Clement Smyth
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Timothy Clement Smyth, Order of Cistercians (b. February 24, 1810, Finlea, Ireland - d. September 22, 1865) was a Roman Catholic Bishop who served as the second leader of the Diocese of Dubuque following the death of Bishop Mathias Loras.
Smyth became a member of the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance (Trappists), and was ordained a priest in that order on May 29, 1841. Father Smyth came to the Dubuque, Iowa area when the Trappists were invited to establish an abbey in the diocese by Bishop Loras. He was present on July 16, 1849 when New Melleray Abbey was established. Smyth would come to serve as the superior at the monastery.
Bishop Loras found that his health was failing. He requested a coadjutor Bishop from the Holy See. On January 9, 1857 Father Smyth was named Coadjutor Bishop of Dubuque. Because of the time involved in sending communications, the papers from Rome did not arrive in Dubuque until April 1857. On May 9, 1857, Father Smyth was consecrated as a Bishop by Archbishop Peter Richard Kenrick. Archbishop John Martin Henni and Bishop Anthony O'Regan served as co-consecrators. In addition to being named Coadjutor Bishop of Dubuque, he was also named Titular Bishop of Thennesus.
After his consecration as Coadjutor Bishop, Bishop Smyth directed the construction of the new, larger St. Raphael's Cathedral. The health of Bishop Loras continued to decline, but Loras was well enough to hold the first Mass in the new Cathedral on Christmas Day, 1857. Just under two months later, Bishop Loras died suddenly on February 20, 1858. On that day Bishop Smyth automatically succeeded Loras as Bishop of Dubuque.
Bishop Smyth would continue to oversee the construction of the new Cathedral. He would also oversee the continued expansion of the church's presence in Iowa, which grew as more people began to settle in the state. Bishop Smyth led the diocese until his death on September 22, 1865, aged 55.
In the following year John Hennessy would be named Bishop of Dubuque, and would become the first Archbishop when the diocese was elevated to an Archdiocese in 1893.
Before his death in 1900, Archbishop Hennessy requested that a mortuary chapel be built to serve as a final resting place for Bishops and Archbishops of Dubuque. In 1902 the mortuary chapel was completed. The body of Bishop Smyth was brought to the Cathedral, and reburied in the mortuary chapel, where his remains reside today.
| Preceded by Mathias Loras |
Bishop of Dubuque 1858–1865 |
Succeeded by John Hennessey |
