Hugh Charles Boyle
Hugh Charles Boyle | |
|---|---|
| Bishop of Pittsburgh | |
 | |
| See | Diocese of Pittsburgh |
| Installed | June 29, 1921 |
| Term ended | December 22, 1950 |
| Predecessor | Regis Canevin |
| Successor | John Dearden |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | July 2, 1898 by Richard Phelan |
| Consecration | June 29, 1921 by Regis Canevin |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 8, 1873 Johnstown, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | December 22, 1950 (aged 77) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Denomination | Catholic |
| Education | Saint Vincent Seminary |
| Motto | Quod deus volt (What God wants) |
| Styles of Hugh Boyle | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Reference style | The Most Reverend |
| Spoken style | Your Excellency |
| Religious style | Bishop |
Hugh Charles Boyle (October 8, 1873 – December 22, 1950) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania from 1921 until his death in 1950.
Biography
[edit]Early life
[edit]Hugh Boyle was born on October 8, 1873, in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, one of nine children of Charles and Anna (née Keelan) Boyle.[1] His father was an Irish immigrant who worked as a coal miner.[2] He received his early education at local parochial schools, and enrolled at St. Vincent College in Latrobe at age 14.[3] During the 1889 Johnstown Flood, his father and most of his siblings drowned; only his mother and one brother survived.[4] He began his studies for the priesthood at St. Vincent Seminary, also in Latrobe, in 1891.[1]
Priesthood
[edit]Boyle was ordained a priest in Latrobe for the Diocese of Pittsburgh by Bishop Richard Phelan on July 2, 1898.[5] After his ordination, the diocese assigned Boyle as a curate at St. Aloysius Parish in Wilmerding, Pennsylvania, where he remained for five years.[1] He then served at the Cathedral of St. Paul Parish in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and as secretary to Bishop Regis Canevin. In 1909, Canevin appointed Boyle as superintendent of diocesan schools.[2] From 1916 to 1921, he served as pastor of St. Mary Magdalene Parish in Homestead, Pennsylvania.[1]
Bishop of Pittsburgh
[edit]On June 16, 1921, Boyle was appointed the sixth bishop of Pittsburgh by Pope Benedict XV.[6] He received his episcopal consecration at Saint Paul Cathedral on June 29, 1921, from Canevin, with Bishops Philip R. McDevitt and John McCort serving as co-consecrators.[5]
During his 29-year tenure, Boyle earned a reputation as one of the leading Catholic educators in the nation. He sponsored a comprehensive school-building program in the diocese,[2] asking the Brothers of the Christian Schools to establish Central Catholic High School in Pittsburgh He was a supporter of social justice movements, such as the Catholic Radical Alliance.[7] In 1941, Boyels established the Catholic Workers' School in Pittsburgh.[2]
During World War II, Boyle served as chairman of the National Catholic Welfare Council's Committee for Polish Relief.[2] He defended the Allied bombing of Rome as a wartime necessity and praised the care that the Army Air Corps took to protect the city's religious and cultural treasures.[2] Boyle also played a prominent role in the national Legion of Decency and was a member of the Episcopal Committee on Motion Pictures.[2]
Death and legacy
[edit]Hugh Boyle died on December 22, 1950, at Mercy Hospital in Pittsburgh at age 77.[2] He is buried in St. Mary Cemetery in the city's Lawrenceville neighborhood.[8]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d Curtis, Georgina Pell (1947). The American Catholic Who's Who. Vol. VII. Grosse Pointe, Michigan: Walter Romig.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "BISHOP H.C. BOYLE OF PITTSBURGH, 77; Diocesan Head 29 Years Dies—Noted Educator Had Long Aided Cause of Labor". The New York Times. 1950-12-23.
- ^ O'Donnell, John Hugh (1922). The Catholic Hierarchy of the United States, 1790-1922. Washington, D.C.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ "The Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Flood 31 May 1889". Donegal Genealogy Resources. Archived from the original on 2 August 2009. Retrieved 26 May 2010.
- ^ a b "Bishop Hugh Charles Boyle [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 2025-09-13.
- ^ "Bishop Hugh Charles Boyle". Catholic-Hierarchy.org.[self-published source]
- ^ "Radical Alliance' Priests Strike With Pickets". Pittsburgh Press. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. p. 42.
We contend that the relationship between Catholicism and capitalism is one of fundamental opposition
- ^ "Former Diocesan Bishops". Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh. Archived from the original on 2009-12-31.
