Richard Gilmour
{{short description|19th-century Roman Catholic Bishop of Cleveland}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2021}}
{{Infobox Christian leader
| type = Roman Catholic Bishop
| honorific-prefix = His Excellency, The Most Reverend
| name = Richard Gilmour
| honorific-suffix = D.D.
| title = Bishop of Cleveland
| image = The Right Reverend Richard Gilmour.jpg
| church = Roman Catholic Church
| archdiocese =
| metropolis =
| diocese =
| see = Diocese of Cleveland
| appointed = February 15, 1872
| term =
| term_start = April 14, 1872
| term_end = April 13, 1891
| predecessor = Louis Amadeus Rappe
| successor = Ignatius Frederick Horstmann
| ordination = August 30, 1852
| ordained_by = John Baptist Purcell
| consecration = April 14, 1872
| consecrated_by = John Baptist Purcell
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{Birth_date|1824|9|28}}
| birth_place = Dumbarton, Scotland, UK
| death_date = {{Death_date and age|1891|4|13|1824|9|28}}
| death_place = St. Augustine, Florida, USA
| buried = Cathedral Resurrection Chapel
| nationality = Scottish
| religion =
| alma_mater =
| motto = Fides Et Caritas
(Faith and love)
| signature = Signature of Richard Gilmour (1824–1891).png
| education = Mount St. Mary's University
}}
File:Bishop Richard Gilmour.jpg
Richard Gilmour (September 28, 1824 – April 13, 1891) was a Scottish-born Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Cleveland from 1872 until his death in 1891.
Biography
= Early life =
Gilmour was born in Dumbarton, Scotland to John and Marian (née Callander) Gilmour, both Reformed Presbyterians.{{cite book|last=Houck|first=George Francis|title=The Church in Northern Ohio and in the Diocese of Cleveland: From 1749 to 1890|url=https://archive.org/details/churchinnorther00houcgoog|publisher=Short & Forman Printers|year=1890}} In 1829, the family immigrated to Nova Scotia in Canada, but later settled near Latrobe, Pennsylvania. He received his classical education in Philadelphia, where he became acquainted with Rev. Patrick Rafferty, pastor of St. Francis Xavier Parish.
Gilmour's friendship with Rafferty led Gilmour to convert to Catholicism in 1844, and he soon decided to enter the priesthood. In 1846, he entered Mount St. Mary's Seminary in Emmitsburg, Maryland.{{cite news|work=Encyclopedia of Cleveland History|title=GILMOUR, RICHARD|url=http://ech.case.edu/ech-cgi/article.pl?id=GR1}} In addition to his studies, Gilmour was named prefect of collegians and professor of mathematics in 1847. He received his Master of Arts degree in 1848.
= Priesthood =
Gilmour was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Cincinnati by Archbishop John Purcell on August 30, 1852.{{cite news|work=Catholic-Hierarchy.org|title=Bishop Richard Gilmour|url=http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bgilmour.html}} After his ordination, Gilmour was appointed pastor of Church of Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ Parish in Portsmouth, Ohio. He organized and built the English speaking Catholic church, Holy Redeemer in Portsmouth in 1853.{{Cite news |date=July 21, 1855 |title=Richard Gilmour |pages=4 |work=The Catholic Telegraph}} Gilmour also conducted missionary work in Ironton, Gallipolis, Vinton, and Wilkesville, all in Ohio. He helped organize St. Lawrence Parish in Ironton and construct its church.
In 1857, Gilmour was appointed pastor of St. Patrick's Parish in Cincinnati, where he erected a parochial school. He served as a professor at Mount St. Mary's Seminary of the West in Cincinnati from 1868 to 1869 before being named pastor of St. Joseph's Parish in Dayton, Ohio.
= Bishop of Cleveland =
On February 15, 1872, Gilmour was appointed as the second bishop of the Diocese of Cleveland by Pope Pius IX. He received his episcopal consecration on April 14, 1872, from Archbishop Purcell, with Bishops Augustus Toebbe and Caspar Borgess serving as co-consecrators, at St. Peter's Cathedral in Cincinnati.
As bishop, Gilmour founded The Catholic Universe newspaper in 1874. In 1877, the Cuyahoga County auditor announced plans to tax Catholic churches and schools. Gilmour fought the auditor in court, winning his case six years later. He was also wary of the public school system.[https://books.google.com/books?id=jrvPAAAAMAAJ Brownson's Quarterly Review] (Last Series, Vol. 1, 1873, "The Church above the State", p. 353-354). Quote: "Catholics are too timid; they seem to go upon the principle that, if they are tolerated, they are doing well. This is a mistake; if we let our rights go by default, we should not wonder if we lose them. We must be decided in our demands, and present a bolder front to our enemies. It is unjust to so organize the public schools that we cannot in conscience send our children to them, and then tax us for their support. As well create a State Church, and tax us for its support." He established St. Ann's Asylum and Maternity Home,[https://books.google.com/books?id=x70YAAAAYAAJ&dq=Antoinette+Fage&pg=PA5 "St. Ann's Hospital, Cleveland", The Catholic Church in the United States of America, Catholic Editing Company, 1914, p. 87]{{PD-notice}} St. Michael Hospital,
[https://case.edu/ech/articles/s/st-michael-hospital "St. Michael Hospital", Encyclopedia of Cleveland History, Case Western Reserve University] and St. John Hospital.
In 1882, Gilmour condemned the Ladies Land League chapter in Cleveland.. Founded in Ireland, the League was a women's organization that assisted tenants being evicted from their homes.{{Cite news |date=1883-02-03 |title=BISHOP GILMOUR WELCOMED.; HIS EUROPEAN TOUR--THE WRETCHEDNESS OF IRELAND DESCRIBED. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1883/02/03/archives/bishop-gilmour-welcomed-his-european-tourthe-wretchedness-of.html |access-date=2022-06-16 |issn=0362-4331}}
= Death and legacy =
Due to his declining health, Gilmour went to St. Augustine, Florida in March 1891 to recuperate. Richard Gilmour died there at age 66 on April 13, 1891.Gilmour Academy in Gates Mills, Ohio, is named in honor of Gilmour.
References
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{{succession box |
before=Louis Amadeus Rappe|
title=Bishop of Cleveland |
years=1872–1891 |
after=Ignatius Frederick Horstmann
}}
{{s-end}}
{{Roman Catholic Diocese of Cleveland}}
{{Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gilmour, Richard}}
Category:People from Dumbarton
Category:People from Latrobe, Pennsylvania
Category:Converts to Roman Catholicism from Presbyterianism
Category:Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati
Category:Christianity in Cleveland
Category:19th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States
Category:Roman Catholic bishops of Cleveland