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Christopher Edward Byrne

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The Most Reverend

Christopher Edward Byrne
Bishop of Galveston
ChurchRoman Catholic Church
SeeDiocese of Galveston
AppointedJuly 18, 1918
InstalledNovember 10, 1918
Term endedApril 1, 1950
PredecessorNicolaus Aloysius Gallagher
SuccessorWendelin Joseph Nold
Orders
OrdinationSeptember 23, 1891
by Archbishop Peter Richard Kenrick
ConsecrationNovember 10, 1919
by Archbishop John J. Glennon
Personal details
Born(1867-04-21)April 21, 1867
Byrnesville, Missouri
DiedApril 1, 1950(1950-04-01) (aged 82)
Galveston, Texas, US
BuriedCalvary Cemetery, Galveston
ParentsPatrick and Rose Byrne
EducationSt. Mary's College
St. Mary's Seminary

Christopher Edward Byrne (April 21, 1867 – April 1, 1950) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Galveston in Texas from 1918 until his death.

Biography

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Early life

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Christopher Byrne was born in Byrnesville, Missouri, to Patrick and Rose Byrne.[1] After attending the village school where his father taught, he earned a Bachelor of Arts at St. Mary's College in Kansas in 1886.[1] He then studied for the priesthood at St. Mary's Seminary in Baltimore, Maryland.[2][3]

Priesthood

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Byrne was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of St. Louis by Archbishop Peter Kenrick in St. Louis on September 23, 1891.[4] After his ordination, Byrne served as a curate at St. Bridget's Parish in St. Louis. In 1897, he was appointed pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Columbia, Missouri.[2] Byrne took a medical leave of absence in 1898, moving to San Antonio, Texas, to recuperate.[5] Years later, Byrne said that a doctor had told him when he was age 30 that his heart disease would kill him in a few months.[3]

In 1899, Byrne returned to Missouri to become pastor of St. Joseph's Parish in Edina then went to Holy Name Parish at St. Louis in 1911.[2] He erected churches and schools at every assignment, and for many years he also did editorial work on the Catholic newspaper The Church Progress.[1] He also served as diocesan director of the Holy Name Society and member of the Diocesan School Board.[5]

Bishop of Galveston

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On July 18, 1918, Byrne was appointed the fourth bishop of the Diocese of Galveston by Pope Benedict XV.[4] He received his episcopal consecration on November 10, 1918, from Archbishop John J. Glennon, with Bishops Thomas Lillis and John Morris serving as co-consecrators.[4][3] Byrne's expressed priority as bishop was vocations, saying,

"If Catholicism has not taken that deep hold on the people which will make them dedicate their young to God's service, it cannot endure."[5]

He ordained about 130 priests and received several hundred people into religious communities.[1] The diocese increased from 70,000 to 200,000 parishioners during Byrne's tenure, and the number of schools from 51 to over 100.[1] In 1936, Byrne helped organize the centennial celebration of Texan independence from Mexico, holding an open-air mass at the San Jacinto Battlefield near Houston.[6]

Death and legacy

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Byrne died of a heart attack in Galveston on April 1, 1950, at age 82.[5][3] He is buried at Calvary Cemetery in Galveston.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f "BYRNE, CHRISTOPHER EDWARD (1867-1950)". Texas States Historical Association.
  2. ^ a b c O'Donnell, John Hugh (1922). The Catholic Hierarchy of the United States, 1790-1922. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  3. ^ a b c d "BISHOP C.E. BYRNE DIES IN GALVESTON; Head of Roman Catholic Diocese Since 1918, Ordained in St. Louis in 1891, Was 82". The New York Times. 1950-04-02. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-07-25.
  4. ^ a b c "Bishop Christopher Edward Byrne". Catholic-Hierarchy.org.[self-published source]
  5. ^ a b c d "Our Namesake". Bishop Byrne High School. Archived from the original on 2024-07-17. Retrieved 2009-08-28.
  6. ^ "TSHA | Byrne, Christopher Edward". www.tshaonline.org. Retrieved 2022-07-25.
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Catholic Church titles
Preceded by Bishop of Galveston
1918–1950 		Succeeded by
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