Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1921-10-16
NEW ARCHBISHOP
celebrates HIS
42ND BIRTHDAY
Cardinal Gibbons Successor
Has Had a MeteoriC Ca
reer; His Parents Were
Comfortable Farmers.

Tampa, Fla, Oct. 15.-Ten years
priest, all OF them in Florida
and seven years the bishop of this
diocese, proceeded by four years IN
the Propaganda University at
Rome. comprise the meteoric ca
reer of the young archbishop OF
Baltimore, who win ascend the
throne long graced by the great
Gibbons, on November 30. Wednes--
day Archbishop Curley celebrated
his forty-second birthday.
Michael Joseph Curley was
born in Athlone, County West
meath. ireland, October 10, 1879,
one of ten children and happy
boyhood included among his play
mates the celebrated tenor John
Mccormack. Devoted to his ambi-
ton to become a churchman-first
determined upon, he says at the
age of ten-the new archbishops
career may be said to have begun
at sixteen when he rode for the
first time on train, his first trip
away from home carrying him to
Limerick to the college of Mungret
in 1895. From then on his rise has
been steady.
His early home life and success
in school perhaps may have predl-
Gated a more than ordinary career
for the prelate-to-be. His parents
were fairly comfortable farmers.
The River Shannon flowed through
his fathers holdings and at times
flooded them.
His EARLY Education.
His early education was received
in the intermediate schools OF his
native town. He attended a school
conducted by the Marist brothers,
a French teaching congregation,
and had an unusual opportunity
with them to follow classical
course. He was studying the dead
languages of Caesar and Cicero as
we'll as the living fiery language of
-Clemenceau and Viviani when he
was but nine years old. At twelve
he had been awarded a first grade
certificate in elementary chemistry,
physiography and mathematics by
the Science and Art Board of South
Kensington, London. which board
had an examining center in Ath-
lone.
Going to Limerick at sixteen, he
pursued the course outlined by the
Royal Irish University and in 1900,
with high honors recorded through
out his college course, he was CIV
en- his degree in mental and moral
science. His course included class
les, logic, metaphysics, ethics, ma
tural theology, PHYSIOLOGY and
history of philosophy.
With his ambition for priesthood
before him, he realized that there
were other fields where a young
churchman might be more needed
than In ireland. while loved the
old land" as he puts it, land its
warm-hearted people, longed to
consecrate my life to the service of
God and my fellow men, in some
part of the world where Catholics
were less fortunately situated from
the religious standpoint than in
Ireland" He applied for post and
gladly accepted an assignment to
the mission of Florida, and by or
der of the late Bishop Moore of
st. Augustine, went to Rome to
study sacred science in preparation
Tor his priestly work in the Land OF
Flowers.
Entered University.
He entered the Propaganda Uni
versity at Rome in 1900, where he
had an opportunity of meeting and
mingling with students from every
part of the world. Forty-five lam
guages or dialects were spoken In
the university. He was given full
marks in almost every examination.
In 1901 he received the bachelor
of divinity degree, and in 1908 the
degree of licentiate of sacred the
ology. He was awarded medals in
Christian archaeology, liturgy, fun
damental theology, dogmatic theol-
ogy and Scripture.
In the fall of 1903 he suffered
a severe attack of neurasthenia Of
the brain, induced by his heavy
work and was forbidden by his
doctor and his bishop to presen: