Eugene A. Garvey

Eugene Augustine Garvey (October 6, 1845 – October 22, 1920) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He was the first bishop of Altoona in Pennsylvania, serving from 1901 until his death in 1920.

Biography Early life and education Garvey was born on October 6, 1845, in Carbondale, Pennsylvania, to Michael and Catherine (née Boylan) Garvey. His parents were both Irish immigrants, and his father was a rope worker for the Delaware and Hudson Railway and later the Pennsylvania Coal Company. In 1850, Garvey moved with his family from Carbondale to nearby Dunmore, Pennsylvania. He later graduated from Scranton High School in Scranton, Pennsylvania. The Vatican erected the new Diocese of Scranton in 1868 and Garvey accepted an invitation from its bishop, William O'Hara to work there.

Priesthood Garvey was ordained a priest in Scranton on September 22, 1869 for the Diocese of Scranton, by Bishop O'Hara. After his ordination, the diocese assigned Garvey as assistant pastor at the largely German-speaking parish of St. Mary's Parish in Honesdale, Pennsylvania. He also served the English-speaking Catholics of St. Philomena's Parish in Hawley, Pennsylvania. A year later in 1870, the diocese assigned him as pastor of Holy Ghost Parish in Athens, Pennsylvania. Despite taking charge of Annunciation amid a contentious situation, Garvey eliminated its debt and built a new church, rectory, and parochial school. Garvey also established Mount Carmel Cemetery in Williamsport and a convent for the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

Bishop of Altoona On May 31, 1901, Garvey was appointed the first bishop of the newly created Diocese of Altoona by Pope Leo XIII. The new diocese covered over 6,000 square miles in Central and Western Pennsylvania, including the counties of Cambria, Blair, Bedford, Huntingdon, and Somerset taken from the Diocese of Pittsburgh and the counties of Centre, Clinton, and Fulton taken from the Diocese of Harrisburg. By his final year as bishop in 1920, the diocese had 148 priests working in 91 parishes and 42 parochial schools with 11,369 students and a Catholic population of 123,756.

Garvey's health began to fail in 1917. In 1920, the Vatican appointed Bishop John Joseph McCort as a coadjutor bishop, with the right of succession, to assist Garvey. In October 1920, Garvey collapsed and fell into a coma. He died a few days later at his residence in Altoona on October 22, 1920, aged 75.