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John Carroll was born
John Carroll was born to Daniel Carroll and Eleanor Darnall Carroll in Upper Marlboro, Maryland -
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Lifespan
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Primary Education
John attended College of St. Omer in French Flanders with his cousin, Charles Carroll. -
Extended Education
In 1755, John went to Liège to study theology and philosophy -
Priesthood
Carroll was ordained a priest in Marlyland. At this time, the church community of this area was not very well-off, so Carroll became one of the first Catholics to swiftly move toward building a more structured and robust USCatholic Church. -
Political Involvement
John Carroll was involved with the Continental Congress. Carroll, along with three other men, was asked to journey to Quebec to encourage French Canadians to participate the French Revolution. Though unsuccessful in inciting any rebellious action, Carroll was nonetheless excommunicated by Jean-Olivier Briand, the bishop of the local Quebec area, for his attempts. -
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Georgetown
As early as 1786 Carroll had pushed for the creation of Georgetown University. Its first student, William Gaston, was finally admitted in November 1791. Georgetown University still exists today as Georgetown College in Washington, D.C. -
George Washington elected president
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Became Bishop
U.S. priests did not want a foreign bishop and therefore Carroll was overwhelmingly elected by 26 US priests in 1789 because of his pure American style and spirit. Never before had the Vatican allowed a bishop to be elected by U.S. priests. -
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Bishop in Maryland
Carroll was Archbishop of Baltimore from November 6, 1789 to December 3, 1815. As both a priest and a bishop, John Carroll worked diligently to establish structure and order in U.S. Catholic parishes. He had a difficult task of maintaining support of dedicated Catholics in conjunction with taking firm control of church government. -
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Impact and Growth of Church
The U.S. Catholic population grew from 30,000 in 1790 to 200,000 in 1815. , Carroll organized the western territory into four huge dioceses and worked to direct the church west, further than the original thirteen states. -
Saint Mary's
Just a few years after he became bishop, Carroll established Saint Mary’s in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1791. This was actually the first U.S. seminary. -
synod
In 1791, Carroll called the first national synod, an assembly of Catholic Church delegates that created many guidelines for the Catholic Church in the United States and was a pivotal event in the history of American Catholicism. These guidelines became the first canon law for the nation and were a great unifying force for the Church as it grew in America. -
Baltimore Cathedral
Archbishop John Carroll lays the Cornerstone of the Baltimore Cathedral. -
Elizabeth Ann Seton
In 1809 he would encourage Elizabeth Seton to establish the American Sisters of Charity in Maryland for the education of girls. -
Death
Carroll died December 3, 1815 at the age of 80 in Baltimore, Maryland, but left quite a legacy behind. His life was long, successful, and very religiously productive and we remember his impact still today. Many educational institutions were named in honor of him. -
Construction of John Carroll University begins
Construction begins on a two-story frame of the original classroom building of the College and later as the gymnasium. This specefic University is located in Cleveland -
Archbishop John Carroll High School
John Cardinal Krol formally blessed both Archbishop John Carroll High School for Boys and Archbishop John Carroll High School for Girls. Planned in a co-institutional style, these schools were joined into one co-ed school in 1986. The school mascot is the Patriot, in honor of all Carroll did to assist the Founding Fathers in achieving American independence and initiating a democratic form of government in the former British colonies.
