A Preliminiary Survey of the Life of the Most Reverend Joesph Sadoc Alemany, O.P. First Bishop of San Francisco
Graduation Date
Spring 1942
Document Type
Master's Thesis
Document Form
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Degree Granting Institution
Catholic University of America
Program Name
Humanities
Abstract
The Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary keep a current record in their convents of events in their community life which are worthy to be remembered. The Chronicles of the College of the Holy Names in Oakland begins with the coming of the Sisters from Montreal In 1868. In Its record of arrivals and departures, registrations and graduations, religious ceremonies and deaths, the life of the city of Oakland and the Archdiocese of San Francisco Is necessarily interwoven. Through the pages, reference Is made to the visits of the Archbishop, the Most Reverend Joseph Sadoc Alemany. The notes breathe a respect and veneration which grows warmer with the years, expressing a deep sense of loss when the news of his resignation was announced. After reading through the notations made during sixteen years, the holiness of the man remains as a dominant Impression, from such recurring comments as, "One is always struck by his piety and humility." "The mere sight of him is sufficient to encourage us in the practice of religious virtues.” He was "our holy Archbishop", and when he secured a Coadjutor, he became “our good old Archbishop.”
With interest aroused in the Archbishop through reading the , I sought further information from the elder Sisters of the community. They unhesitatingly canonized him “vox populi”, but added that he was strict and that his rigorous interpretations were not always appreciated. This information added to my interest in his character, for strength in administration will win admiration and likewise provoke opposition* The article in the Catholic Encyclopedia stated that he was a learned man, and attributed the splendid development of the Archdiocese during his thirty-five
years as Bishop and Archbishop In great part to his zeal and prudence. In fine, the essential points of intellect and spirituality1 combined with great achievement, marked him as an interesting personality to follow in written biography. But a search revealed that the record of the life and accomplishments of the first Archbishop of San Francisco still lay burled in archives and in newspaper files.
This summary traces the development of an interest which led to this dissertation. The materials have been scanty and scattered! much reading has elicited only a fact here and there, often the best in unexpected places. Mow that there is sufficient background to approach the material in European archives, the means of communication have been cut off by the war. In America there is yet much to cover. Diocesan archives will yield more material, and detailed search through California newspapers and eastern Catholic papers should be profitable. The study of the activities and interests of the Archbishop year by year through the decades of his episcopate would lay the foundation of the history of the Archdiocese. The reminiscences of pioneers might repay their study by showing a closer relation than now reveals Itself between the Archbishop and the civic events. This dissertation has merely laid the foundation for future study, by combining In one work the correct facts of the Archbishop’s life, supplemented with some original material not easily available. A definite effort has been made to | point to the sources of Information which might lead to further I knowledge.