John McElroy

John McElroy (14 May 1782 – 12 September 1877) was a Jesuit priest who founded Catholic schools in the United States. After immigrating to the United States in 1803, McElroy enrolled in Georgetown University in 1806, the same year in which he joined the Society of Jesus as a lay brother. His brother Anthony also became a Jesuit. McElroy assumed the management of Georgetown's financial affairs. He was ordained a priest in 1817. In 1822 he was sent to Frederick, Maryland, where he was to remain for 23 years as pastor of St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church in downtown Frederick. It was in Frederick that he founded St. John's Literary Institution. During the Mexican–American War, McElroy served as an Army chaplain, and on his return from Mexico he went to Boston, where he established Boston College and Boston College High School.

Early years John McElroy was born 14 May 1782 in Enniskillen, Ireland, the younger of two sons. In the hopes of providing a better life for John and his brother Anthony, their father, a farmer, financed their travel to the United States of America. In 1803 the two young men boarded a ship leaving the port of Londonderry and arriving in Baltimore, Maryland, on 26 August. McElroy eventually settled in Georgetown, Washington, D.C., and became a merchant.

Georgetown In 1806 McElroy entered Georgetown College in Washington, D.C., the same year he entered the novitiate of the Society of Jesus as a lay brother. McElroy eventually managed the finances of Georgetown College and in 1808 erected the tower building. McElroy managed the school's finances so well that through the period of economic hardship following the War of 1812, he was able to send several Jesuits to Rome to study. In his short time at Trinity, he contributed to the growth of the congregation and enlarged of the church building.

In 1819, McElroy started a Sunday School for black children who were taught prayers and catechism simultaneously with spelling and reading, by volunteer members of the congregation.

In the years leading up to the 1838 Jesuit slave sale, McElroy was, as clerk of Georgetown College, responsible for issuing runaway slave advertisements and return rewards.

Frederick

One of McElroy's first known interactions with the Catholic community in Frederick, Maryland, was around 1804 when he gave money to Fr. John Dubois, the pastor in Frederick, to support St. John the Evangelist Church. a school which is currently operating under the name of Saint John's Catholic Prep.

In 1833 McElroy worked with John Tehan, a well-known local architect, to create a plan for a new church. When the Church was completed it was the largest parish Church in the United States of America.

Mexican War

Shortly after the Mexican-American War began in 1846, many Irish Catholic immigrants joined the U.S. forces in Mexico. The religious needs of these soldiers were not being met. In a discussion between the President of the United States of America, James K. Polk, and Archbishop John Hughes of New York, it was decided that for the first time, Roman Catholic priests would join US Army forces as chaplains. Father Rey died for his efforts at the hand of guerrillas.

In 1853 McElroy found a property in the South End where the city jail once stood. After two years of negotiations the project fell through due to zoning issues. Classes began in the fall of 1864, and would continue at this location until 1913 when the college moved to its current location at Chestnut Hill.

Memorials

Memorial buildings McElroy Commons (Boston College) – dedicated on 9 November 1961. McElroy Hall (Boston College High School) – opened in 1950. McElroy Hall (Saint Katharine Drexel Church) – Frederick, Maryland.

Memorial awards The John McElroy Award – Inaugurated in 1992, a plaque is awarded annually to individuals whose actions or achievements have advanced Catholic school education in Frederick, Maryland. The plaque is a bas relief created by artist William M. Cochran. Father John McElroy Founder's Award – an award given by Saint John's Catholic Prep to a student who best exemplifies the school's Jesuit roots.

Retirement and death In 1868 McElroy retired to the Jesuit novitiate in Frederick. In 1872 he visited Georgetown for his final time to celebrate his golden jubilee. His eyesight was failing and while moving through his home he fell, fracturing his femur, which would eventually lead to his death at the Jesuit novitiate in Frederick. For some years leading up to his death, he was regarded as the oldest priest in the United States and the oldest Jesuit in the world.