- Joseph Sadoc Alemany
infobox bishopstyles
name=Josep Alemany
dipstyle=The Most Reverend
offstyle=Your Excellency
relstyle=Monsignor
deathstyle=none |Josep Sadoc Alemañy i Concill, O.P. (
3 July 1814 -14 April 1888 ) was a SpanishCatalan American Roman Catholic archbishop andmissionary . He served as the first Bishop of Monterey from 1850 until 1853, and as the first Archbishop of San Francisco from 1853 until 1884.Background
Born in
Vic ,Catalonia , (Spain ), Alemany entered theDominican Order in 1830 and made his solemn profession in September 1831. He was ordained apriest on11 March 1837 and, after studies inRome , was sent to theUnited States in 1840. For the next eight years, he engaged in missionary activity in the Eastern and SouthernUnited States , eventually becoming anaturalize d American citizen. In 1848, he was appointed prior-provincial of the Dominican province of St. Joseph the Worker. On a trip toRome , Alemany was consecrated as Bishop of theRoman Catholic Diocese of Monterey in California on30 June 1850 ; thus, becoming the first American Bishop in California. [ [http://www.diocese-sacramento.org/History/history.html "Diocesan History"] ] When theRoman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco was erected in 1853, Alemany was appointed as its firstarchbishop .an Francisco
As Archbishop of San Francisco, Alemany presided over what became a multinational diocese, owing to the influx of people during the
California Gold Rush , and parishes were established for San Francisco's Italian, Irish, French, German andMexican communities. [ [http://www.catholicvoiceoakland.org/archives/Archive101804.html "Presentation Sisters to celebrate 150 years"] ] Catholic religious orders were also active during his tenure, with theSociety of Jesus establishingSanta Clara University and theUniversity of San Francisco , the De La Salle Christian Brothers taking over the diocesan Saint Mary's College, and theSisters of Notre Dame de Namur establishing the College of Notre Dame. He and fellow Dominican Fr.Francis Sadoc Vilarrasa also founded the Dominican Province of the MostHoly Name in 1851, and theDominican Sisters of San Rafael andDominican Sisters of Mission San Jose were established in the archdiocese in 1851 and 1876, respectively.One of Alemany's first acts as Archbishop was to file a petition with the
Public Land Commission onFebruary 19 ,1853 for the return of all former mission lands in California. Ownership of 1,051.44acre s (for all practical intents being the exact area of land occupied by the original mission buildings, cemeteries, and gardens) was subsequently conveyed to the Church, along with the "Cañada de los Pinos" (or College Rancho) inSanta Barbara County comprising convert|35499.73|acre|km2, and "La Laguna" inSan Luis Obispo County , consisting of 4,157.02 acres. [Robinson, pp. 31-32] The scope of his authority was large, as the Diocese of Monterey originally encompassed the entire area of the former Mexican province ofAlta California , while the Archdiocese of San Francisco encompassed all of the state ofCalifornia north ofMonterey Bay as well as territories that would becomeNevada andUtah . However, Alemany wished to return to missionary work and requested acoadjutor bishop. In 1883, BishopPatrick William Riordan was appointed coadjutor, and would succeed Alemany upon the latter's resignation as archbishop in 1884.Retirement
After his resignation, Alemany returned to
Spain and was appointed titular archbishop of Pelusium. He died inValencia, Spain , on14 April 1888 , and was buried in the Church of Santo Domingo in his native Vich. In 1965, his body was brought back to San Francisco and buried in the Archbishops' mausoleum in Holy Cross Cemetery inColma, California .He was an author, publishing his "The Life of St. Dominick".
Alemany Boulevard and the
Alemany Maze in San Francisco along withBishop Alemany High School inMission Hills, California are named in his honor.ources
*Mc Gloin, S.J., John B. "California's First Archbishop: The Life of Joseph Sadoc Alemany, O.P., 1814-1888". New York: Herder and Herder, 1966.
*Parmisano, Fabian Stan. "Mission West: The Western Dominican Province, 1850-1966". Oakland, California: Western Dominican Province, 1995.
*
* [http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/balemany.html Catholic-Hierarchy.org biographical profile]
*"Who Was Who in America: Historical Volume, 1607-1896". Chicago: Marquis Who's Who, 1967.
* [http://www.opwest.org/Archive/2003/200310/200310_dominican_friars.htm "Dominican Friars: Pioneers in the Archdiocese"]
* [http://www.catholicvoiceoakland.org/archives/Archive101804.html "Presentation Sisters to celebrate 150 years"]References
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