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Sylvester Espelage - Wikipedia Jump to content

Sylvester Espelage

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Most Reverend

Sylvester Joseph Espelage

Vicar Apostolic of Wuchang
titular bishop of Oreus
ChurchCatholic
SeeOreus
Previous postsProfessor, St. Francis Seminary
Curate, St. George Church
Prefect apostolic of Wuchang
Orders
Ordination18 January 1900
by Camillus Paul Maes
Consecration17 September 1930
by Albert Daeger
Personal details
BornJoseph Espelage
(1877-03-24)March 24, 1877
DiedOctober 25, 1940(1940-10-25) (aged 63)
Alma materSt. Francis Seminary

Sylvester Joseph Espelage OFM (March 24, 1877 – October 25, 1940) was an American Catholic bishop and member of the Order of Friars Minor who served as a missionary in China for much of his career. He was the prefect of the prefecture of Wuchang from 1925-1930 and served as Vicar apostolic of the same territory from 1930 to his death in 1940.

Biography

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Early life

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Joseph Espelage was born on March 24, 1877, in Fairmount, a suburb of Cincinnati, Ohio.[1][2] He was one of the six children of Clara and Bernard Espelage.[3][4] His younger brother, Bernard T. Espelage, was also a member of the Franciscans and eventually served as the first Bishop of Gallup.[5]

Joseph worshipped at St. Bonaventure church in Cincinnati, where he also was baptized and received his First Communion.[6][1] He attended St. Francis Seminary and entered the Order of Friars Minor on August 15, 1892, receiving the religious name Sylvester.[3] He professed solemn vows on August 30, 1896.[1][7][8]

Priesthood

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On January 18, 1900, Camillus Maes ordained Espelage to the priesthood and Espelage celebrated his first Mass at St. Bonaventure before beginning to teach at St. Francis Seminary.[9][10][11] He also served at Franciscan missions in Kansas as well a curate at St. Lawrence Church in Lafayette, Indiana, until 1903, when he began to minister at St. George Church in the same capacity.[12][1][13]

Missionary activity in China

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Espelage, wearing queue, beard, and traditional Chinese clothing, circa 1907.

In 1905, Espelage was assigned to the Franciscan missions in Hubei, having requested that his superiors send him to China.[1][13] During his first two years in the country he primarily worked as an English teacher before being placed in charge of a number of recently-established congregations.[14] During the initial portion of his ministry, he grew out his beard, an uncommon practice for American priests, and also wore his hair in a queue before the 1911 Revolution.[14][15][3] He also created a magazine, "Franciscans in China", sales of which funded the work of the missionaries.[16] The prefecture of Wuchang was entrusted to the Cincinnati Franciscans upon its creation in 1924 and in 1925 Espelange was made prefect, overseeing the extensive medical and educational endeavors of the missionaries.[16][17]

Episcopacy and death

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Espelage (middle) along with Franciscan missionary bishops Noel Gubbels of Ichang, China, Albert Daeger of Santa Fe, N.M.; Bishop Espelage; Giovanni Mondaini of Changsha, China, and Amadeus Bahlmann of Santarem, Brazil.

In June 1930, it was announced that Wuchang would be elevated to the rank of a apostolic vicariate and Espelage ordained titular bishop of Oreus.[18] While it was initially planned that the Mass of episcopal consecration would occur at St. Francis Seraph Church in Cincinnati, due to space constraints the ceremony was moved to the Cathedral of St. Peter in Chains.[19][20][21] On September 17 Espelage was ordained a bishop by Albert Daeger and presented with a pectoral cross by the parishioners of St. Boniface and a crozier by the parishoners of St. George.[22] He celebrated his first Pontifical Mass at St. Bonaventure the following Sunday.[23] By 1935 the schools under his supervision in China served 2,000 and hospitals assisted 1,606 patients.[24] Despite the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1937, Espelage remained in Hubei.[25] Espelage died on October 25, 1940.[26]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "Young Ohio Missionary – Father Espelage Dedicates His Life to Chinese Missions". The Catholic Columbian. Vol. 30, no. 45. Columbus, Ohio. November 11, 1905. p. 2.
  2. ^ Bibliotheca Missionum (in German). Vol. 13. 1959 – via Internet Archive.
  3. ^ a b c "Bishop Sylvester and mention of Clara Espelage". The Cincinnati Post. September 6, 1930. p. 9. Retrieved September 15, 2025.
  4. ^ "Obituary for CLARA ESPELAGE". The Cincinnati Enquirer. February 26, 1936. p. 8. Retrieved September 15, 2025.
  5. ^ (Creator), United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. "Catholic Action, August 1940". Catholic Action. Bishops Conference. Catholic University of America. 14–35. The Catholic University of America. JSTOR community.38774375.
  6. ^ "Auld Lang Syne – Twenty-five Years Ago". The Catholic Telegraph. Vol. LXXXXIV, no. 4. Cincinnati, Ohio. January 22, 1925. p. 8.
  7. ^ "Franciscan Missionary Returns to China". The Catholic Telegraph. Vol. LXXXIV, no. 36. Cincinnati, Ohio. September 9, 1915. p. 5.
  8. ^ "The School Year Begins – New Schools, New Teachers, Pastors Return – Other Items". The Catholic Columbian. Vol. 21, no. 36. Columbus, Ohio. September 5, 1896. p. 5.
  9. ^ "Local Church News". The Catholic Telegraph. Vol. 69, no. 2. Cincinnati, Ohio. January 11, 1900. p. 5.
  10. ^ "Local Church News". The Catholic Telegraph. Vol. 69, no. 4. Cincinnati, Ohio. January 25, 1900. p. 5.
  11. ^ "Local Church News". The Catholic Telegraph. Vol. 69, no. 5. Cincinnati, Ohio. February 1, 1900. p. 5.
  12. ^ "Franciscan Fathers – Assignments Made at the Annual Chapter". The Catholic Telegraph. Vol. 69, no. 41. Cincinnati, Ohio. October 11, 1900. p. 5.
  13. ^ a b "To China As Missionary – Father Sylvester Left for the Far East Last Thursday". The Catholic Telegraph. Vol. LXXIV, no. 38. Cincinnati, Ohio. September 21, 1905.
  14. ^ a b "Cincinnati Chinese Missionary – An Interesting Letter from Father Sylvester, O. F. M., Who Is Working for the COnversion of the Heathens". The Catholic Telegraph. Vol. LXXV, no. 38. Cincinnati, Ohio. September 20, 1906.
  15. ^ "Father Sylvester's Work". The Catholic Telegraph. Vol. LXXVII, no. 51. Cincinnati, Ohio. December 17, 1908. p. 6.
  16. ^ a b Camps, Arnulf (1995). The Friars Minor in China (1294-1955): especially the years 1925-55, based on the research of Friars Bernward Willeke and Domenico Gandolfi, OFM. Rome; St. Bonaventure, N.Y.: General Secretariate for Missionary Evangelization; Franciscan Institute. ISBN 978-1-57659-002-7 – via Internet Archive.
  17. ^ The Friars Minor in the United States: with a brief history of the orders of St. Francis in general. Chicago: Provincial of the Friars Minor. 1926 – via Internet Archive.
  18. ^ "Two Americans Chosen for Episcopal Honors: Will be Placed in Charge of Vicariates in China+Oceania". The Echo. June 19, 1930. p. 1. Retrieved September 12, 2025.
  19. ^ "Archbishop Daeger to Consecrate Msgr. Espelage Here September 17 – Franciscans Preparing for Greatest Event in Annals of Province". The Catholic Telegraph. Vol. XCIX, no. 27. Cincinnati, Ohio. July 3, 1930. p. 1.
  20. ^ "Consecration of Msgr. Espelage to Be Held at Cathedral". The Catholic Telegraph. Vol. XCIX, no. 32. Cincinnati, Ohio. August 7, 1930. p. 1.
  21. ^ "Provincial Believes Prelates Safely on Way From War-Torn China for Consecration Here". The Catholic Telegraph. Vol. XCIX, no. 33. August 14, 1930. p. 1.
  22. ^ "Msgr. Espelage Is Home From China For Consecration". The Catholic Telegraph. Vol. XCIX, no. 36. Cincinnati, Ohio. September 4, 1930. p. 1.
  23. ^ "Bishop Espelage Sins His First Pontifical Mass at St. Bonaventure – Will Depart October 19 – Has Secured Additional Nuns for Vicariate". The Catholic Telegraph. Vol. XCIX, no. 39. Cincinnati, Ohio. September 25, 1930. p. 1.
  24. ^ Breslin, Thomas A. (1980). China, American Catholicism, and the missionary. University Park: Pennsylvania State University Press. ISBN 978-0-271-00259-0 – via Internet Archive.
  25. ^ "Missionaries from Cincinnati Brave Perils of War in China". The Cincinnati Enquirer. September 11, 1937. p. 5. Retrieved September 12, 2025.
  26. ^ Franciscan studies. St. Bonaventure, N.Y.: Franciscan Institute, St. Bonaventure University. 1924 – via Internet Archive.