Edward John O'Dea

His Excellency, the Most Reverend

Edward John O'Dea
Bishop of Seattle
ChurchRoman Catholic Church
DioceseNesqually/Seattle
InstalledJune 13, 1896
Term endedDecember 25, 1932
PredecessorEgidius Junger
SuccessorGerald Shaughnessy
Orders
OrdinationDecember 23, 1882
ConsecrationSeptember 8, 1896
Personal details
BornNovember 23, 1856
Boston, Massachusetts, US
DiedDecember 25, 1932(1932-12-25) (aged 76)
Seattle, Washington, US
BuriedHolyrood Catholic Cemetery
Shoreline, Washington, US
SignatureEdward John O'Dea's signature
Styles of
Edward John O'Dea
Reference styleThe Most Reverend
Spoken styleYour Excellency
Religious styleMonsignor

Edward John O'Dea (November 23, 1856 – December 25, 1932) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Nesqually in Washington State from 1896 until 1907. When the Vatican renamed the diocese as the Diocese of Seattle in 1907, O'Dea served as its bishop until his death in 1932.

O'Dea was responsible for the construction of St. James Cathedral in Seattle, Washington.

Biography

Early life

Bishop O'Dea (center) celebrating his Silver Jubilee at St. James Cathedral in 1908

Edward O'Dea was born in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, to Edward and Ellen (née Kelly) O'Dea, both Irish immigrants.[1] Edward O'Dea elder traveled west during the California Gold Rush in 1849.[1] The family settled in Portland, Oregon, in 1866.[1]

Edward O'Dea younger attended St. Ignatius College in San Francisco, California and graduated from St. Michael's College in Portland in 1876.[1] He continued his studies at the Grand Seminary of Montréal in Montreal, Quebec.[citation needed]

Priesthood

O'Dea was ordained to the priesthood by Archbishop Édouard-Charles Fabre on December 23, 1882.[2] Following his return to Portland, he served as a curate at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception Parish. He served as private secretary to Archbishop William Gross until 1892, when he became pastor of St. Patrick's Church in Portland.[1]

Bishop of Nesqually

On June 13, 1896, O'Dea was appointed the third Bishop of Nesqually by Pope Leo XIII.[2]

He received his episcopal consecration on September 8, 1896, from Archbishop Gross, with Bishops Jean-Nicolas Lemmens and Alphonse Glorieux serving as co-consecrators, at St. James Cathedral (now a proto-cathedral) in Vancouver.[2]

When he took office, O'Dea was confronted with financial difficulties, including a $25,000 debt for the construction of the cathedral in Vancouver.[3]

Bishop of Seattle

The Vatican renamed the diocese as the Diocese of Seattle on September 11, 1907, and moved the seat of the diocese from Vancouver to Seattle's Capitol Hill.[2] O'Dea dedicated St. James Cathedral later that year.[3] He guided the diocese through World War I and the anti-Catholic sentiment engendered by Initiative 49, a Ku Klux Klan-sponsored initiative to make parochial schools illegal.[4] His final accomplishment was the establishment of St. Edward Seminary in Kenmore, Washington, in 1930.[4]

Death and legacy

O'Dea died on December 25, 1932, at age 76, two days after celebrating the 50th anniversary of his ordination. His final words were "God bless you all."[5]

O'Dea High School in Seattle was named after O'Dea.[citation needed]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography. Vol. XIV. New York: James T. White & Company. 1910.
  2. ^ a b c d "Bishop Edward John O'Dea". Catholic-Hierarchy.org.[self-published source]
  3. ^ a b "Seattle". Catholic Encyclopedia.
  4. ^ a b "Bishop Edward John O'Dea". Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Seattle. Archived from the original on December 8, 2009. Retrieved November 26, 2009.
  5. ^ "Death Calls Bishop O'Dea". Seattle Daily Times. Vol. LV, no. 361. December 26, 1932.
Catholic Church titles
Preceded by Bishop of Seattle
1896–1932 		Succeeded by