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First Bishop of Kingston, Ontario, Canada, b.
17 July 1760, at Inchlaggan in Glengarry, Scotland; d. 14 January, 1840,
at Dumfries, Scotland. His early education was received at Bourblach on
Loch Morar. He attended the Scots Colleges at Paris, and at Valladolid,
Spain, and was ordained priest at the latter place 16 February 1787.
Returning to his native land he exercised the ministry for five years in
the Braes of Lochaber. In 1792 his people were evicted from their homes,
and their lands were converted into sheepwalks. Despite the bitter
feelings against Catholics, lately intensified by the Gordon Riots, and
disregarding the fact that, being a Catholic priest he was ipso facto
an outlaw, undaunted, he led his clansmen to the city of Glasgow, where he
secured employment for them, acting as their devoted pastor and faithful
guardian, a sharer in their fortunes, as indeed he continued to be for
fifty years. Within two years after the Highlanders' arrival in Glasgow,
the Revolution on the Continent ruined the export trade of Glasgow and
deprived them of their livelihood. The only avenue open to the unemployed
was service in the militia, but even this was closed to the Glengarrymen,
who, being Catholics, could not declare themselves Protestants, as
required for enlistment.
The genius for organization possessed by
Father Macdonell, which was destined to make a great name for him on two
continents, and render valuable service to Church and State, quickly
showed itself. He boldly offered to organize his clansmen into a Catholic
regiment. The pressing need of strengthening the forces made the offer
acceptable, and in 1794 the "Glengarry Fencible Regiment" was
raised, and Father Macdonell, though it was contrary to the existing law,
was appointed chaplain, thus becoming the first Catholic chaplain in the
British Army since the Reformation. The regiment was despatched to the
Isle of Guernsey in 1795, then threatened by the French, and on the
breaking out of the Rebellion, they were sent to Ireland in 1798. Bernard
Kelly in the "Fate of Glengarry", writing of their sojourn in
the latter country says: "They everywhere won golden opinions by
their humane behaviour towards the vanquished, which was in striking
contrast with the floggings, burnings, and hangings which formed the daily
occupation of the rest of the military. Father Macdonell, who accompanied
the regiment in all their enterprises, was instrumental in fostering this
spirit of conciliation, and his efforts contributed not a little to the
extinction of the Rebellion. The Catholic chapels in many places had been
turned into stables by the yeomanry, and these he caused to be restored to
their proper use. He often said Mass himself in these humble places of
devotion, and invited the inhabitants to leave their hiding places and
resume once more their wonted occupations, assuring them of the king's
protection, if they behaved quietly and peaceably. Such timely
exhortations had almost magical effect, though the terror-stricken
population could scarcely believe their eyes when they beheld a regiment
of Roman Catholics, speaking their language, and among them a soggarth,
a priest, assuring them of immunity from a government immemorially
associated with every species of wrong and oppression." An American
bishop, lately deceased, has given this testimony to the chaplain's
services and to the Irish people's gratitude: "The memory of Father
Macdonell is as green in those regions as the fields they cultivate. That
holy, chivalrous priest saved the lives of many innocent Irishmen and
restored the chapels to their original purpose." At the close of the
Rebellion, Father Macdonell was called to London in the interest of the
regiment, and was at the same time commissioned by the Bishops of Ireland
to make known to the British government their sentiments in regard to the
proposed legislative union of Great Britain and Ireland. The Fencibles
were disbanded in Glasgow in 1802.
The next two years found Father Macdonell
in negotiation with the government for the immigration of his people to
Canada. Powerful forces were arrayed against him, both at home and in the
government, in but he eventually triumphed, and brought out in 1803 and
1804 large numbers of Catholic Highlanders to Glengarry in Upper Canada,
where many of his faith and race were already exiled on account of
persecution in their native land. Father Macdonell arrived at York, now
Toronto, 1 November, 1804, and proceeded to settle the people on the lands
granted by the British government. The whole of the present Dominion was
then the vast Diocese of Quebec. Father Macdonell with authority of
vicar-general was assigned to the mission of St.-Raphael's in Glengarry,
"the Cradle of the Church in Ontario", which he made his
headquarters for twenty-five years, though his home was everywhere in the
province. On his arrival he found three priests in the province, the Rev.
Roderick Macdonell (Leek) at St. Andrew's and St. Regis, the Rev. Francis
Fitzimmons in Glengarry, and the Rev. Father Richard at Sandwich.
The Rev. Roderick Macdonell died in 1806
and Father Fitzimmons removed shortly afterwards to New Brunswick; this
left Father Macdonell in charge of the whole province for the next ten
years without any assistance, Father Richard being unable to speak
English. He was obliged to travel over the country from the province line
of Lower Canada to Lake Superior, carrying the requisites for Mass, and
the administration of the sacraments, sometimes on horseback, sometimes in
Indian birch canoes, and sometimes on foot, living among the savages with
such fare as they afforded, crossing the great lakes and rivers, and even
descending the rapids of the St. Lawrence in their dangerous craft. Equal
hardships and privation he endured among the new settlers. Thus he spent
those years in travelling about, offering the Holy Sacrifice in rude huts,
teaching the children, administering the sacraments and preaching to the
widely separated settlers throughout the great province, now Ontario.
During the War of 1812 his powerful influence was successfully used in
rousing the martial spirit of his countrymen, and indeed of the other
inhabitants, in defence of their adopted land. With the reorganized
"Glengarry Fencibles" he was present in several engagements
against the American forces. His civil and military services were
recognized by the British Government in 1816 by an addition to his own
government allowance, and by an annual grant of £100 each, to three
clergymen and four school-masters.
In 1817 Upper Canada was set apart from the
See of Quebec as a vicariate Apostolic, and two years later Father
Macdonell was appointed vicar Apostolic, his consecration as Bishop of
Rhosina taking place in the Ursuline chapel, Quebec, on 31 December, 1820.
A significant incident was the gift to Bishop Macdonell of a magnificent
episcopal ring by King-George IV. Six years later, 14 February, 1826, the
vicariate was raised to a bishopric by Leo XII, and Bishop Macdonell then
became the first Bishop of Upper Canada with his see at Kingston.
Advancing age caused him to apply for a coadjutor. Father Weld of Lulworth
Castle, England, was appointed and consecrated Bishop of Amycla, and
coadjutor of Upper Canada, 1 August, 1826 but his health becoming impaired
he never assumed office. Bishop Macdonell's thorough knowledge of the
country and its people and his great administrative ability made his
counsel desirable to the government, and on 12 October, 1831, he was
called to the Legislative Council, and thereafter was accorded the title
"Honourable". In a letter to a friend he writes of his
appointment as follows: "The only consideration that would induce me
to think of accepting such a situation, would be the hope of being able to
promote the interests of our holy religion more effectually, and carrying
my measures through the Provincial Legislature with more facility and
expedition than I could otherwise do."
Five voyages to Europe, an average travel
of two thousand miles per year through Ontario, the personal selection of
church sites, in nearly all the places now marked by cities and towns in
the province of Ontario, untiring and successful efforts to obtain a fair
share of government grants in money and land for church and school
purposes (the first grant of public money for a Catholic school in Ontario
was obtained for St. Andrew's, Stormont County, in 1832), are all
evidences of an unusually active life. His zeal for the formation of a
native priesthood is abundantly shown in the establishment of the Seminary
of Iona at St. Raphael's, in 1826, and of Regiopolis College at Kingston,
in 1838, not to speak of the many priests educated at his own expense.
There is a statement left among his papers showing that he expended £13,000
of his private funds for the furthering of religion and education.
His voluminous letters reveal the master
mind of the organizer and ruler, and the singleness of purpose of the
great churchman. His life was a striking example of the truth that in the
Catholic Church piety and patriotism go hand in hand. In the year 1840 he
died in his native Scotland, whither he had gone with the hope of
interesting Irish and Scotch bishops in a scheme of emigration. In 1861
his remains were brought to Kingston by Bishop Horan and were interred
beneath the cathedral. Bishop Macdonell in 1804 found three priests and
three churches in Upper Canada. By his energy and perseverance he induced
a considerable immigration to the province, and left at his death
forty-eight churches attended by thirty priests. The memory that survives
him is that of a great missionary, prelate and patriot — the Apostle of
Ontario.
"Letters of Bishop Macdonell";
MACDONELL, "Reminicences of the Hon. And Rt. Rev. Alexander Macdonell";
KELLY, "The Fate of Glengarry"; MORGAN, "Biographies of
Celebrated Canadians"; HOPKINS, "Progress of Canada".
D.R. MACDONALD
Transcribed by John Looby
Dedicated to Sister Mary Coderre, RHSJ of Hôtel Dieu Hospital
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