John D'Alton
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| Church positions | |
|---|---|
| See | Armagh |
| Title | Cardinal Archbishop of Armagh |
| Period in office | June 13, 1946—February 1, 1963 |
| Successor | William Cardinal Conway † |
| Previous post | Bishop of Meath |
| Created cardinal | January 12, 1953 |
| Personal | |
| Date of birth | October 11, 1882 |
| Place of birth | Claremorris, Ireland |
| Date of death | February 1, 1963 (aged 80) |
| Place of death | Dublin, Ireland |
John Francis Cardinal D'Alton (October 11, 1882—February 1, 1963) was an Irish prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Armagh and thus Primate of All Ireland from 1946 to 1963, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1953 by Pope Pius XII.
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[edit] Biography
John D'Alton was born in Claremorris to Joseph D'Alton (d. April 1, 1883) and his wife Mary Brennan, at the height of the Land Wars in Ireland. He was baptised four days later, on October 15, 1882, with Michael and Mary Brennan acting as his godparents. He obtained an extensive education at Blackrock College, Holy Cross College in Cloniffe, the Royal University in Dublin, Irish College in Rome, University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, and National University in Dublin. D'Alton was ordained to the priesthood on April 18, 1908, completing his studies in 1910. He then taught Ancient Classics, Latin, and Greek at St. Patrick's College in Maynooth until 1942, becoming its rector in 1936, and was raised to the rank of Monsignor on June 27, 1938.
On April 25, 1942, he was appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Meath and Titular Bishop of Binda. D'Alton received his episcopal consecration on the following June 29 from Joseph Cardinal MacRory, with Bishops Edward Mulhern and William MacNeely serving as co-consecrators, in the chapel of St. Patrick's College. He later succeeded Thomas Mulvany as Bishop of Meath on June 16, 1943.
D'Alton was named Archbishop of Armagh and thus Primate of All Ireland on June 13, 1946, and was created Cardinal Priest of S. Agata dei Goti by Pope Pius XII in the consistory of January 12, 1953. A cardinal elector in the 1958 papal conclave, he was a member of the Central Preparatory Commission of the Second Vatican Council but lived long enough to only attend the Council's first session in 1962.
He died from a heart attack in Dublin[1], at age 80, and was buried on the grounds of St Patrick's Cathedral. He was succeeded by his auxiliary bishop, William Conway.
Cardinal D'Alton was seen to be more ecumenical in outlook than other members of the Irish hierarchy. He tried to broker talks between the Irish Free State and the United Kingdom to ease the tensions between both countries[2], even going so far as to address the situation regarding the Irish ports but to no avail. He was also a historian, and authored such works as Horace and His Age: A Study in Historical Background (1917), Roman Literary Theory and Criticism: A Study in Tendencies (1931), and Selections from St. John Chrysostom (1940).
[edit] Trivia
- D'Alton's mother had a daughter, Mollie Brennan, from a previous marriage; she remarried again after the Cardinal's father died in 1883.
- He was a close friend of Éamon de Valera, whom he befriended at Blackrock College. In his first year in Blackrock, de Valera beat D'Alton in two subjects, Maths, which he would later go on to teach and, ironically, Religion.
- His nickname was "Jackie".
[edit] References
- ^ TIME Magazine. Milestones February 8, 1963
- ^ Ibid.
[edit] External links
| Religious titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Thomas Mulvany |
Bishop of Meath 1943 – 1946 |
Succeeded by John Anthony Kyne |
| Preceded by Joseph Cardinal MacRory |
Archbishop of Armagh Primate of All Ireland 1946 – 1963 |
Succeeded by William Cardinal Conway |
