Richard Gilmour

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The Right Reverend

Richard Gilmour

D.D.
Bishop of Cleveland
The Right Reverend Richard Gilmour.jpg
ChurchRoman Catholic Church
ArchdioceseCincinnati
DioceseCleveland
SeeCleveland
AppointedFebruary 15, 1872
In officeApril 14, 1872 - April 13, 1891
PredecessorLouis Amadeus Rappe
SuccessorIgnatius Frederick Horstmann
Orders
OrdinationAugust 30, 1852
by John Baptist Purcell
ConsecrationApril 14, 1872
by John Baptist Purcell
Personal details
Birth nameRichard Gilmour
Born(1824-09-28)September 28, 1824
Dumbarton, Scotland, UK
DiedApril 13, 1891(1891-04-13) (aged 66)
St. Augustine, Florida, U.S.
BuriedCathedral Resurrection Chapel
NationalityScottish
DenominationRoman Catholicism
Alma materMount St. Mary's University
MottoFides Et Caritas
SignatureRichard Gilmour's signature
Bishop Richard Gilmour.jpg

Richard Gilmour (September 28, 1824 – April 13, 1891) was a Scottish-born prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Cleveland from 1872 until his death in 1891.

Biography[]

Gilmour was born in Dumbarton, Scotland to John and Marian (née Callander) Gilmour, who were Reformed Presbyterians.[1] In 1829 he and his parents moved to Nova Scotia and later settled near Latrobe, Pennsylvania.[1] He received his classical education in Philadelphia, where he became acquainted with Rev. Patrick Rafferty, pastor of St. Francis Xavier Church, Fairmount, Philadelphia.[1]

Gilmour's friendship with Rafferty eventually led Gilmour to convert to Catholicism in 1844, and he soon resolved to enter the priesthood. In 1846 he entered Mount St. Mary's Seminary in Emmitsburg, Maryland.[2]

In addition to his studies, Gilmour was named prefect of collegians and professor of mathematics in 1847.[1] After receiving his Master of Arts degree (1848) and completing his theological studies, Gilmour was ordained a priest by Archbishop John Baptist Purcell on August 30, 1852.[3]

Gilmour then served as pastor of St. Mary's Church in Portsmouth, Ohio, also doing missionary work in Ironton, Gallipolis, Vinton, and Wilkesville.[2] In 1857 he succeeded Rev. James Frederick Wood as pastor of St. Patrick's Church in Cincinnati, where Gilmour erected a parochial school. He briefly served as a professor at Mount St. Mary's Seminary of the West (1868–1869) before being named pastor of St. Joseph's Church in Dayton.[2]

On February 15, 1872, Gilmour was appointed the second Bishop of Cleveland by Pope Pius IX.[3] He received his episcopal consecration on the following April 14 from Archbishop Purcell, with Bishops Augustus Toebbe and Caspar Henry Borgess serving as co-consecrators, at St. Peter's Cathedral.[3] He founded The Catholic Universe newspaper in 1874, and successfully opposed attempts by the Cuyahoga County auditor to tax Catholic churches and schools.[2] He was also wary of the public school system.[4] He established St. Ann's Asylum and Maternity Home,[5] St. Michael Hospital,[6] and St. John Hospital.

Death[]

Gilmour went to Florida in March 1891 due to failing health, where he died at St. Augustine, aged 66, on April 13, 1891.[2]

Legacy[]

Gilmour Academy, in Gates Mills, Ohio, is named in honor of Bishop Gilmour.

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Houck, George Francis (1890). The Church in Northern Ohio and in the Diocese of Cleveland: From 1749 to 1890. Short & Forman Printers.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e "GILMOUR, RICHARD". Encyclopedia of Cleveland History.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Bishop Richard Gilmour". Catholic-Hierarchy.org.
  4. ^ Brownson's Quarterly Review (Last Series, Vol. 1, 1873, "The Church above the State", p. 353-354). Quote: "Catholics are too timid; they seem to go upon the principle that, if they are tolerated, they are doing well. This is a mistake; if we let our rights go by default, we should not wonder if we lose them. We must be decided in our demands, and present a bolder front to our enemies. It is unjust to so organize the public schools that we cannot in conscience send our children to them, and then tax us for their support. As well create a State Church, and tax us for its support."
  5. ^ "St. Ann's Hospital, Cleveland", The Catholic Church in the United States of America, Catholic Editing Company, 1914, p. 87Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  6. ^ "St. Michael Hospital", Encyclopedia of Cleveland History, Case Western Reserve University
Catholic Church titles
Preceded by
Louis Amadeus Rappe 		Bishop of Cleveland
1872–1891 		Succeeded by
Ignatius Frederick Horstmann
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