Edgar Philip Prindle Wadhams

Edgar Philip Prindle Wadhams (May 21, 1817 – December 5, 1891) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the first bishop of the Diocese of Ogdensburg in New York State from 1872 until his death in 1891.

Biography

Early life Edgar Wadhams was born on May 21, 1817, in Lewis, New York. He attended secondary school in Shoreham, Vermont, then went to Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vermont. While at Middlebury, Wadhams joined the Episcopal Church. Deciding to become an Episcopal minister, he entered the General Theological Seminary in New York City. In 1842, Wadhams was ordained a deacon and started preaching in Ticonderoga, New York, and in Essex County, New York.

In 1846, after much soul-searching, Wadhams underwent baptism into the Catholic Church. This decision was the culmination of several years of debate with others and personal reflection. He then entered St. Mary's Seminary in Baltimore, Maryland, run by the Society of St. Sulpice, to prepare for the Catholic priesthood. One of Wadham's first projects was to expand the small St. Mary's Church in Ogdensburg into a proper cathedral, adding a sacristy, stained glass windows and a sanctuary. He also recruited priests from Quebec and Europe for the new congregations. It was Wadham's goal to establish a school for each parish, but the economics and distances were against him. He founded schools and improved existing schools in Carthage, Plattsburgh, Ogdensburg, Keeseville, Hogansburg and Brasher Falls, New York. In 1875, Wadhams took another trip to Rome and met again with Pius IX.