Michael Domenec

Michael Domenec C.M. (; Spanish: Miquel Joan Josep Domènech i Veciana) (December 27, 1816– January 5, 1878) was a Spanish-born prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as the only bishop of Allegheny in Pennsylvania from 1876 to 1877.

Domenec previously served as bishop of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania from 1860 to 1876. He was a member of the Congregation of the Mission (Vincentians).

Biography

Early life Michael Domenec was born on December 27, 1816, and baptized the same day at Saint Peter Church in Reus in the Kingdom of Spain. His parents, Josep Domènech and Tecla Viciana, belonged to a wealthy family. (American sources spell the family name "Domenec.") His early education was received at Madrid, Spain.

The outbreak in 1833 of the First Carlist War in Spain forced the Domenec family, including 15-year-old Michael, to flee to France. He then continued his studies at a college in Montolieu, France, operated by the Vincentians. While there, he decided to join their order, later moving to Maison Mère, the Vincentian motherhouse and headquarters in Paris.

Domenec in 1838 met Reverend John Timon, the visitor general of the Vincentians in the United States, during his visit to Maison Mère. Timon persuaded Domenec to complete his studies for the priesthood at St. Mary's of the Barrens, a Vincentian seminary in Perryville, Missouri, in the United States. After arriving in Missouri, Domenec soon became fluent in English and was teaching at St. Mary's. He acquired a reputation as a good orator.

Priesthood Domenec was ordained for the Vincentians in Perryville by Bishop Joseph Rosati to the priesthood on June 30, 1839. In 1845, the Vincentians sent Domenec to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to head St. Vincent's Seminary in that city. He was also appointed pastor of St. Stephen's Parish in Nicetown, Pennsylvania. When the Vincentians moved the seminary in 1851 to Germantown, Pennsylvania, he became pastor of the new St. Vincent de Paul Parish there.

Bishop of Pittsburgh On September 28, 1860, Domenec was appointed by Pope Pius IX as the second bishop of Pittsburgh. Domenec was consecrated in Saint Paul's Cathedral in Pittsburgh by Archbishop Francis Kenrick on December 9, 1860. However, the boundaries set for the new diocese were unpopular in Pittsburgh as it saddled the Diocese of Pittsburgh with the most debt-ridden institutions.