Richard Gilmour

Richard Gilmour (September 28, 1824 – April 13, 1891) was a Scottish-born prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Cleveland from 1872 until his death in 1891.

The Right Reverend Richard Gilmour D.D.
Bishop of Cleveland
Church	Roman Catholic Church
Archdiocese	Cincinnati
Diocese	Cleveland
See	Cleveland
Appointed	February 15, 1872
In office	April 14, 1872 - April 13, 1891
Predecessor	Louis Amadeus Rappe
Successor	Ignatius Frederick Horstmann
Orders
Ordination	August 30, 1852 by John Baptist Purcell
Consecration	April 14, 1872 by John Baptist Purcell
Personal details
Birth name	Richard Gilmour
Born	(1824-09-28)September 28, 1824 Dumbarton, Scotland, UK
Died	April 13, 1891(1891-04-13) (aged 66) St. Augustine, Florida, U.S.
Buried	Cathedral Resurrection Chapel
Nationality	Scottish
Denomination	Roman Catholicism
Alma mater	Mount St. Mary's University
Motto	Fides Et Caritas

Biography

Gilmour was born in Dumbarton, Scotland to John and Marian (née Callander) Gilmour, who were Reformed Presbyterians.[1] In 1829 he and his parents moved to Nova Scotia and later settled near Latrobe, Pennsylvania.[1] He received his classical education in Philadelphia, where he became acquainted with Rev. Patrick Rafferty, pastor of St. Francis Xavier Church, Fairmount, Philadelphia.[1]

Gilmour's friendship with Rafferty eventually led Gilmour to convert to Catholicism in 1844, and he soon resolved to enter the priesthood. In 1846 he entered Mount St. Mary's Seminary in Emmitsburg, Maryland.[2]

In addition to his studies, Gilmour was named prefect of collegians and professor of mathematics in 1847.[1] After receiving his Master of Arts degree (1848) and completing his theological studies, Gilmour was ordained a priest by Archbishop John Baptist Purcell on August 30, 1852.[3]

Gilmour then served as pastor of St. Mary's Church in Portsmouth, Ohio, also doing missionary work in Ironton, Gallipolis, Vinton, and Wilkesville.[2] In 1857 he succeeded Rev. James Frederick Wood as pastor of St. Patrick's Church in Cincinnati, where Gilmour erected a parochial school. He briefly served as a professor at Mount St. Mary's Seminary of the West (1868–1869) before being named pastor of St. Joseph's Church in Dayton.[2]

On February 15, 1872, Gilmour was appointed the second Bishop of Cleveland by Pope Pius IX.[3] He received his episcopal consecration on the following April 14 from Archbishop Purcell, with Bishops Augustus Toebbe and Caspar Henry Borgess serving as co-consecrators, at St. Peter's Cathedral.[3] He founded The Catholic Universe newspaper in 1874, and successfully opposed attempts by the Cuyahoga County auditor to tax Catholic churches and schools.[2] He was also wary of the public school system.[4] He established St. Ann's Asylum and Maternity Home,[5] St. Michael Hospital,[6] and St. John Hospital.

Death

Gilmour went to Florida in March 1891 due to failing health, where he died at St. Augustine, aged 66, on April 13, 1891.[2]

Legacy

Gilmour Academy, in Gates Mills, Ohio, is named in honor of Bishop Gilmour.

References

1. Houck, George Francis (1890). The Church in Northern Ohio and in the Diocese of Cleveland: From 1749 to 1890. Short & Forman Printers.
2. "GILMOUR, RICHARD". Encyclopedia of Cleveland History.
3. "Bishop Richard Gilmour". Catholic-Hierarchy.org.
4. Brownson's Quarterly Review (Last Series, Vol. 1, 1873, "The Church above the State", p. 353-354). Quote: "Catholics are too timid; they seem to go upon the principle that, if they are tolerated, they are doing well. This is a mistake; if we let our rights go by default, we should not wonder if we lose them. We must be decided in our demands, and present a bolder front to our enemies. It is unjust to so organize the public schools that we cannot in conscience send our children to them, and then tax us for their support. As well create a State Church, and tax us for its support."
5. "St. Ann's Hospital, Cleveland", The Catholic Church in the United States of America, Catholic Editing Company, 1914, p. 87 This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
6. "St. Michael Hospital", Encyclopedia of Cleveland History, Case Western Reserve University

Catholic Church titles
Preceded by Louis Amadeus Rappe	Bishop of Cleveland 1872–1891	Succeeded by Ignatius Frederick Horstmann