Philip R. McDevitt

Philip Richard McDevitt (July 12, 1858 November 11, 1935) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Harrisburg from 1916 until his death in 1935.

Philip R. McDevitt
AppointedJuly 10, 1916
PredecessorJohn W. Shanahan
SuccessorGeorge L. Leech
Orders
OrdinationJuly 14, 1885
Personal details
Born(1858-07-12)12 July 1858[1]
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Died(1935-11-11)11 November 1935[2]
DenominationRoman Catholic

Biography

Portrait of Philip R. McDevitt by Thomas Eakins, 1901.

Philip McDevitt was born in Philadelphia to Richard and Mary Ann (née Dinneney) McDevitt.[3] After graduating from La Salle College High School in 1877, he studied at La Salle College and St. Charles Borromeo Seminary.[3] He was ordained to the priesthood by Archbishop Patrick John Ryan on July 14, 1885.[4] He served as a curate at the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Port Richmond, Philadelphia before becoming superintendent of Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia in 1899.[3] In this position, he gained a national reputation as an educator and administrator. He was raised to the rank of a Domestic Prelate by Pope Pius X on July 16, 1910.[3]

On July 10, 1916, McDevitt was appointed the fourth Bishop of Harrisburg by Pope Benedict XV.[4] He received his episcopal consecration on the following September 21 from Archbishop Edmond Francis Prendergast, with Bishops John Joseph McCort and John Edmund Fitzmaurice serving as co-consecrators.[4] During his 19-year-long tenure, he established ten parishes and twelve schools.[3] In 1925 he created the Mission Board to respond to financial needs caused by the Great Depression.[5] He also served as chairman of the Catholic Press Department within the National Catholic Welfare Conference, and president of the American Catholic Historical Association.

McDevitt later died at age 77, and is buried at Holy Cross Cemetery in Harrisburg. Bishop McDevitt High School in Harrisburg and Bishop McDevitt High School in Wyncote are both named in his honor.

References

Media related to Philip R. McDevitt at Wikimedia Commons


Catholic Church titles
Preceded by
John W. Shanahan
Bishop of Harrisburg
19161935
Succeeded by
George L. Leech


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