Joseph Michael Gilmore

Joseph Michael Gilmore (March 23, 1893 – April 2, 1962) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Helena from 1936 until his death in 1962.

Joseph Michael Gilmore
Bishop of Helena
In office	1936–1962
Orders
Ordination	July 25, 1915
Consecration	February 19, 1936 by Archbishop Amleto Giovanni Cicognani
Personal details
Born	March 23, 1893 New York City
Died	April 2, 1962 (aged 69) San Francisco, California
Nationality	American
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Parents	John Joseph and Mary Teresa (née Hanrahan) Gilmore
Education	Loras College
Alma mater	Urban College of Propaganda

Biography

Joseph Gilmore was born in New York City in 1893, to John Joseph and Mary Teresa (née Hanrahan) Gilmore, an ethnic Irish family.[1] When Joseph was five, in 1898, he moved with his family moved to Anaconda, Montana, where his father worked in the mining industry.[2] He studied at Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa, from where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1911.[1] He continued his studies at the Urban College of Propaganda in Rome, earning a Doctor of Sacred Theology in 1915. While in Rome, Gilmore was ordained to the priesthood on July 25, 1915.[3]

Career

Following his return to Montana, Gilmore served as a professor at Carroll College until 1920, when he became pastor of St. Teresa's Church in Whitehall.[1] He served as pastor of St. Helena's Church in Butte from 1925 to 1927. He next served as chancellor of the Diocese of Helena from 1927 to 1936.

On December 9, 1935, Gilmore was appointed the fifth Bishop of Helena by Pope Pius XI.[3] He received his episcopal consecration on February 19, 1936 from Archbishop Amleto Giovanni Cicognani, with Bishops Edwin Vincent O'Hara and Joseph Francis McGrath serving as co-consecrators. During his 26-year-long tenure, he presided over a period of great growth for the diocese. In addition to the material development, programs were developed to foster vocations, help resettle refugees from World War II, retrain unskilled workers, aid in adoptions, and promote the lay apostolate.[2] He was named an Assistant at the Pontifical Throne in 1959.[1]

At age 69, Gilmore died unexpectedly in San Francisco, California, while attending the installation of Archbishop Joseph Thomas McGucken.[2]

References

1. Curtis, Georgina Pell (1961). The American Catholic Who's Who. XIV. Grosse Pointe, Michigan: Walter Romig.
2. "A brief history of the Diocese of Helena". Roman Catholic Diocese of Helena. Archived from the original on 2008-07-05.
3. "Bishop Joseph Michael Gilmore". Catholic-Hierarchy.org.