The Irish standard., 1899-07-29
First Saw the Sunlight in the
Island of Saints.
MEN OF FINE 0RAToRlCAL ABILITY
The Arehbishops in Question are
Ryan and Hennessy.

Archbishop Ryan, of Philadelphia,
and Archbishop Hennessy, of Dubuque,
should enjoy that transatlantic trip on
which they started last week, says Rue
in the Catholic Transcript, Of Hartford,
Conn. They are very old friends. They
were priests together in the St. Louis
diocese over forty years ago, under
Archbishop Kenrick. They were both
splendid preachers even then; and it was
disputed question which OF the twain
was the better pulpit orator. The Phil
adelpl1ia prelate is on record as saying
that the most eloquent panegyric deliv-
cred upon Daniel O'Connell at the time
OF his centenary was delivered on the
banks OF the Mississippi; and all the
world knows that Mgr. Ryan himself
has often been called the American St.
Chrysostom. Probably were Archbish-
op Feehan, of Chicago, fellow traveller
with the two archbishops in this trip
their pleasure would be unbounded, for
he, too, was with them in the St. Louis
diocese in the fifties; and when he
preached from the Cathedral pulpit,
there were folks out there who consid-
cred him the equal if not the superior in
forensic oratory, of Fathers Hennessy
and Ryan.
1t is not often that three priests at
tached at one time to the same church
rise so high in the ecclesiastical ranks
as Fathers Feehan, Hennessy and Ryan
have done. Father Feehan was the first
of the trio to be struck by Roman light
ming. He was made bishop of Nash
vile, November I, 1866. The following
year Father Hennessy was consecrated
bishop of Dubuque, but not until 1872
did Father Ryan get mitre, when he
was appointed coadjutor to Archbishop
Kenrick. Bishop Feellan was the first
of these prelates to get the palliun, in
1880, when he was made the first arch
bishop of Chicago. Bishop Ryan be-
came an archbishop four years later,
when, to the great grief of all St. Louis,
he was sent to Philadelphia; whereas
Bishop Hennessy was not made met
ropolitan until 1893.
One reason OF the going across of the
Philadelphia and Dubuque prelates is
said to be desire on their part to re-
visit the scenes of their childhood. Arch
bishop Hennessy was born in the county
of Limerick, at place lying halfway
between Bruf and Kilmallock, in the
diocese of Limerick; and there his boy
hood passed quietly and uneventfully up
to his twelfth year. Then his vocation
beginning to assert itself, he was sent to
Limerick to study the classics, and in
1847 he bade adieu to his native land
crossed the ocean, went to St. Louis and
was sent to the diocesan seminary at
Carondelet to study theology. He was
not to see Ireland again until 1883. Then
Archbishop Kenrick sent him to Rome
ON official business, which kept him on
the other side over year; and he took
advantage of the occasion to run down
to Limerick from Queenstown and re-
visit the friends and the scenes of his
youth. He has been abroad more than
once since, but his recent severe illness,
and his knowledge that he is nearly
the length of his earthly career-his
years are now in excess OF the Script
ural span of life-naturally render him
wishful to look once more on the scenes
OF his childhood's days, his boyhood's
pastimes; aad his young manhood's ef-
forts and ambitions.
Archbishop Ryan was born at Clo-
neyl1arp, near Thurles, Tipperary, in the
Cashel diocese, and when, two years
ago, he celebrated his silver episcopal
jubilee, another Father Ryan, Very Rev.
Patpick's College, Thurles, said of his
Canon Arthur Ryan, president of St.
native country and him:
Mother OF many Patrick Ryan,
Mother of none like thee.
Gallant Hipperary's glorious scion!
Well may thy mothers heart beat
high on
Thy silver jubilee!'
Rhilade1phia's hono.ed prelate began
his studies under the Christian Brothers
at Thurles. Then he went to Dublin,
where he became a classical student in
school at Rathminas taught by Mas
ter Michael Naughton, and while he
was unravelling the classics there, oe-