Bishop Thomas McGovern of Swanlinbar

Times Past

Jonathan Smyth

Swanlinbar, or ‘Swad’ as it is known by Cavan people, has quite a colourful history. Samuel Lewis, that authoritative editor and publisher of those remarkably useful Topographical Dictionaries brought out in 1837 tells us that Swanlinbar had 398 inhabitants.

Down the road, nearby at Cuilcagh, he says, there once was an iron mine famed for supplying the iron ore to be smelted into pig iron in the local furnaces. Lewis records that in 1786 the town suffered a terrible setback when an ‘accidental fire’ broke-out and destroyed twenty-two of the houses in the village.

But Swanlinbar was the spa capital of the region where some of the most distinguished people travelled to from April to September to partake in its unique mineral waters which are ‘strongly impregnated with sulphur, earth, sea salt and fossil alkali, and in their medicinal effect are both alternative and diaphoretic and are esteemed highly efficacious as a restorative from debility,’ said Samuel Lewis.

This week’s column considers the life of a Swanlinbar native who became bishop of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

Going to America

Born on the 10 April 1832, the ecclesiastic Thomas McGovern originated from humble beginnings in County Cavan. McGovern’s first year on earth was spent in his native Swanlinbar and thereafter he lived the rest of his life on the American continent. McGovern’s parents were Edward McGovern (1799–1876), and Margaret McGovern née Gilleese (1799–1888). He had siblings who were named John M.; Patrick; Bernard; Francis, Bridget Harden née McGovern; and Anna McGovern.

Brought to America with his parents they went to live in Bradford County, north Pennsylvania. There, his father bought land and found himself a job in the employ of a railroad company as a contractor in the Lancaster area. An account in The Anglo-Celt from 20 August 1898 notes that Edward, his father, was a man of great ‘energy and resource’ and no doubt, his son Thomas inherited the same drive which fitted into America’s appreciation of an honest work ethic which the Irish have always displayed in abundance. Thomas, it is said, was one of the quieter but ‘brighter’ children in the McGovern’s household. But he made up for this by making a great name for himself as an expert ‘debater’ and took part in every local competition that came to his attention. It was a brave individual who might have tried to argue a controversy with him when he joined the priesthood for as they found out, he was highly skilled in the art of speaking.

A ‘scattered’ congregation

The Diocese of Harrisburg’s website gives details about his education and his training at ‘Saint Joseph College, Susquehanna County, that the Rev. S.V. O’Reilly founded. And with a name like that he must have had a connection to the Cavan O’Reillys. His places of learning included ‘Mount St. Mary’s College and Seminary, Emmitsburg, Maryland; and Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary, Overbrook, Philadelphia.’

On 27 December 1861, Bishop Wood ordained McGovern whose first pastoral duties were in Philadelphia. Sometime afterwards, he went to work at Saint Patrick’s, in York, and Saint Joseph’s, in Danville. The early days of his ministry were spent at Pottsville, and in Douglasville, Pennsylvania. Douglasville had a ‘little church’ and an even smaller congregation ‘scattered’ across a huge territory, but they were a congregation who remained ‘brave in heart.’ McGovern travelled far and wide to attend their spiritual needs. One of his early curacies was held at St Michael’s parish and St Philip’s and then as parish priest from 1864 to the parish of Bellefonte, Centre County, Pennsylvania. Then he was sent to York and afterwards he was promoted to Danville parish where he served from 1873 to 1888. It is noteworthy that McGovern cleared the debt owed by the parish and erected new buildings.

Popular choice

Illness struck him in the early 1880s, and he travelled to Europe, Asia, and Africa for the purpose of rest and restoration of health.

In 1888, Bishop Jeremiah Shanahan, the first bishop of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, died after 20 years in office. On 6 December 1887, Thomas McGovern was chosen as the next Bishop of Harrisburg, and his consecration was performed by Bishop William O’Hara in March 1888. Harrisburg is a historic diocese and celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2019. Their website noted: ‘On March 3, 1868, Pope Pius IX, accepting the recommendation of the Bishops of the Second Plenary Council of the United States of America, issued a decree establishing the Diocese of Harrisburg.’

Bishop McGovern was a popular choice for the job. During his time, he started new missions, built new schools, and showed care towards the orphans placed in institutions. The Swanlinbar prelate died on 25 July 1898 and was laid to rest in Mount Calvary Cemetery, Harrisburg.

Another Bishop McGovern

We may wonder if the Bishop of Cheyenne, Dr. Patrick A. McGovern, was related to Bishop Thomas McGovern. Even though Patrick was born at Omaha, Nebraska, in 1872, it is known that his parents were both from County Cavan.

Bishop Patrick left information about his Cavan links with the American Irish Historical Society in which he said that his father Patrick McGovern came from Swanlinbar, and his mother was from Ballyconnell.

Patrick entered the priesthood to serve in the Omaha area. From 1912 to 1951, he was the fourth bishop nominated to the Diocese of Cheyenne.

In a history of the diocese, a picture is painted of a stern figure who appeared ‘austere and formidable’ in the role.

He held two synods during his tenure. The first occurred in 1913 and provided him with an opportunity to introduce himself to the clergy and again in 1948 he organised a second synod to make known the new bishop coadjutor, Bishop Hubert Newell.

Fógra

Congratulations to Dr. Brendan Scott on his recent book, ‘Bishop William Bedell 1571-1642: His Life, Work and Contemporaries.’ It is a magnificently well-researched work on an important historical figure who was the driving force behind the translation of the old Testament into Irish. A copy of the famous Bedell Bible can be viewed in Johnston Central Library.