John Joseph Kain

John Joseph Kain (May 31, 1841 – October 13, 1903) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Wheeling in West Virginia from 1875 to 1893 and as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Saint Louis from 1896 to 1903. Kain was the first native-born American to be appointed archbishop of St. Louis.

His Excellency, The Most Reverend

John Joseph Kain
Archbishop of Saint Louis
ChurchCatholic
ArchdioceseSaint Louis
AppointedFebruary 12, 1875
PredecessorPeter Richard Kenrick
SuccessorJohn J. Glennon
Orders
OrdinationJuly 7, 1866
by Martin John Spalding
ConsecrationMay 23, 1875
by James Roosevelt Bayley
Personal details
Born(1841-05-31)May 31, 1841
Martinsburg, West Virginia
DiedOctober 13, 1903(1903-10-13) (aged 62)
Baltimore, Maryland
Previous post(s)Bishop of Wheeling
1875 to 1893
EducationSt. Charles College
St. Mary's College

Biography

Early life

Kain was born in Martinsburg in what was then Virginia on May 31, 1841, to Jeremiah and Ellen Kain.[1][2] After graduating from St. Charles College in Catonsville, Maryland, in 1862, he enrolled at St. Mary's College in Baltimore, Maryland.

Kain was ordained to the priesthood by Archbishop Martin John Spalding on July 7, 1866, for the Diocese of Wheeling.[2] After his ordination, Kain was stationed in Harper's Ferry, West Virginia, where he served parishioners in eight West Virginia counties and four Virginia counties. During his time there, he restored churches in Harper's Ferry and Martinsburg, and rebuilt churches in Winchester, Virginia and Berkeley Springs, West Virginia that had been destroyed during the American Civil War.[3][4][5]

Kain's sister, Mary Josephine Kain, served as a Catholic sister in Wheeling, West Virginia. Another sister, Margaret Kain, worked as his housekeeper for most of his career.[6]

Bishop of Wheeling

Pope Pius IX appointed Kain as bishop of the Diocese of Wheeling on February 12, 1875. He was consecrated at the Cathedral of Saint Joseph in Wheeling by Archbishop James Bayley on May 23, 1875. [2]During this period, Kain had about 36 priests under his jurisdiction who were ministering to approximately 20,000 Catholics.

Coadjutor Archbishop and Archbishop of St. Louis

In May, 1893, Pope Leo XIII appointed Kain as coadjutor archbishop to assist Archbishop Peter Kenrick of the archdiocese of Saint Louis, and created a titular archbishop the next month. When Kenrick died on June 8, 1895, Kain automatically succeeded him as Archbishop. [2]

John Kain died on October 13, 1903, in St. Agnes' Sanitarium in Baltimore after a long illness. He was 62 years old.[3] [2]He was interred in Calvary Cemetery in Saint Louis, Missouri.[5][7]Kain is the namesake for Rosati-Kain High School in St. Louis.[8]

References
  1. Archbishop John Joseph Kain Papers, 1865-1983, Archdiocese of Saint Louis Archives and Records, accessed September 7, 2019.
  2. "Archbishop John Joseph Kain [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 2022-05-03.
  3. “Archbishop's Body Will Lie in State.” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 10 Oct. 1903, p.5.
  4. “Bishop of St. Louis.” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 15 Jan. 1893, p. 16.
  5. Riordan, Michael J. The Catholic Church in the United States of America. III, The Catholic Editing Company, 1914.
  6. “Miss Margaret Kain Dead.” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 19 Apr. 1901, p. 1.
  7. “Entire Hierarchy at Kain Funeral.” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 15, 1903, p. 12.
  8. Bosenbecker, Ray. So, Where'd You Go to High School? First ed., vol. 1, Virginia Publishing Company, 2004, page 140.

Sources
  • Who Was Who in America, Vol. I:1897-1942. Chicago:The A.N. Marquis Company, 1942.
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