Thomas Joseph Brosnahan
The Most Reverend Thomas Joseph Brosnahan, Archbishop Emeritus, C.S.Sp. (30 March 1905 – 26 January 1996) was Archbishop of Freetown and Bo in Sierra Leone.[1]
Thomas Joseph Brosnahan | |
|---|---|
| Archbishop of the Diocese of Freetown and Bo | |
| Church | Sacred Heart Cathedral, Freetown |
| Diocese | Roman Catholic Diocese of Freetown and Bo |
| See | Roman Catholic Diocese of Freetown and Bo |
| Elected | 4 June 1984 |
| In office | 2 December 1984 |
| Retired | 26 April 2002 |
| Predecessor | Ambrose Kelly |
| Successor | Joseph Henry Ganda |
| Other posts | President of Inter-territorial Catholic Bishops' Conference of The Gambia and Sierra Leone |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 16 June 1929 |
| Consecration | by 7 March 1953 |
| Personal details | |
| Birth name | Thomas Joseph Brosnahan |
| Born | 30 March 1905 Whitegate, County Clare, Ireland |
| Died | 26 January 1996 (aged 90) |
| Nationality | Irish |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic Church |
| Profession | Catholic priest |
| Styles of Thomas Joseph Brosnahan | |
|---|---|
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| Reference style | |
| Spoken style | Your Excellency |
| Religious style | Bishop |
Priestly life
He entered the Holy Ghost Fathers and his ordination took place on 16 June 1929.[1][2]
Ministry in Nigeria
His ministry in East Nigeria began in 1933 where he remained for 20 years.[1]
Bishop of Freetown and Bo
He arrived in Freetown in 1953 to succeed Archbishop Ambrose Kelly who had died the previous year.[1] He was appointed Bishop of Freetown and Bo and began his ministry in Sierra Leone.[1][2]
The main focus of his work was education and he made tremendous progress in this area.[1] He founded Christ the King College in Bo the year of his arrival.[1]
On 9 April 1961, he made history when he performed the first ordination of a diocesan priest, Joseph Ganda, at the Immaculate Heart Church in Bo.[1]
Second Vatican Council
He was a council father in Sessions 1 (11 October 1962 to 8 December 1962), Session 2 (29 September 1963 to 4 December 1963), Session 3 (14 September 1964 to 21 November 1964) and Session 4 (14 September 1965 to 8 December 1965) of the Second Vatican Council.[2]
First archbishop of Freetown and Bo
Bishop Brosnahan achieved another career milestone when he became the first Archbishop of Freetown and Bo in 1971.[1] From 1971 to 1975, he was president of the Inter-territorial Catholic Bishops' Conference of The Gambia and Sierra Leone.[1] In 1975, he erected the Archdiocesan Secretariat Santanno House on Howe Street.[1] He retired in 1980 and was succeeded by Joseph Ganda.[1]
Legacy
Christ the King College, which he founded in 1953, went on to become one of the biggest and most popular colleges in Sierra Leone. Today it is a technical college that is a subsidiary of the University of Sierra Leone and has many prominent figures among its alumni among them politician Charles Margai and former vice president of Sierra Leone Solomon Berewa. A number of international students from Liberia, Gambia, Ghana and Nigeria attend the college.
References
- "A Brief History of the Catholic Church in Sierra Leone". Catholic Bishop's Conference of Sierra Leone. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
- "Archbishop Thomas Joseph Brosnahan". David M. Cheney. Retrieved 7 May 2018.
External links
| Catholic Church titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Ambrose Kelly |
Archbishop of Freetown and Bo 1952–1980 |
Succeeded by Joseph Henry Ganda |