His Excellency, The Most Reverend

John Ambrose Watterson
Bishop of Columbus
ChurchRoman Catholic Church
DioceseDiocese of Columbus
In officeAugust 8, 1880 – April 17, 1899
PredecessorSylvester Horton Rosecrans
SuccessorHenry K. Moeller
Orders
OrdinationAugust 9, 1868
by Michael Domenec[1]
ConsecrationAugust 8, 1880
by William Henry Elder William George McCloskey John Tuigg[2]
Personal details
Born(1844-05-27)May 27, 1844
Blairsville, Pennsylvania, US
DiedApril 17, 1899(1899-04-17) (aged 54)
Columbus, Ohio, US

John Ambrose Watterson (May 27, 1844 – April 17, 1899) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Columbus in Ohio from 1880 until his death in 1899.

Biography

Early life

The sixth of eleven children,[3] John Watterson was born on May 27, 1844, in Blairsville, Pennsylvania, to John Sylvester and Sarah Salome (née McAfee) Watterson.[4] His father's family came to the United States from the Isle of Mann in the United Kingdom in 1762; originally Episcopalians, his grandfather was orphaned in 1781 and subsequently raised by a Catholic family in York County, Pennsylvania.[3] His mother's family was from County Armagh, Ireland, and settled in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania.[4] John's parents frequently offered their home as a place of rest to traveling missionaries, and their house even became known as "The Priest's Hotel."[4]

After attending the parochial school of Sts. Simon and Jude Parish in Blairsville, Watterson was sent to St. Vincent's College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, at a young age,[3] being in formation as a Benedictine monk for a time.[5] In 1861, he entered Mount St. Mary's Seminary at Emmitsburg, Maryland, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree with high honors.[4]

Priesthood

Watterson was ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Columbus by Bishop Michael Domenec on August 9, 1868, at St. Vincent's Abbey in Latrobe.[6] Watterson then served as professor of moral theology and Scripture at Mount St. Mary's, where he became vice president in 1877 and later president in 1879.[3] He earned a Doctor of Divinity degree from Georgetown College in Washington, D.C. in June 1879.[4]

Bishop of Columbus

On March 14, 1880, Watterson was appointed the second bishop of the Diocese of Columbus by Pope Leo XIII.[6] He received his episcopal consecration on August 8, 1880, from Archbishop William Elder, with Bishops William McCloskey and John Tuigg serving as co-consecrators.[6] During his 19-year-long tenure, Watterson increased the number of priests and schools in the diocese, founded two hospitals and the Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus, and erected many new missions and parishes.[3] A strong proponent of temperance, he prohibited saloon owners from holding office in any Catholic organization in the diocese, and made all the children to whom he administered confirmation promise not to drink until they were 21.[3] He was the first Catholic bishop ever to speak at Ohio State University in Columbus[7]

John Watterson died in Columbus unexpectedly on April 17, 1899, at age 54.[6] He is buried at Mount Calvary Cemetery in Columbus.[3] Bishop Watterson High School is named in his honor. He is also one of the featured persons of the Washington Gladden Social Justice Park in downtown Columbus.[8]

References

  1. ↑ Clarke, D.A. (1918). Diocese of Columbus : the history of fifty years, 1868-1918. Columbus: Diocese of Columbus. p. 34.
  2. ↑ Clarke, D.A. (1918). Diocese of Columbus : the history of fifty years, 1868-1918. Columbus: Diocese of Columbus. p. 37.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "The Right Reverend John Ambrose Watterson, D.D., Bishop 1880-1899". Roman Catholic Diocese of Columbus. Archived from the original on 2009-01-03. Retrieved 2009-08-18.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 O'Hare, Teresa Beatrice (June 1899). "RT. REV. JOHN A. WATTERSON, D.D.". The Rosary Magazine, Vol. XIV.
  5. ↑ Oetgen, Jerome (2000). Mission to America. Washington, D.C.: Catholic University of America Press. p. 148. ISBN 0-8132-0957-9.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "Bishop John Ambrose Watterson". Catholic-Hierarchy.org.
  7. ↑ "Bishop John A. Watterson". Bishop Watterson High School.
  8. ↑ King, Danae (28 October 2018). "Park honors social justice pioneers". The Columbus Dispatch. pp. 1b.
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