John England

John England (September 23, 1786, in Cork, Ireland – April 11, 1842 in Charleston, South Carolina) was an Irish-born American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as the first bishop of Charleston, leading a diocese that then covered three Southern states. England previously served as a priest in Cork, Ireland, where he was active in the movement for Catholic emancipation in the British Isles. As bishop in Charleston, he ministered to and provided education for many free and enslaved African-Americans.

Life in Ireland

Early life

John England was born on September 23, 1786, in Cork, Ireland. As a child, he attended a private school run by a Protestant teacher, who referred to him as "the little Papist". When he was older, England pursued a law career, studying with a barrister for two years. Deciding to prepare for the priesthood, England entered the Theological College of Carlow in Carlow, Ireland on August 31, 1803. At one point, England confronted a condemned prisoner 30 minutes before his execution, saying "Stop, sir. You shall not go to Hell for half hour yet." England then persuaded the man to confess his sins before dying.

Activism

In 1809, England published the "Religious Repertory" and established a circulating library in St. Mary Parish in Shandon, Ireland. He purchased the Cork Mercantile Advertiser, which he used to condemn the treatment of prison inmates. During the 1812 British general election, he maintained that "in vindicating the political rights of his countrymen, he was but asserting their liberty of conscience". Also in 1812, England was appointed president of the new diocesan College of St. Mary, where he taught theology. The ceremony was held in St. Finbar's Church in Cork by Bishop John Murphy, with Bishop Patrick Kelly serving as co-consecrator. At the end of the ceremony, England refused to take the customary oath of allegiance to the British Crown, declaring his intention to become an American citizen.

On October 20, 1820, England and his youngest sister sailed from Belfast, arriving in Charleston on December 30, 1820. The day after his arrival, England took charge of the diocese and almost immediately issued a pastoral letter. England expressed concern that children’s religious rights were being violated and addressed the Orphan House directly in a publicized entry: "What would you think of a proposal on my part requiring you to give up the religious instruction of the children of Protestants to Roman Catholics? In his speech, England strongly denied that the Catholic Church was intolerant of other denominations. Regarding the control of Catholic voters by the church hierarchy, he stated:I would not allow to the Pope or any bishop of our church the smallest interference with the humblest vote at our most insignificant balloting box.

William Clancy In 1835, Reverend William Clancy arrived in Charleston to serve as coadjutor bishop. In 1832, the Vatican had instructed England to travel to Haiti to serve as a papal negotiator. When England requested a coadjutor bishop to cover the diocese during his absence, the Vatican appointed Clancy. However, Clancy did not arrive in Charleston until 1835, when England's trip to Haiti had been cancelled. Clancy soon became bored and complained that there was too little work in the diocese for two bishops. England wrote to the Vatican, saying about Clancy:He is very distinguished for his character, zeal and piety, but in one year he has wrecked that whole constitutional system of church government which has taken me years to perfect. working in the diocese. The Bishop John England Award is given to publications that belong to the Catholic Media Association.