Nicholas Chrysostom Matz

Nicholas Matz was born in Munster, Lorraine, to Antoine and Marie-Anne Boul Matz.[1] He began his classical course at the minor seminary of Fénétrange in 1865.[2] In 1868 he and his family came to the United States, where they settled at Cincinnati, Ohio.[1] He then studied for the priesthood at Mount St. Mary's of the West Seminary.[2] He accepted an invitation from Bishop Joseph Projectus Machebeuf in 1869 to join the newly erected Apostolic Vicariate of Colorado.[1] After his arrival in Colorado, Matz was ordained a priest by Bishop Machebeuf on May 31, 1874.[3] He then served as a curate at the cathedral of Denver until 1877, when he became pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Georgetown.[2] He there erected a church, parochial school, and a hospital, which he placed under the care of the Sisters of St. Joseph.[2] He was transferred to St. Anne's Church at Denver in 1885.[1]

On August 16, 1887, Matz was appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Denver and Titular Bishop of Telmissus by Pope Leo XIII.[3] He received his episcopal consecration on the following October 28 from Archbishop Jean-Baptiste Salpointe.[3] Upon the death of Bishop Machebeuf, Matz succeeded him as the second Bishop of Denver on July 10, 1889.[3] During his 28-year-long tenure, he made Catholic education his top priority, establishing dozens of parochial schools and demanding that Catholic parents send their children to Catholic schools under pain of mortal sin.[1] In 1905 he founded St. Thomas Seminary, which was staffed by the Vincentians.[1] He broke ground for the new Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in 1902, later dedicating it in 1912.[4] He also established thirty-four new parishes, a cemetery, and a diocesan newspaper.[1] However, he met opposition from many priests and his ambitious building projects drove the diocese into a large amount of debt.[1] He was a strong opponent of labor unions, especially the Western Federation of Miners.[1][5]

Following a nervous breakdown and a series of strokes, Matz delegated the administration of the diocese to his vicar general and requested his own coadjutor bishop.[1] He later died at St. Anthony's Hospital, aged 67.

• Works by or about Nicholas Chrysostom Matz at Internet Archive