Robert Wasson Brady SJ (October 6, 1825 – March 26, 1891) was an American Catholic priest who led several Jesuit institutions in the United States. He served twice as the president of the College of the Holy Cross from 1867 to 1869 and from 1883 to 1887. He was also the second president of Boston College from 1869 to 1870 and the provincial superior of the Jesuits' Maryland Province from 1877 to 1882.
Robert W. Brady | |
|---|---|
 Photograph of Brady around 1870 | |
| 8th & 12th President of the College of the Holy Cross | |
| In office 1883–1887 | |
| Preceded by | Edward D. Boone |
| Succeeded by | Samuel Cahill |
| In office 1867–1869 | |
| Preceded by | James Clark |
| Succeeded by | Anthony F. Ciampi |
| 2nd President of Boston College | |
| In office 1869–1870 | |
| Preceded by | John Bapst |
| Succeeded by | Robert J. Fulton |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 6, 1825 Hancock, Maryland, U.S. |
| Died | March 26, 1891 (aged 65) Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Resting place | Jesuit Community Cemetery |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | July 25, 1857 by Peter Richard Kenrick |
Early life edit
Robert Wasson Brady was born on October 6, 1825, in Hancock, Maryland.[1] In his youth, Brady's father died and his mother moved the family to Frederick, Maryland, so that Brady could study at Saint John's College.[2] He then decided to enter religious life, and proceeded to the Jesuit novitiate in Frederick, where he entered the Society of Jesus on August 31, 1843.[3]
In 1845, Brady became a professor of rudiments at Georgetown College. However, he began experiencing health problems and his superiors transferred him in 1847 to the newly founded College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, where they thought the climate would be more advantageous to his health. Brady's health did improve, and he was made the prefect of the school as well as a professor of grammar and poetry.[4]
Formative years in Maryland edit
While continuing in his roles as prefect and professor, Brady began his next stage of Jesuit formation, the study of philosophy and theology, in September 1853. Four years later, he completed his studies and was ordained a priest by Archbishop Peter Richard Kenrick of St. Louis on July 25, 1857, in the students' chapel at Holy Cross. Brady was then promoted to vice president and first prefect of discipline of the school.[5]
In 1859, Brady returned to Frederick in 1859 to complete his third year of probation (a part of his Jesuit formation).[5] He professed his third vow on August 15, 1860.[6] That year, he was sent to Loyola College in Baltimore, where he became a minister and teacher of algebra.[7] In 1861, he was assigned to teach juniors at the college, and the following year, he left the college to become a priest at St. Aloysius Church in Washington, D.C.[6] His time in Washington coincided with the Civil War, and Brady ministered to soldiers in military hospitals.[8]
Academic career in New England edit
At the end of 1863, Brady moved to Boston,[6] where he became the superior of St. Mary's Church in the North End.[9] On July 10 of that year, he was elected to a three-year term as the treasurer and a member of the board of directors of Boston College.[10] As superior of St. Mary's, Brady refused to continue paying the $3,000 per year (equivalent to approximately $74,000 in 2023)[11] to Boston College that had been paid by his predecessors.[12] The college's president, John Bapst, unsuccessfully protested Brady's decision, and Bishop John Bernard Fitzpatrick of Boston stated that St. Mary's had been placed under the direction of the Society of Jesus so that its revenue could support the newly founded Boston College.[12]
On February 27, 1867, Brady was named the president of the College of the Holy Cross,[6] replacing James Clark.[13] The college's board of trustees authorized Brady to take out $46,000 in loans to expand the school physical facilities.[14] Brady oversaw the addition of a west wing and spires to Fenwick Hall,[6] the college's original building.[15] The new wing included a library, meeting rooms for the debating society, and dormitories for students and the Jesuits; it also saw the addition of steam heating to the building.[14] The project cost a total of $50,000. Brady left to become the second president of Boston College on August 27, 1869,[6] succeeding John Bapst.[16] At Holy Cross, he was succeeded by Anthony F. Ciampi.[13] Instead of taking the typical title of president and rector, Brady and his successor, Robert J. Fulton, took the title of vice rector, because the school was still in the process of being established.[17] At the same time that he was president, Brady was the pastor of the Church of the Immaculate conception in Boston's South End.[18] On August 2, 1870, Brady left Boston College to once again resume the position of superior of St. Mary's Church.[6] At St. Mary's, he oversaw the construction of a new church building and rectory.[19]
Provincial leadership edit
Brady succeeded Joseph E. Keller as the provincial superior of the Jesuits' Maryland Province on May 8, 1877,[6][20] and professed his final vows that day.[1] With the unification of the Maryland and New York provinces on August 7, 1879, Brady assumed the position of provincial of the New York Province. The province was renamed the Maryland–New York Province on August 19, 1880.[20] Brady was succeeded as provincial by Robert J. Fulton on May 28, 1882.[6]
Following his term as provincial, Brady became an operarius (a Jesuit ministering away from his home community)[21] in Jersey City, New Jersey.[6] On June 28, 1883, he again returned to the College of the Holy Cross to replace Edward D. Boone as president.[22][13] In 1883,[23] while president, Brady was sent to the Jesuits' 23rd general congregation as an elector. Despite experiencing poor health, he was sent to Italy in 1886 to temporarily become the procurator of the Jesuit Province of Fiesole. Upon his return in November 1886, he became the vice provincial superior and acting superior of the Maryland–New York Province while Fulton was appointed a visitor in Ireland; Brady held this position until May 1887.[24] Brady's second term as president of Holy Cross ended on August 2, 1887,[24] and he was succeeded by Samuel Cahill.[13]
Later years edit
Around this time, Brady became ill and was assigned to various posts in Maryland and Washington, D.C. that would be less taxing than his previous roles. He first became an operarius at Bohemia Manor in Cecil County, Maryland. He then was made the superior of St. Thomas Manor in Charles County and then spiritual father at Georgetown College.[24]
In 1890, Brady succeeded Stephen A. Kelly as the pastor of Holy Trinity Church in Georgetown, where he would spend the remainder of his life.[25] On March 16, 1891, he became ill with pneumonia and was taken to nearby Georgetown College. He was administered last rites on March 26,[24] and he died that day.[3] John J. Murphy replaced Brady as pastor of Holy Trinity.[25] His funeral was held at Holy Trinity Church on March 30,[24] and he was buried that day in the Jesuit Community Cemetery.[26]
References edit
- ^ a b "Necrology of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States" (PDF). Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States. October 30, 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 30, 2021. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
- ^ Father Robert Wasson Brady 1891, p. 250
- ^ a b "Rev. Robert Brady, S.J." College of the Holy Cross. Archived from the original on August 23, 2016. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
- ^ Father Robert Wasson Brady 1891, p. 251
- ^ a b Father Robert Wasson Brady 1891, p. 252
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Father Robert Wasson Brady 1891, p. 253
- ^ Father Robert Wasson Brady 1891, pp. 252–253
- ^ Kuzniewski 1999, p. 123
- ^ Dunigan 1947, p. 102
- ^ Dunigan 1947, p. 65
- ^ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
- ^ a b Dunigan 1947, p. 91
- ^ a b c d "Past Presidents". College of the Holy Cross. Archived from the original on July 17, 2019. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
- ^ a b Kuzniewski 1999, p. 124
- ^ "Holy Cross: 1843–1899". College of the Holy Cross. Archived from the original on January 14, 2022. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
- ^ Dunigan 1947, pp. 101–102
- ^ Dunigan 1947, p. 107
- ^ Lapomarda 1977, p. 210
- ^ Dunigan 1947, p. 106
- ^ a b Ramspacher 1962, p. 301
- ^ Gramatowski 2013, p. 20
- ^ Father Robert Wasson Brady 1891, pp. 253–254
- ^ "General Congregations". The Portal to Jesuit Studies. Boston College Institute for Advanced Jesuit Studies. Archived from the original on May 24, 2021. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e Father Robert Wasson Brady 1891, p. 254
- ^ a b "From the Pastor's Desk" (PDF). Holy Trinity Catholic Church Bulletin. Washington, D.C.: Holy Trinity Catholic Church. December 6, 2015. p. 2. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 16, 2018. Retrieved January 4, 2019.
- ^ Father Robert Wasson Brady 1891, p. 255
Sources edit
- Dunigan, David R. (1947). Crowley, Francis M. (ed.). A History of Boston College. The Catholic Education Series. Milwaukee: Bruce Publishing Co. OCLC 855266992. Retrieved February 1, 2022 – via Internet Archive.
- "Father Robert Wasson Brady: A Sketch" (PDF). Woodstock Letters. 20 (2): 250–255. June 1891. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 6, 2021. Retrieved October 30, 2021 – via Jesuit Archives.
- Gramatowski, Wiktor (2013). Jesuit Glossary: Guide to understanding the documents (PDF). Translated by Russell, Camilla. Rome: Archivum Romanum Societatis Iesu. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 4, 2019. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
- Kuzniewski, Anthony J. (1999). Thy Honored Name: A History of the College of the Holy Cross, 1843–1994. Washington, D.C.: Catholic University of America Press. ISBN 978-0-81320-911-1. Archived from the original on March 25, 2020. Retrieved February 1, 2022 – via Google Books.
- Lapomarda, Vincent A. (1977). The Jesuit Heritage in New England. Worcester, Massachusetts: The Jesuits of Holy Cross College, Inc. ISBN 978-0960629404. Archived from the original on March 22, 2021. Retrieved March 22, 2021 – via CrossWorks.
- Ramspacher, Joseph H. (July 1962). "Major Superiors in the Northern United States" (PDF). Woodstock Letters. 91 (3): 300–303. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 11, 2020. Retrieved February 28, 2021 – via Jesuit Archives.
