John P. Farrelly – Fourth Bishop of Cleveland

Times Past

Jonathan Smyth

In part one of our foray into the Farrelly clan, we focussed on the life of Terence Farrelly widely reputed to be of Cavan stock. Last week, we mentioned with brevity, Terence’s grandson, John Patrick Farrelly, a former spiritual director of the North American College who became Bishop of Cleveland. In this week’s Times Past, I thought it might seem rash not to take a closer look at the life and career of this eminent Church figure.

An informative article in the ‘Tennessee Historical Quarterly’ by Thomas J. Stritch from 1978 tells us that the Farrellys were by no means an ‘ordinary refugee family'. Terence’s father, Patrick, arrived with his wife and children in tow, to Pennsylvania, around 1798. Educated in Ireland, they say, the bold Patrick enrolled himself in law studies at Meadville, and for his troubles was ‘admitted to the bar’ in 1803. Having an exemplary record in ‘public service,’ Patrick Farrelly served in the militia as a major in the ‘War of 1812 and as a United States Representative for the sessions of 1823, 1825, and 1827.’

Patrick’s other son John (a granduncle of Bishop Farrelly) studied law too, twice becoming a State Senator and serving as a United States Representative from 1847 to 1849. U.S. President Zachary Tayler appointed John Farrelly as the sixth Auditor of the United States Treasury. Both John and his brother Terence died in 1860.

Stritch says that ‘Terence began life as a merchant’ and ‘moved to Pittsburgh in 1817 where he formed a partnership with another young Irishman named Thomas Curran'.

He continued: ‘Then, for reasons no doubt clear and beckoning to young men in 1819 but obscure to us, they set up a hardware store in the Arkansas Territory, at Arkansas Post, the first white settlement, near the old Spanish Fort on the Arkansas River.’

Terence, like his father and brother, had law in his blood and would become a judge in Arkansas. Terence’s acumen was drawn upon to write up the Constitution of Arkansas in 1836. He dabbled in farming too. Strich’s paper suggests the Farrelly family had Cavan and Tyrone connections.

John Patrick Farrelly was born in Memphis, Tennessee, on March 15, 1856, to John and Martha Farrelly (née Clay). Martha was a daughter of Robert T. Moore who farmed at Brentwood, which is a suburb of Nashville. John Patrick’s father was a lawyer too and a member of Tennessee's General Assembly. The Farrellys later left Memphis and moved to Little Rock, Arkansas, before moving to Kentucky.

An only child, John Patrick was described as Martha and John's ‘only son and heir'. Their son went to St Mary's College, Kentucky, and then studied at Georgetown University in Washington D.C. Martha converted to Catholicism, which influenced her son who also converted and chose to enter the Church. Bishop Fitzgerald of Arkansas is said to have encouraged the young man to go on for the church. Mrs Farrelly had considerable means and paid for her son’s studies in Rome.

In 1873 John travelled to Belgium to study at the Jesuit run Notre-Dame de la Paix University at Nemur and afterwards went to the Pontifical North American College in Rome where he received a Doctorate in Sacred Theology degree.

On May 22, 1880, celebrations abounded when he was ordained as a priest by Cardinal Raffaele La Valletta in Rome to serve the Diocese of Nashville. But Farrelly went travelling for about two years, visiting Egypt, and studying in Palestine. In 1882, he returned home to start church duties in Nashville.

Farrelly was made a curate of the Cathedral of the Incarnation in Nashville. Later he was placed in charge of the Cathedral and became chancellor of the diocese in 1883. Farrelly was made secretary to the rector of the North American College in 1887. Fr Farrelly was a celebrated ‘Scripture scholar, linguist, and archaeologist’, according to the Encyclopaedia of Cleveland History. From 1893 to 1909, Farrelly served as spiritual director of the North American College in Rome. On January 30, 1902, ‘The Bee’ newspaper (Kentucky) reported that Fr Farrelly had been bestowed a mark of honour by the Pope who appointed him as his privy chamberlain. The news brought much gratification to Farrelly’s ‘friends and admirers in Nashville', said the newspaper.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Cleveland is ‘home to 613,000 Catholics’ and was established on April 23, 1847. It is made up of the counties of Cuyahoga, Summit, Lorain, Lake, Geauga, Medina, Wayne, and Ashland. Cleveland’s Diocesan website notes: ‘There are 185 parishes, 108 Catholic schools, one pastoral centre and one mission office within the diocese.’ The Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist is situated in the downtown part of Cleveland City, Ohio. Cleveland is also the most populated city on Lake Erie.

John Patrick Farrelly had the honour of serving as Cleveland’s fourth Bishop. He controlled the diocese from 1909 until his death on February 12, 1921, and took an active interest in how things were done and dealt with issues proactively. He had no patience for inefficiency and certain charities were not distributing funds in a timely manner. To correct this, he set up the Board of Charities to solve problems.

An extract from the Encyclopaedia of Cleveland History, sings the praises of Farrelly’s work, stating he ‘built new buildings for health-care facilities in the diocese, established a ministry to the deaf and hearing-impaired, and opened Merrick House and the Catholic Young Women's Hall.’ Bishop Farrelly was responsible for founding the office of superintendent of schools, which helped to ‘standardize parochial education'. During his 12 years as Bishop, he built 47 new churches and secondary schools. One such school was the Cathedral Latin High School, Cleveland, which opened in 1916.

While the First World War stoked up anti-German sentiment, Harry L. Davis, the Mayor of Cleveland, invited Bishop Farrelly to join the Cleveland War Commission. Farrelly soon decreed that only English must be spoken in the various German churches and schools in the Diocese of Cleveland. At the age of 64 years, Bishop Farrelly contracted a bout of pneumonia and died at Knoxville, Tennessee. His earthly remains rest in the crypt beneath the altar of St John’s Cathedral, Cleveland.

The Farrellys were an eminent Irish-American family who served in a variety of important roles. For more on Bishop Farrelly and his relatives, check out Thomas J. Stritch’s article on 'Three Catholic Bishops From Tennessee' in the Tennessee Historical Quarterly, Spring 1978.

Fógra: I have never been to Nashville. Yet recently, the Mark Fraley podcast from Nashville went about the risky business of interviewing yours truly. (The recording has not been banned yet.) The podcast is available for free at www.markfraley.com