View source for Dennis Joseph Dougherty

{{Short description|American Catholic prelate (1865–1951)}}
{{Infobox Christian leader
| type = Cardinal
| honorific_prefix = [[Eminence (style)|His Eminence]]
| name = Dennis Joseph Dougherty
| title = {{br list | [[Cardinal (Catholic Church)|Cardinal]], | [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia|Archbishop of Philadelphia]]}}
| image = Dennis Joseph Dougherty circa 1918.jpg
| caption = Dougherty, {{circa|1918}}
| church = {{ubl | [[Catholic Church]] | [[Latin Church]]}}
| archdiocese = [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia|Philadelphia]]
| appointed = May 1, 1918
| term_end = May 31, 1951 (his death)
| predecessor = [[Edmond Francis Prendergast]]
| successor = [[John Francis O'Hara]]
| previous_post = {{indented plainlist|
* [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Buffalo|Bishop of Buffalo]] (1915{{nbnd}}1918)
* [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Jaro|Bishop of Jaro]] (1908{{nbnd}}1915)
* [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Nueva Segovia|Bishop of Nueva Segovia]] (1903{{nbnd}}1908)
  }}
<!---------- Orders ---------->| ordination = May 31, 1890
| ordained_by = [[Lucido Parocchi]]
| consecration = June 14, 1903
| consecrated_by = [[Francesco Satolli]]
| cardinal = March 7, 1921
| created_cardinal_by = [[Pope Benedict XV]]
| rank = [[Cardinal-Priest]] of [[Santi Nereo e Achilleo]]
<!---------- Personal details ---------->| birth_date = {{Birth date|1865|08|16}}
| birth_place = [[Butler Township, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania|Butler, Pennsylvania]], U.S.
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1951|05|31|1865|08|16}}
| death_place = [[Philadelphia]], [[Pennsylvania]], U.S.
| motto = {{lang|la|Crucis in Signo Vinces}}<br>(You will conquer in the sign of the cross)
| coat_of_arms = <!---------- Orders ---------->
| module = {{Ordination
| embed                        = yes
| expand                       = History
| denomination                 = [[Catholic Church|Catholic]]
| name                         =
| alternate name               =
| ordained deacon by           =
| date of diaconal ordination  =
| place of diaconal ordination =
| ordained priest by           = [[Lucido Parocchi]]
| date of priestly ordination  = May 31, 1890
| place of priestly ordination =
| consecrated by               = [[Francesco Satolli]]
| co-consecrators              = {{ubl | [[Pietro Gasparri]], | [[Enrico Grazioli]]}}
| date of consecration         = June 14, 1903
| place of consecration        = 
| elevated by                  = [[Pope Benedict XV]]
| date of elevation            = March 7, 1921
| bishop 1                     = [[James Paul McCloskey]]
| consecration date 1          = 1917
| bishop 2                     = [[Michael Joseph Crane]]
| consecration date 2          = 1921
| bishop 3                     = [[Daniel James Gercke]]
| consecration date 3          = 1923
| bishop 4                     = [[Edmond John Fitzmaurice]]
| consecration date 4          = 1925
| bishop 5                     = [[Edwin Byrne|Edwin Vincent Byrne]]
| consecration date 5          = 1925
| bishop 6                     = [[Thomas Charles O'Reilly]]
| consecration date 6          = 1928
| bishop 7                     = [[Gerald Patrick Aloysius O'Hara]]
| consecration date 7          = 1929
| bishop 8                     = [[George Leo Leech]]
| consecration date 8          = 1935
| bishop 9                     = [[Hugh L. Lamb|Hugh Louis Lamb]]
| consecration date 9          = 1936
| bishop 10                    = [[Eugene J. McGuinness|Eugene Joseph McGuinness]]
| consecration date 10         = 1937
| bishop 11                    = [[Joseph M. Corrigan|Joseph Moran Corrigan]]
| consecration date 11         = 1940
| bishop 12                    = [[Joseph Carroll McCormick]]
| consecration date 12         = 1947
| bishop 13                    = [[Thomas Joseph McDonough]]
| consecration date 13         = 1947
| bishop 14                    = [[Francis Edward Hyland]]
| consecration date 14         = 1949
| sources                      = <ref name="catholic-hierarchy.bdoudj">{{Cite encyclopedia |url=https://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bdoudj.html |title=Dennis Joseph Cardinal Dougherty † |encyclopedia=[[Catholic-Hierarchy.org]] |publisher=David M. Cheney |date=February 25, 2024 |accessdate=April 17, 2024}}</ref>
}}
}}
{{Infobox cardinal styles
| name= Dennis Joseph Dougherty  
| dipstyle=  
*[[His Eminence]]
*[[His Eminence|The Most Reverend Eminence]]
| offstyle=[[His Eminence|Your Eminence]]
| relstyle= [[Cardinal (Catholicism)|Cardinal]]
| image = Coat of arms of Dennis Joseph Dougherty.svg
| image_size = 200px
}}
'''Dennis Joseph Dougherty''' (August 16, 1865 &ndash; May 31, 1951) was an [[Catholic Church in the United States|American Catholic]] prelate who served as [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia|archbishop of Philadelphia]] from 1918 until his death in 1951. He was made a [[Cardinal (Catholic Church)|cardinal]] in 1921. He was Philadelphia's longest-serving archbishop and its first cardinal.

Dougherty previously served as [[Diocese of Buffalo|bishop of Buffalo]] from 1915 to 1918, and bishop of the [[Archdiocese of Jaro|Diocese of Jaro]] (1903&ndash;1908) and [[Archdiocese of Nueva Segovia|Diocese of Nueva Segovia]] (1908&ndash;1915) in the [[Philippines]].

==Early life and education==
Dennis Dougherty was born on August 16, 1865, in the Homesville section of [[Butler Township, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania|Butler Township]] in [[Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania]].<ref name=standard>{{cite news|date=June 1, 1951|title=The Life Story Of His Eminence, The Cardinal|url=https://thecatholicnewsarchive.org/?a=d&d=cst19510601-01.1.1&|work=[[The Catholic Standard & Times]]}}</ref> Nicknamed "Dinny" by his parents, he was the sixth of ten children of Patrick and Bridget (née Henry) Dougherty, who were natives of [[County Mayo]] in Ireland.<ref>{{harvnb|Nolan|1976|page=339}}</ref><ref name="luneta">{{cite magazine |date=February 15, 1937 |title=On the Luneta |url=https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,882699-1,00.html |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]}}</ref> The family lived in the [[Coal Region]] of Pennsylvania, with Dougherty's father working as a [[Coal mining|coal miner]] and Dougherty himself spending his summer vacations as a [[breaker boy]] in the mines.<ref name=miranda>{{cite web |url=https://cardinals.fiu.edu/bios1921.htm#Dougherty |title= DOUGHERTY, Denis |last=Miranda |first=Salvador |website=The Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church}}</ref> As there was no Catholic church or parochial school in Homesville, the family worshiped at St. Joseph's Church in nearby [[Girardville, Pennsylvania]], and Dougherty attended public school there as well.<ref name="Thornton 1963 page=101">{{harvnb|Thornton|1963|page=101}}</ref> 

At age 14, having decided to become a priest, Dougherty applied to enter [[St. Charles Borromeo Seminary]] in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He passed the entrance examination, but was denied admission due to his young age.<ref name="nyt">{{cite news|date=February 27, 1921|title=AMERICA'S NEW RED HAT|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1921/02/27/112673746.html?pageNumber=96|work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> On the advice of his pastor in Girardville, Dougherty enrolled instead at the [[Collège Sainte-Marie de Montréal|Collège Sainte-Marie]] in [[Montreal|Montreal, Quebec]], where he studied under the [[Society of Jesus|Jesuits]] for two years.<ref>{{harvnb|Nolan|1976|page=340}}</ref>

In 1881, Dougherty reapplied to St. Charles Borromeo and now was accepted, allowed to skip the first two years of instruction.<ref name="Thornton 1963 page=101"/> He remained at the seminary until 1885, when Archbishop [[Patrick John Ryan]] sent him to Rome to continue his studies at the [[Pontifical North American College]] in [[Rome]].<ref name=miranda/> The faculty considered Dougherty as such an outstanding student that Professor [[Francesco Satolli]] on one occasion waved him away from an examination room, saying, "Consider yourself examined."<ref name=mcnamara>{{cite book|last=McNamara|first=Robert F.|title=The American College in Rome, 1855-1955|year=1956|publisher=Christopher Press|page=307}}</ref> In 1890, Dougherty received a [[Doctor of Divinity]] degree.<ref name=nyt/>

==Priesthood==
While in Rome, Dougherty was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia on May 31, 1890, by Cardinal [[Lucido Parocchi]] at the [[Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran]].<ref name=miranda/><ref>{{Cite web |title=Dennis Joseph Cardinal Dougherty [Catholic-Hierarchy] |url=https://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bdoudj.html |access-date=2025-10-04 |website=www.catholic-hierarchy.org}}</ref> Dougherty celebrated his first [[Mass in the Catholic Church|Mass]] the next day at the altar of the [[Chair of Saint Peter]] at [[St. Peter's Basilica]].<ref name=standard/>

Upon his return to Philadelphia in the summer of 1890, the archdiocese added Dougherty  to the faculty of St. Charles Borromeo as a professor of Latin, English, and history.<ref>{{harvnb|Nolan|1976|page=341}}</ref> Over the next 13 years, he also taught Greek, French, and Hebrew before being promoted to the chair of [[dogmatic theology]].<ref name=standard/>

As a professor, Dougherty was known to be "a severe taskmaster" who lectured almost entirely in Latin.<ref name="Morris 2002 page=10">{{harvnb|Morris|2002|page=10}}</ref> He also established a reputation as a scholar with his translation into English of the works of the Italian archeologist [[Orazio Marucchi]] and his publication of a series of articles on [[Apostolicae curae|Anglican ordinations]].<ref name=standard/> The [[Catholic University of America]] offered Dougherty the chair of dogmatic theology but Archbishop Ryan refused to let him leave St. Charles Borromeo.<ref>{{harvnb|Nolan|1976|page=342}}</ref>

==Bishop in the Philippines==
===Nueva Segovia===
On April 7, 1903, Dougherty was notified of his appointment as [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Nueva Segovia|bishop of Nueva Segovia]] in the [[Philippines]].<ref>{{harvnb|Thornton|1963|page=104}}</ref> The United States had occupied the Philippines during the [[Spanish–American War|Spanish-American War]] of 1898. The [[Treaty of Paris (1898)|1898 Treaty of Paris]]  had rejected Filipino independence, fueling the [[Philippine–American War]] of 1899 to 1902. During this conflict, the Filipino priest [[Gregorio Aglipay]] broke with Vatican and founded the nationalist [[Philippine Independent Church]], taking over Catholic properties in that nation. After the insurgency ended with an American victory in 1902, [[Pope Leo XIII]] appointed Dougherty and three other American bishops to administer the Filipino dioceses.<ref name=wenger>{{cite book |last=Wenger |first=Tisa |date=2017 |title=Religious Freedom: The Contested History of an American Ideal |publisher=The University of North Carolina Press }}</ref>

Dougherty received his episcopal consecration on June 14, 1903, from now Cardinal Satolli with Cardinal [[Pietro Gasparri]] and Archbishop Enrico Grazioli serving as co-consecrators, at the church of [[Santi Giovanni e Paolo al Celio]] in Rome.<ref name=standard/> Dougherty then returned to Philadelphia and recruited five priests to join him in the Philippines, including [[Daniel James Gercke]] and [[John Bernard MacGinley]].<ref name="Thornton 1963 page=106">{{harvnb|Thornton|1963|page=106}}</ref> The bishop and his priests sailed from Philadelphia on August 24, 1903 and arrived at the diocesan seat in [[Vigan]] in the Philippines on October 22.<ref name="Thornton 1963 page=106"/>

The Philippine–American War had left many Catholic institutions in the Philippines in a state of disrepair. In addition, Aglipay and his supporters still controlled several church properties, including the [[Vigan Cathedral|Cathedral of Vigan]].<ref name=luneta/> The Filipinos were resentful of the American occupation and wanted their own bishops. As a result, Dougherty received a cold welcom. In September 1904, Bishop [[Thomas Augustine Hendrick]] told US President [[Theodore Roosevelt]] that "three attempts have been made to murder Bishop Dougherty of Vigan..."<ref name=Zwierlein>{{cite book |last=Zwierlein |first=Frederick J. |date=1956 |title=Theodore Roosevelt and Catholics, 1882-1919 |publisher=Victor T. Suren |page=155}}</ref> To regain the church properties in Nueva Segovia, Dougherty got a court order forcing Aglipay to relinquish them. Dougherty then made house-to-house visits in Vigan to solicit funds to repair the cathedral.<ref>{{harvnb|Thornton|1963|pages=106–108}}</ref>

Dougherty reopened the diocesan seminary in 1904, which had been occupied by American troops during the insurgency, and staffed it with the Jesuits.<ref>{{harvnb|Nolan|1976|page=343}}</ref> A girls' academy was also reopened under the care of the [[Sisters of Saint Paul of Chartres]], who established a second academy in [[Tuguegarao]],<ref name=standard/> Dougherty toured the diocese on horseback and by canoe, [[Confirmation in the Catholic Church|confirming]] as many as 70,000 children in his travels.<ref name=luneta/>

===Jaro===
Following the death of Bishop [[Frederick Z. Rooker]], Pope Pius X named Dougherty as bishop of Jaro on June 21, 1908.<ref name=miranda/> Jaro had a Catholic population of 1.3 million, but only half of the 151 churches had resident pastors.<ref name=standard/> During his tenure in Jaro, Dougherty managed to find pastors for 41 churches while also establishing six new parishes and converting 12 missions into parishes.<ref name=nyt/> He opened a hospital staffed by the Sisters of Saint Paul of Chartres, who had worked with him in Nueva Segovia.<ref>{{harvnb|Thornton|1963|pages=109}}</ref> To combat the efforts of Protestant missionaries in the diocese, Dougherty operated a movie theater where the price of admission was a [[Protestant Bible]].<ref name="Morris 2002 page=10"/>

After the Vatican appointed [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco|San Francisco]]'s auxiliary bishop [[Denis J. O'Connell]] as bishop [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Richmond|of Richmond]] in 1912, Archbishop [[Patrick William Riordan]] sought a [[coadjutor bishop]] for the archdiocese. His first choice was Dougherty, whom he had met in 1903 during a stopover in San Francisco en route to the Philippines.<ref name=gaffey>{{cite book|last1=Gaffey|first1=James P.|title=Citizen of No Mean City: Archbishop Patrick W. Riordan of San Francisco (1841-1914)|date=1976|location=Wilmington, Delaware|publisher=Consortium Books}}</ref> Dougherty wanted the appointment, but it was vetoed by Cardinal [[Rafael Merry del Val]], who believed that Dougherty was needed more in the Philippines.<ref name=gaffey/>

==Bishop of Buffalo==
After 12 years in the Philippines, Dougherty's health was beginning to fail in early 1915; he requested that the Vatican reassign him to the United States.<ref name=luneta/><ref name=ellis>{{cite book|last=Ellis|first= John Tracy|author-link=John Tracy Ellis|date=1952|title=The Life of James Cardinal Gibbons: Archbishop of Baltimore, 1834-1921|volume=II|location=Milwaukee|publisher=The Bruce Publishing Company}}</ref> Bishop [[Charles H. Colton]] of the [[Diocese of Buffalo]] had died in May 1915, followed by Archbishop [[James Edward Quigley]] of the [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago|Archdiocese of Chicago]] in July 1915. [[Pope Benedict XV]] initially wanted to send Dougherty to Chicago and Bishop [[George Mundelein]] to Buffalo.<ref name="Morris 2002 pages=10–11">{{harvnb|Morris|2002|pages=10–11}}</ref> However, these plans changed when the British government heard about the Vatican's intentions.  Fighting the [[German Empire]] in [[World War I]], Britain reportedly objected to having Mundelein, an American citizen of German descent, stationed in Buffalo, which was on the Canadian border.<ref name="Morris 2002 pages=10–11"/><ref name=fogarty>{{cite book|last=Fogarty|first=Gerald P.|date=1989|title=Patterns of Episcopal Leadership|publisher=Macmillan}}</ref> To placate the British, Benedict XV allegedly switched the appointments by sending Mundelein to Chicago and naming Dougherty as bishop of Buffalo on December 9, 1915.<ref name=miranda/>

Dougherty formally took charge of his new diocese on June 7, 1916, when he was installed at [[St. Joseph Cathedral (Buffalo, New York)|St. Joseph Cathedral]] in Buffalo<ref name=buffalo>{{cite news|date=June 8, 1916|title=Hosts of Clergy and Laity Join in Paying Tribute to New Head of the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo|work=[[Buffalo Courier-Express|Buffalo Courier]]}}</ref> At the time of Dougherty's arrival, the diocese was burdened with a debt of $1.6 million from the construction of the new cathedral.<ref name=nyt/> Dougherty almost eliminated that debt by taxing the diocese's parishes according to their means.<ref>{{harvnb|Thornton|1963|page=110}}</ref> During his tenure, he also established 15 new parishes. After the United States entered World War I in 1917, Dougherty supported the war effort through [[liberty bond]] campaigns to fund the war effort and [[International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement|Red Cross]] drives.<ref name=standard/>

==Archbishop of Philadelphia==
[[File:Rosemont College.jpg|thumb|Rosemont College, Rosemont, Pennsylvania (2013)]]
[[File:CHChalls.JPG|thumb|Chestnut Hill College, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (2006)]]
Following the death of Archbishop [[Edmond Francis Prendergast]], Dougherty was appointed archbishop of Philadelphia by Benedict XV on May 1, 1918.<ref name="miranda" /> Dougherty was installed on July 10, 1918, at the [[Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul (Philadelphia)|Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul]] in a ceremony presided over by Cardinal [[James Gibbons]].<ref name="enthroned">{{cite news|date=July 11, 1918|title=HEAD OF PHILA. SEE IS ENTHRONED BY CARDINAL GIBBONS|work=[[Philadelphia Inquirer]]}}</ref>

Similar to his time as a seminary professor, Dougherty was known as the "strictest disciplinarian...[who] rules his clergy with an iron hand, insists on punctuality, obedience, deference."<ref name=luneta/> He was also known as "God's Bricklayer"<ref name="Morris 2002 page=1">{{harvnb|Morris|2002|page=1}}</ref> for his massive expansion of the archdiocese. During his 33-year tenure in Philadelphia, the number of Catholics in the archdiocese increased from approximately 710,000 to 1,031,866; priests from 779 to 1,910; religious sisters from 3,884 to 6,819; churches from 327 to 397; hospitals from six to 18; parochial schools from 180 to 325; high schools from three to 56; and colleges from three to seven.<ref name=standard/> Among the colleges founded in the archdiocese during his tenure were [[Immaculata University]] in East Whitland Township (1920), [[Rosemont College]] in Rosemont (1921), [[Chestnut Hill College]] in Philadelphia (1924), and [[Gwynedd Mercy University]] in Lower Gwynedd Township (1948).

===1918 influenza pandemic===
[[File:Emergency hospital during Influenza epidemic, Camp Funston, Kansas - NCP 1603 (cropped).jpg|thumb|Emergency hospital in Kansas for Spanish Flu victims (1918)]]
Very early into Dougherty's tenure as archbishop, the [[1918 influenza pandemic]] struck Philadelphia. More than 17,500 Philadelphians died in the first six months of the pandemic, with a single-day high of 837 deaths.<ref name=pandemic>{{cite news|last1=Barry |first1=Dan |last2=Dickerson |first2=Caitlin |date=April 4, 2020 |title= The Killer Flu of 1918: A Philadelphia Story |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/04/us/coronavirus-spanish-flu-philadelphia-pennsylvania.html |work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> The [[Philadelphia Liberty Loans Parade]], held nearly three months after Dougherty's arrival, resulted in 12,000 deaths alone.<ref name=Penn>{{Cite web|url=https://archives.upenn.edu/exhibits/penn-history/flu|title=Penn and the 1918 Influenza Epidemic|website=[[University of Pennsylvania]]|access-date=2020-03-15}}</ref>

To deal with the crisis, Dougherty authorized the use of church facilities as temporary hospitals.<ref>{{harvnb|Nolan|1976|page=349}}</ref> Many nuns worked as nurses and Dougherty asked for volunteer gravediggers among the students at St. Charles Borromeo  Seminary.<ref>{{harvnb|Nolan|1976|page=350}}</ref> In compliance with the Pennsylvania State Board of Health's order in October 1918, Dougherty closed all churches and schools to public gatherings.<ref name=order>{{cite web|title=Letter from Dougherty dated October 4, 1918|work=Catholic Historical Research Center Digital Collections|date=4 October 1918 |url=https://omeka.chrc-phila.org/items/show/7412}}</ref> When the pandemic subsided, Philadelphia Mayor [[Thomas B. Smith (mayor)|Thomas B. Smith]] expressed his gratitude to Dougherty by saying, <blockquote>"I look upon the services rendered by the Archbishop and the nuns as one of the most potent aids in making the headway we have toward getting control of the epidemic."<ref>{{harvnb|Nolan|1976|page=351}}</ref></blockquote>

===Cardinal===
On February 13, 1921, the Vatican announced that [[Pope Benedict XV|Benedict XV]] would elevate Dougherty to the [[College of Cardinals]].<ref name=standard/> Dougherty was created [[Cardinal (Catholicism)|cardinal-priest]] of the ''[[Santi Nereo e Achilleo|Basilica of Santi Nereo e Achilleo]]'' in Rome during the [[Papal consistory|consistory]] of March 7, 1921.<ref name=miranda/> He was the first archbishop of Philadelphia to serve as a cardinal, beginning a tradition that would last for 90 years.<ref name=chaput>{{cite news|last1=Dias|first1=Elizabeth|last2=Horowitz|first2=Jason|title=Pope Francis Replaces Conservative Archbishop of Philadelphia|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/23/us/pope-francis-chaput-philadelphia.html|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=23 January 2020 }}</ref> As a cardinal, Dougherty served as a member of the [[Congregation (Roman Curia)|congregations]] for [[Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments|Discipline of the Sacraments]], for [[Sacred Congregation of Rites|Rites]], for [[Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples|Propagation of the Faith]], and for [[Dicastery for the Eastern Churches|Oriental Churches]].<ref name=luneta/>

Dougherty was unable to participate in his first [[papal conclave]]. He was touring the [[West Indies]] when Benedict XV died on January 22, 1922.<ref name=cruise>{{cite news|date=January 28, 1922|title=DOUGHERTY BACK FROM CRUISE|work=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1922/01/28/109833967.html?pageNumber=16}}</ref> After quickly returning to Philadelphia, he sailed from New York City to Europe with Cardinal [[Louis-Nazaire Bégin]] of [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Quebec|Quebec]] on January 28th. However, Dougherty noted that he did not expect to arrive in time for the start of the conclave on February 2nd.<ref name=sail>{{cite news|date=January 29, 1922|title=TWO CARDINALS SAIL|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1922/01/29/107046627.html?pageNumber=14|work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> Their ship was delayed by severe storms, and the two cardinals received news of the election of [[Pope Pius XI]] while at sea.<ref name=conclave>{{cite news|date=February 7, 1922|title=DOUGHERTY SHIP GETS NEWS|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1922/02/07/98979971.html?pageNumber=3|work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> After finally arriving in Rome on February 9th, Dougherty was granted a private audience with the new pope, who had relatives living in [[Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania]].<ref name=standard/><ref name=ratti>{{cite news|date=February 9, 1922|title=TRACED AS POPE'S COUSIN|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1922/02/09/98982260.html?pageNumber=4|work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> After the death of [[Pope Pius XI]], Dougherty was able to [[Cardinal electors for the 1939 papal conclave|participate]] in the [[1939 papal conclave|1939 conclave]] that elected [[Pope Pius XII]].<ref name=pacelli>{{cite news|date=March 3, 1939|title=CARDINAL DOUGHERTY HAILS COMMON GAIN IN PAPAL SELECTION|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/10574110/39-phil-inq-3-3-39/|work=[[The Philadelphia Inquirer]]}}</ref>

===Catholic education===
Dougherty, whose entire time as a priest was spent in teaching, insisted on the establishment of a parochial school at every parish.<ref>{{harvnb|Nolan|1976|page=354}}</ref> He frequently threatened to suspend priests who were unwilling to follow this directive, believing, <blockquote>"A parochial school is a necessity, especially in this country where our children breathe in an atmosphere of heresy, unbelief, and sometimes irreligion...Priests and parents are bound to provide a religious education for children."<ref>{{harvnb|Morris|2002|pages=15–16}}</ref></blockquote>In an address to the graduating class of [[Villanova University]] in Villanova, Pennsylvania, in June 1921, Dougherty denounced plans for a federal [[United States Department of Education|Department of Education]], saying, "We give notice that we will never permit our Catholic schools to be controlled by a clique of politicians in Washington."<ref>{{harvnb|Nolan|1976|page=363}}</ref>

===Ethnic groups===
To offset the intensifying efforts of Protestant evangelization among Italian Philadelphians, Dougherty introduced Italian classes at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary and placed priests who had studied in Rome at Italian churches.<ref>{{harvnb|Nolan|1976|page=352}}</ref> However, he also discouraged Italian religious festivals like the [[Feast of San Gennaro]], which were popular elsewhere in the country, to encourage assimilation.<ref name=tonelli>{{cite news|last=Tonelli|first=Bill|date=October 1, 2008|title=Columbus, Fabian, Rizzo and Me|url=https://www.phillymag.com/news/2008/10/01/columbus-fabian-rizzo-and-me/3/|work=[[Philadelphia (magazine)|Philadelphia Magazine]]}}</ref> Tensions between Dougherty and the Italian Catholic community reached a high point in 1933, when the cardinal's plan to close the Italian parish of Our Lady of Good Counsel in [[South Philadelphia]] sparked a riot.<ref name=rowan>{{cite news|last=Rowan|first=Tommy|date=September 26, 2017|title=Priest held hostage by angry parishioners of closing South Philly church|url=https://www.inquirer.com/philly/news/pennsylvania/philadelphia/philly-history/our-lady-of-good-counsel-church-closing-priest-hostage-south-philadelphia-archives-20170926.html|work=[[Philadelphia Inquirer]]}}</ref> On the eve of the parish's closure, thousands of parishioners occupied the church and even held a priest hostage for five months.<ref name=rowan/> The congregation took the case to the [[Supreme Court of Pennsylvania]] but lost, and Dougherty finally closed the church in 1937.<ref name=rowan/>

From 1921 until his death in 1951, Dougherty served as president of the [[Commission for the Catholic Missions among the Colored People and the Indians]].<ref name=missions>{{cite web|title=COMMISSION FOR CATHOLIC MISSIONS AMONG COLORED PEOPLE AND INDIANS|url=https://www.marquette.edu/library/archives/Mss/BCIM/BCIM-SC2.php|website=[[Marquette University]]}}</ref> He encouraged the work of Mother [[Katharine Drexel]] among Native Americans and African Americans, and once wrote, <blockquote>"Perhaps the greatest problem confronting the nation is that of the colored race, who were brought here as slaves and have been abandoned to their fate."<ref>{{harvnb|Nolan|1976|page=368}}</ref> </blockquote>In 1923, Dougherty declared that elementary school admissions would be based on parish residence, regardless of race, ending a policy of segregating African-American children to schools in predominantly African-American parishes.<ref>{{harvnb|Morris|2002|pages=20–21}}</ref> The following year he established Holy Savior Parish (now St. Ignatius) in [[West Philadelphia]], where the [[Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament]] also opened a convent in 1925.<ref>{{harvnb|Nolan|1976|page=370}}</ref> Holy Redeemer Parish for Chinese Catholics was opened in 1941.<ref name="tien">{{cite news|date=April 10, 1946|title=Cardinal Tien Greeted By Festive Chinatown|work=[[Philadelphia Inquirer]]}}</ref>

===Movie theater ban===
In May 1934, Dougherty forbid Catholics in the archdiocese from entering movie theaters. He declared that the film industry's focus on "sex and crime" was a "vicious and insidious attack...on the very foundations of our Christian civilization."<ref name=boycott>{{cite web|title=Dougherty's Movie Boycott|work=Catholic Historical Research Center Digital Collections|date=6 February 2019 |url=https://chrc-phila.org/doughertys-movie-boycott/#_ftn3}}</ref> He added: "The only argument likely to be heard now is that which affects the box office."<ref name=boycott/> As a result, ticket sales in the archdiocese soon dropped by 20 to 40 percent.<ref name="boycott" /><ref name="Morris 2002 page=1" />

Due to the decrease in box office revenue, many studio executives and other public figures begged Dougherty to end the boycott, including the producer [[Samuel Goldwyn]] and the Philadelphia politician [[John B. Kelly Sr.]]<ref>{{harvnb|Morris|2002|page=2}}</ref> Dougherty twice refused to arrange a meeting with [[Harry Warner]], the president of [[Warner Bros.]]<ref>{{harvnb|Nolan|1976|page=385}}</ref> Dougherty never revoked his ban, but over time Catholics in the archdiocese started ignoring it. In June 1934, one Philadelphia Catholic, [[Joseph Breen]], was appointed to head the newly created [[Production Code Administration]] and apply the [[Hays Code]], a set of censorship rules, to American film production.<ref name=boycott/>

===Philadelphia priests accused of sexual abuse===
{{See also|Sexual abuse scandal in the Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia}}
According to an official history of the archdiocese, Dougherty "reserved the appointment of pastors to himself, though a powerful intercessor could of course help."<ref>{{harvnb|Nolan|1976|page=402}}</ref> A 2005 grand jury report included at least two priests during Dougherty's tenure (1918–1951) who were accused of [[Catholic Church sexual abuse cases|sexual abuse]] and [[Parish transfers of abusive Catholic priests|transferred]] to other parishes:

*Reverend Gerard W. Chambers was accused of molesting numerous altar boys during his 40 years as a priest in the archdiocese. During that time, he was transferred to 11 different parishes under Dougherty's tenure between 1934 and 1949.<ref name=chambers>{{cite web|title=Father Gerard W. Chambers|url=https://www.bishop-accountability.org/reports/2005_09_21_Philly_GrandJury/Philly_05_09_Chambers.pdf|work=Grand Jury Report on the Sexual Abuse of Minors by Clergy}}</ref>
*Reverend Joseph P. Gausch wrote letters to another priest detailing his abuse of young boys. These letters were brought to Dougherty's attention in 1948.<ref name=gausch>{{cite web|title=Father Joseph Gausch|url=https://www.bishop-accountability.org/reports/2005_09_21_Philly_GrandJury/Philly_05_03_Gausch.pdf|work=Grand Jury Report on the Sexual Abuse of Minors by Clergy}}</ref> Dougherty sent Gausch to a hospital in Wisconsin to do "penance," then reassigned him to St. Anthony of Padua Parish in [[Easton, Pennsylvania]] in 1949.<ref name=gausch/>

==Later life and death==
During the [[1948 United States presidential election|1948 US presidential election]], Dougherty gave the invocation at the [[1948 Republican National Convention|Republican National Convention]] and later the [[1948 Democratic National Convention|Democratic National Convention]], both of which were held in Philadelphia.<ref>{{harvnb|Morris|2002|page=30}}</ref> In February 1949, he held his first press conference since becoming a cardinal in 1921 to denounce the treatment of Cardinal [[József Mindszenty]] by the communist government of Hungary. Dougherty labeled the trial a "mockery of justice."<ref name=standard/>

On the morning of May 31, 1951, shortly after celebrating a private Mass marking the 61st anniversary of his priestly ordination, Dougherty died from a [[stroke]] at his residence in Philadelphia.<ref name=obituary>{{cite news|date=June 1, 1951|title=Cardinal Dougherty Dies At 85 From Stroke on 61st Anniversary of Ordination|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/39603206/the-philadelphia-inquirer/|work=[[Philadelphia Inquirer]]}}</ref> His [[Requiem|funeral Mass]] was celebrated by Bishop [[J. Carroll McCormick]], Dougherty's nephew and an auxiliary bishop of Philadelphia.<ref name=miranda/> Dougherty is buried in the crypt of the [[Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul (Philadelphia)|Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul]].<ref name=miranda/>

[[Cardinal Dougherty High School]] in Philadelphia was named in his honor.

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Sources==
* {{cite book |last=Nolan |first=Hugh J. |date=1976 |editor-last=Connelly |editor-first=James F. |title=The History of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia |publisher=[[Archdiocese of Philadelphia]] |pages=339–418 |chapter=Chapter 6: The Native Son}}
* {{cite book |last=Thornton |first=Francis B. |date=1963 |title=Our American Princes: The Story of the Seventeen American Cardinals|publisher=G. P. Putnam's Sons|pages=100–118 |chapter=Chapter 5: Dennis Cardinal Dougherty}}
* {{cite journal|last1=Morris |first1=Charles R. |date=2002 |title=God's Bricklayer |url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/44195159 |journal=American Catholic Studies|volume=113 |issue=3/4 |pages=3–53|jstor=44195159 }}

==Further reading==

* Morris, Charles R. ''American Catholic: The Saints and Sinners Who Built America's Most Powerful Church'' (1992) pp 165–195, 452–456.
* Nolan, Hugh J. "Cardinal Dougherty: An Appreciation." ''Records of the American Catholic Historical Society of Philadelphia'' 62.3 (1951): 135- 141. [https://www.jstor.org/stable/44210174 online]
* Reher, Margaret. "Get Thee to a [Peruvian] Nunnery: Cardinal Dougherty and the Philadelphia IHM's." ''Records of the American Catholic Historical Society of Philadelphia'' 103.3/4 (1992): 43–51. [https://www.jstor.org/stable/44211185 online]
* Reher, Margaret Mary. "Denis J. Dougherty and Anna M. Dengel: The Missionary Alliance." ''Records of the American Catholic Historical Society of Philadelphia'' 101.1/2 (1990): 21–33. [https://www.jstor.org/stable/44211096 online]

==External links==

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{{succession box
|    title=[[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Nueva Segovia|Bishop of Nueva Segovia]]
|    before=José Hevía y Campomanes
|    after=James Jordan Carroll 
|    years= 1903–1908}}
{{succession box
|    title=[[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Jaro|Bishop of Jaro]]
|    before=Frederick Zadok Rooker 
|    after=Maurice Patrick Foley
|    years= 1908–1915}}
{{succession box
|    title=[[Roman Catholic Diocese of Buffalo|Bishop of Buffalo]]
|    before=[[Charles H. Colton]]
|    after=[[William Turner (bishop of Buffalo)|William Turner]]
|    years= 1915–1918 }}
{{succession box|before=[[Edmond Francis Prendergast]]|title=[[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia|Archbishop of Philadelphia]]|years= 1918–1951|after=[[John Francis O'Hara]]}}
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{{Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia}}
{{Roman Catholic Diocese of Buffalo}}
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[[Category:Roman Catholic archbishops of Philadelphia]]
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