John Carroll (archbishop)
John Carroll SJ (January 8, 1735 – December 3, 1815) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church who served as the first bishop of the Diocese of Baltimore, the first diocese in the new United States. He later became the first archbishop of Baltimore. Until 1808, Carroll administered the entire American Catholic Church.
The Most Reverend John Carroll | |
|---|---|
| Archbishop of Baltimore | |
Portrait by Gilbert Stuart, c. 1806 | |
| Church | Catholic Church |
| Archdiocese | Baltimore |
| See | Baltimore |
| Appointed | November 6, 1789 |
| Installed | December 12, 1790 |
| Term ended | December 3, 1815 |
| Predecessor | Diocese erected |
| Successor | Leonard Neale |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | February 14, 1761 |
| Consecration | August 15, 1790 by Charles Walmesley |
| Personal details | |
| Born | January 8, 1735 Marlborough Town, Province of Maryland |
| Died | December 3, 1815 (aged 80) Baltimore, Maryland, United States |
| Motto | Ne derelinquas nos domine deus noster ("Forsake us not, O Lord, my God, stay not far from me") |
Ordination history of John Carroll | |||||||||||||
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| Styles of John Carroll | |
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| Reference style | The Most Reverend |
| Spoken style | Your Excellency |
| Religious style | Monsignor |
| Posthumous style | none |
Born to an aristocratic family in the colonial-era Province of Maryland, Carroll spent most of his early years as a priest in Europe, teaching and serving as a chaplain. After returning to Maryland in 1773, he started organizing the Catholic Church in America with a small cadre of priests. The Vatican appointed him to several roles as leader of the American Catholic hierarchy, culminating in his appointment as archbishop.
Carroll founded Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., and St. John the Evangelist Parish in Silver Spring, Maryland, the first secular parish in the country.