July 13, 1920
Bishop John Joseph Hennessy
Bishop Hennessy was born near Cloyne, County Cork, Ireland on July 19, 1847 but within a few years his family moved to St. Louis, Mo. After studying for the priesthood in St. Louis, Milwaukee and Cape Girardeau he was ordained on November 28, 1869 with a dispensation because he was under canonical age. As a priest in St. Louis he covered scattered mission churches in southern Missouri, founded the Railroad Men’s Benevolent Union, established an Ursuline convent at Arcadia, was editor of the St. Louis Youths’ Magazine, and rector of St. John’s Church in St. Louis. (The Catholic Advance, July 17, 1920) He was ordained a bishop in St. Louis on November 30, 1888 and arrived in Wichita in December. When he arrived there were only 8,000 Catholics and 16 priests in the diocese. At Bishop Hennessy’s death there were 149 churches, 106 priests and 37,000 Catholics. Along with struggling with tremendous growth, a re-division of the diocese, and financial problems during his 32 years as bishop in Wichita, he was still able to buy land for and build a new cathedral. Bishop Hennessy died at St. Francis Hospital on July 13, 1920 at 73 years of age. “Bishop Hennessy was universally loved. No one ever came within his influence without being touched in some way by the nobility, the charity, the unmeasured charity, the high ideals, the radiant piety of his character.” (The Catholic Advance, July 17, 1920,) Archbishop Glennon celebrated his funeral in the cathedral and Bishop Tihen delivered the sermon.