1881-1895 — Bishop Manogue First Bishop of the newly formed Diocese of Sacramento
from
http://www.diocese-sacramento.org/diocese/history.html
There are more stories told about Patrick Manogue (1832-1895) than any
other bishop or priest in California; and the reason for it is the man’s
character and the life he led. He was born in Kilkenny County, Ireland
in 1832 and lost both parents to sickness. In 1848 he came to United States
where he found work and went to college. Under pressure of wanting to bring
his brothers and sisters to United States, he interrupted his college life
in 1853, and came across country to a place called Moore’s Flat,
above Nevada city in California, where he started to dig for Gold — and
was successful, in more ways than one — since he was six feet, three
inches tall and powerfully built. While making money, working all day smashing quartz and digging tunnels, he studied at night — he brought his college books with him. What he really wanted was to become a priest. There were many disputes in the mining camp. Manogue, though only in his early twenties, was the acclaimed judge of these disputes. Size, strength, and goodness have a way of convincing people!
In four years of mining, Manogue made enough money to afford an education in Paris at one of the best seminaries of the time, Saint Sulpice. During those years he not only studied but traveled throughout Europe — but he never forgot his family living in Moore’s Flat. He regularly wrote to them.
Manogue was ordained a priest in Paris and came back home to California and his first assignment: Virginia City, Nevada. A strong man was needed for Nevada. Manogue fit the bill. While there, not only did the city grow with the discovery of first gold, then silver — Manogue grew also in his ability to help others; nor was he afraid to use his strength. On one occasion he learned that one of his parishioners was dying. He got on his horse, at night, and started out to the lonely cabin. When he arrived, the lady’s husband came out of the cabin, a pistol trained on the priest. “No blankety-blank priest is going to touch my wife!” The pistol waved in the air. Manogue decked the man, took the pistol away, went into the cabin and prayed with the woman. When he returned, the astonished husband was sitting on the steps. Manogue gave back the pistol, got on his horse and rode back to Virginia City. The stories about the man are legend!
One of the men Manogue had mined with was John Mackay, an ordinary miner who later discovered the Comstock silver lode in Virginia City. He became the richest man in the world, but never lost his friendship with Manogue. He built both a hospital and a school for the parishioners. The hospital still stands and is a relic used by art groups during the summer.
John Mackay also contributed heavily for the building of the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament in Sacramento. A cathedral is for a Bishop, which Manogue became in 1881. By 1886, he was moved to a newly created diocese, Sacramento. It needed a cathedral, right next to the Capitol. His long time miner friends helped him build and celebrate it—at the old Golden Eagle Hotel on K Street—people like Fair, Flood, Mackay & O’Brien—the big four in mining whose fortunes created San Francisco.
In 1895, Patrick Manogue died in the Cathedral he built. Stories about the man and his life filled the papers for days. He was loved because he lived his life for Christ.
