John Lancaster Spalding

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From the Catholic Encyclopedia:

Rt. Rev. John Lancaster Spalding was consecrated first Bishop of Peoria, 1 May, 1877. Born of the distinguished Spalding family, in Lebanon, Kentucky, in 1840, and educated at Bardstown, Mount St. Marys, Emmittsburg, Louvain, and Rome, his career as paster in Louisville, Kentucky, as orator, and as author had been marked by signal successes. The promise of his earlier life was more than fulfilled by the long years of his episcopate. Besides creating a new spirit in the Catholic life of the diocese, which found expression in new churches, schools, and institutions of education and charity, he sought fields of larger efforts for his zeal. He laboured earnestly in the cause of Catholic colonization in the West. He preached the truths of life to an ever-increasing and deeply appreciative audience of American people. He ranks high among the educators of the country. The Catholic University of America owes its origin largely to his zeal. Spalding Institute, Peoria, a Catholic school for boys, built and equipped by his generosity, is another monument to his abiding faith in education. His writings are assured of permanent use and admiration by future generations. At the height of his usefulness he was stricken with paralysis on 6 Jan., 1905, and resigned the see, 11 Sept., 1908, residing in Peoria as Archbishop of Scitopolis, to which honour he was raised in 1909.

From Historic Peoria:

Spalding, John Lancaster

1840-1916

Submitted By Roy A. Roberts

While considered more of a remote intellectual than a personable pastor, John Lancaster Spalding, first bishop of Peoria, initiated foundational projects that continue to affect real people in education, health care, and religious life more than a century after his death.

Born in Lebanon, Kentucky, June 2, 1840, his Roman Catholic roots included ancestors who came to the New World before 1650 to escape religious persecution in England. Sensing a call to the priesthood, Spalding prepared for that vocation at Louvain, Belgium, and was ordained in 1863. After spending six years studying and traveling in Europe, he returned to the United States to receive appointment as a rector at the Cathedral in Louisville. Only eight years later, after serving both in Louisville and New York, he was consecrated a bishop on May 1, 1877, and moved to Peoria.

One of the most highly regarded thinkers and writers among Catholic leaders, Spalding’s influence upon the American church has been compared to that of Cardinal Newman upon the English church. As his fame and expertise increased, Bishop Spalding was offered the leadership of such important archdioceses as Chicago and New York. He preferred to remain in Peoria.

Major projects spearheaded by Bishop Spalding include the construction of Peoria's St. Francis Hospital, begun in 1877, and the building of St. Mary’s Cathedral here, laying that cornerstone in 1885. A persistent promoter of Catholic education, the Bishop is also credited as a primary force in the founding of the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.

Spalding served actively until a series of strokes forced him to resign in 1908 after 31 years in office. He lived at the bishop’s residence until his death in 1916 at the age of 76. The Spalding Institute, once a Peoria high school, bore his name in his honor.