Alfred Allen Paul Curtis

Alfred Allen Paul Curtis (July 4, 1831 – July 11, 1908) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Wilmington in Delaware (1886–1896) and as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Baltimore in Maryland (1897–1908). Curtis had served as an Episcopal priest for 12 years before converting to Catholicism.

Biography

Early life Alfred Curtis was born on July 4, 1831, near Rehobeth, Maryland, to Episcopalian parents. He attended the country school his father had founded, but taught himself Latin, Greek, and the works of Shakespeare. Following his father's death in 1849, the family moved to Pocomoke City, Maryland. Curtis took a job as an assistant teacher at an academy in Princess Anne, Maryland, to support the family.

Curtis gradually became more Catholic in his beliefs and practices. Curtis returned to Baltimore later that year, entering St. Charles Seminary in Ellicott City, Maryland. At age 46, he entered St. Mary's Seminary in Baltimore. He also erected a cloistered convent for the sisters of the Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary. Twice a year, Curtis would visit the county almshouse to minister to the poor and bring them food. When he took office, Curtis discovered that all the church property in the diocese was under the personal name of the bishop. He spent the next few years filing legal transfers of all the property to the diocese itself. He also led efforts to clear the sizable debt owed by the diocese and its parishes.

In his personal life, Curtis ate small meals of vegetables and fruits with little meat. He wore a hairshirt and chains under his clothing and flagellated himself in his room. Leo XIII accepted Curtis's resignation as bishop of Wilmington due to poor health on May 23, 1896, and appointed him as titular bishop of Echinus. Curtis left the diocese with 25,000 Catholics, 30 priests, 22 churches and 18 missions, 12 seminarians, eight religious communities, three academies, nine parochial schools, and three orphanages. Auxiliary Bishop of Baltimore After Curtis's health improved, Leo XIII appointed him as an auxiliary bishop of Baltimore in 1897. He assisted Gibbons with ordinations and confirmations.

Death Alfred Curtis died from cancer at St. Agnes Hospital in Baltimore on July 11, 1908, at age 77. At his own request, his remains were buried at Visitation Monastery in Wilmington. In 1993, because of the Visitation community's relocation to Massachusetts, Curtis's remains were moved to Cathedral Cemetery in Baltimore.