Hanlon died in 1937 at the age of 75.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e David M. Cheney (30 April 2018). "Bishop Henry Hanlon, M.H.M. †: Vicar Apostolic Emeritus of Upper Nile (Nilo Superiore), Uganda". Kansas City, Missouri: Catholic-Hierarchy.org. Retrieved 24 June 2018.
  2. ^ Mill Hill Missionary Society (6 October 2008). "Mill Hill Missionaries: Our Founder". Maidenhead, England: Saint Joseph's Missionary Society of Mill Hill. Archived from the original (Archived from the Original) on 18 May 2011. Retrieved 24 June 2018.
  3. ^ Makerere University (1962). "Religious Sites in Uganda: The Contributions of Religious Bodies". Makerere University. Retrieved 24 June 2018.
  4. ^ AMECEA (13 June 2013). "Uganda: UEC Gets a New Administration Block". Nairobi: Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa (AMECEA). Retrieved 24 June 2018.
  5. ^ Kavuma-Kaggwa (9 June 2017). "Namilyango College celebrates 115 years of great service". New Vision. Kampala. Retrieved 25 June 2018.
  6. ^ Genuki United Kingdom (1 February 2018). "About St Alban Roman Catholic, Blackburn, Lancashire". Genuki Organisation UK. Retrieved 24 June 2018.