Charles H. Colton
Charles Henry Colton | |
|---|---|
| Bishop of Buffalo | |
 | |
| Church | Roman Catholic Church |
| See | Diocese of Buffalo |
| Installed | 1903 |
| Term ended | 1915 |
| Predecessor | James Edward Quigley |
| Successor | Dennis Joseph Dougherty |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | June 10, 1876 |
| Consecration | August 24, 1903 by John Murphy Farley |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 15, 1848 New York City, US |
| Died | May 9, 1915 (aged 66) Buffalo, New York, US |
| Buried | Saint Joseph's Cathedral |
| Parents | Patrick Smith Teresa Augusta (née Mullin) |
| Education | Saint Joseph's Cathedral St. Francis Xavier College St. Joseph's Seminary |
| Motto | "God is with us" |
Charles Henry Colton (October 15, 1848 – May 9, 1915) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Buffalo in New York from 1903 until his death.
Biography
[edit]Early life and education
[edit]Charles Colton was born on June 10, 1876, in New York City to Patrick Smith and Teresa Augusta (née Mullin) Colton, both Irish immigrants.[1] He received his early education at Public School No. 5 and the Latin school of St. Stephen's Parish in Manhattan.[1] As a boy, he worked as a clerk in a dry goods store.[2] In 1869, Colton entered St. Francis Xavier College in Manhattan, graduating in 1873.[3] He then studied theology at St. Joseph's Seminary in Troy, New York.[2]
Priesthood
[edit]Colton was ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of New York on June 10, 1876, at St. Joseph's.[4] After his ordination, the archdiocese assigned Colton as a curate at St. Stephen's under Father Edward McGlynn.[3] He remained at St. Stephen's for ten years, also serving as a chaplain at Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan.[1] In 1886, Colton was named pastor of Our Lady of Mercy Parish in Port Chester, New York.[2]
In 1887, the archdiocese excommunicated McGlynn for his political activities. They returned Colton to St. Stephen's to assist Father Arthur Donnelly, who had been assigned as temporary administrator.[1] Later that year, Colton assumed the role of pastor at St. Stephen's upon Donnelly's resignation.[1] He enjoyed remarkable success in his new post, restoring harmony among the congregation, eliminating the parish debt of $152,000, and establishing a parochial school.[3] In addition to his pastoral duties, Archbishop Michael Corrigan named him chancellor of the archdiocese in 1896.[3]
Bishop of Buffalo
[edit]On June 10, 1903, Colton was appointed the fourth bishop of Buffalo by Pope Leo XIII.[4] He received his episcopal consecration on August 24, 1903, from Archbishop John Farley, with Bishops Bernard McQuaid and Charles McDonnell serving as co-consecrators, in St. Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan.[4]
During Colton's tenure, the diocese was composed of 72 churches, 18 combination school-churches, 30 schools, 12 academies, 13 hospitals, and charitable institutions, six convents, and 28 rectories.[5]
On December 17, 1905, a gold cross was stolen from Colton after a church celebration. The cross, valued at $1,000, was cut from Colton's vestments as he was exiting St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Church in Buffalo.[6]
Death
[edit]Colton died in Buffalo on May 9, 1915, aged 66. He is interred in the crypt of St. Joseph's Cathedral in Buffalo.[5]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e Cutter, William Richard, ed. (1912). Genealogical and Family History of Western New York. Vol. II. New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company.
- ^ a b c The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography. Vol. XII. New York: James T. White & Company. 1904.
- ^ a b c d "BISHOP C.H. COLTON OF BUFFALO IS DEAD". The New York Times. 1915-05-10.
- ^ a b c "Bishop Charles Henry Colton". Catholic-Hierarchy.org.
- ^ a b "Most Rev. Charles H. Colton". Roman Catholic Diocese of Buffalo. Archived from the original on 2010-06-13.
- ^ "BISHOP ROBBED AT CHURCH.; Cross Valued at $1,000 Taken from Mgr. Colton at Buffalo". The New York Times. 1905-12-18. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-05-16.
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