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Alphonse John Smith

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Alphonse J. Smith

S.T.D.
Bishop of Nashville
ChurchCatholic Church
SeeDiocese Nashville
In officeDecember 23, 1923 –
December 16, 1935
PredecessorThomas Sebastian Byrne
SuccessorWilliam Lawrence Adrian
Orders
OrdinationApril 18, 1908
by Pietro Respighi
ConsecrationMarch 25, 1924
by Joseph Chartrand
Personal details
Born(1883-11-14)November 14, 1883
DiedDecember 16, 1935(1935-12-16) (aged 52)
Nashville, Tennessee, US

Alphonse John Smith, (November 14, 1883 – December 16, 1935) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Nashville in Tennessee from 1923 to 1935.

Biography

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Alphonse Smith was born on November 14, 1883, in Madison, Indiana He was ordained a priest in Rome by Cardinal Pietro Respighi on April 18, 1908, for the Diocese of Indianapolis. [1]

Bishop of Nashville

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On December 23, 1923, Pope Pius XI named Smith as the sixth bishop of the Diocese of Nashville. He was consecrated on March 25, 1924, in the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul in Indianapolis by Bishop Joseph Chartrand. The co-consecrators were Bishops Emmanuel Ledvina and Samuel Stritch.[1]

When Smith came to the diocese he found there were only a few native priests from the diocese itself and ten seminarians. He worked to change the situation and within two years the number of seminarians from Tennessee had grown to 60, and 26 priests were ordained for the diocese during his episcopate. The monastery of the Poor Clares was established in Memphis, Tennessee. Several new parishes and schools were also established.[2] In 1925, he founded Father Ryan High School.[3]

Alphonse Smith died in Nashville on December 16, 1935.

References

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  1. ^ a b "Bishop Alphonse John Smith". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 2010-05-12.
  2. ^ "Former Bishops of the Diocese of Nashville". www.dioceseofnashville.com. Archived from the original on 2012-02-16. Retrieved 2010-05-12.
  3. ^ "The oldest continuously operating Catholic diocesan school in Nashville".

Episcopal succession

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Catholic Church titles
Preceded by Bishop of Nashville
1923–1935
Succeeded by