Bernard Donnelly facts for kids

Bernard Donnelly (born June 29, 1810 – died December 15, 1880) was an important Irish Catholic priest. He helped the Catholic community in Kansas City, Missouri during the 1800s. He is also known for starting Kansas City's Irish community.

Father Donnelly brought many Irish immigrants to Kansas City. These immigrants helped build many streets in the city's River Market and Downtown areas. They carved these streets out of the tall bluffs along the Missouri River. Father Donnelly also owned a brick-making business. This business helped build several old Catholic churches in Downtown Kansas City, like the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception and Old St. Patrick's Church.

Who Was Bernard Donnelly?

Early Life and Education

Bernard Donnelly was born in a place called Kilnacreeva in County Cavan, Ireland in 1810. He went to school in Cavan and Dublin. There, he studied to become an engineer. His first job was helping to build the docks in Liverpool, England. This was in the 1820s and 1830s.

While he was in Liverpool, Donnelly met a man named Father Theobald Matthew. Father Matthew was famous for his work in the temperance movement, which encouraged people to drink less alcohol. Father Matthew became a mentor to Donnelly. He taught him how to organize groups and speak in public.

Coming to America

In the late 1830s, Donnelly moved to the United States. He first settled in Philadelphia, where he worked as a teacher. In 1840, he decided to become a priest. He enrolled in St. Mary's of the Barrens Seminary. He wanted to serve the Irish community in the United States as a Roman Catholic priest.

Father Donnelly became a priest in 1845. He was ordained by Peter Richard Kenrick, who was the Archbishop of St. Louis. Father Donnelly was sent to St. Mary's Parish in Independence, Missouri. There, people started calling him "the Pioneer Priest." He also served the French community living where the Kansas and Missouri rivers meet. This community was started by François Chouteau in 1821. Their church, St. John Francis Regis, began as a log cabin in 1835.

Building Kansas City

When Kansas City, Missouri, officially became a city in 1853, Father Donnelly was one of the first people to support its growth. He brought together about 300 Irish immigrants. Most of them came from the counties of Connacht in Ireland. They came to Kansas City to help build the city.

These immigrants worked to cut through the bluffs (steep hills) along the Missouri River. These bluffs were blocking the way between the town and the river landings in the West and East Bottoms.

Father Donnelly also built important church buildings. One of these was a new brick Church of the Immaculate Conception. It was built on the same spot where the old Church of St. John Francis Regis used to be.

To help the Irish immigrants, Father Donnelly was allowed to start a new church in Kansas City. This church was called St. Patrick's and was founded in 1869. Next to it, Father Donnelly started a brick-making business. This business was very important for building many of the first buildings in the new city.

The Church of the Immaculate Conception, which became the main church for the Diocese of Kansas City after 1880. Father Bernard Donnelly built it in 1856.

In 1872, the first St. Patrick's Church had to be torn down because of problems with its structure. A new St. Patrick's Church was built at 8th Street and Cherry Street. It was officially opened on Christmas Day in 1875.

Father Donnelly passed away on December 15, 1880, in his church home. He was buried in Mount St. Mary's Cemetery in Kansas City, Missouri.

Father Donnelly's Legacy

Some of Father Donnelly's personal items are shown in the chapel at St. Teresa's Academy in Kansas City. Father Donnelly also has a division of the Ancient Order of Hibernians named after him. This group, which celebrates Irish culture, was started in the State of Kansas in 2002.