Third Bishop, Keane

By Bishop McGovern

Several months elapsed after the death of Bishop Lenihan before Cheyenne received a new chief pastor in the person of Most Rev. James J. Keane, D.D. This energetic prelate, who was to accomplish so much for the good of religion in the West, was born in northern Illinois, Aug. 26, 1857, but as a child moved with his parents to Minnesota, in the archdiocese of St. Paul. He received a liberal education at the Benedictine school, Collegeville, Minn., and at the Jesuit college of St. Francis Xavier, New York City. Impelled by a strong desire to labor for the salvation of [13] souls, he entered the Grand Seminary, Montreal, that he might receive a thorough preparation for the work of the ministry.

After his ordination, Dec. 23, 1882, he was assigned as curate at St. Mary’s church, St. Paul, where his untiring devotion to duty soon merited promotion to the pastoral charge of St. Joseph’s church in the same city. Recognizing his scholastic attainments and his ability as a manager of temporalities, Archbishop Ireland called him from parish work to preside over St. Thomas college and seminary. After several years of successful effort in this responsible position, he was again appointed to the care of souls as pastor of the large and important parish of the Immaculate Conception, Minneapolis. It was while discharging the duties of this office that he was named bishop of Cheyenne, June 10, 1902.

His consecration did not take place until fall. After his enthronement his first care was to ascertain the needs of his flock. He began by having the diocese as a whole as well as the individual parishes incorporated according to the provisions of the State law governing such proceedings. After a careful survey of the situation, he felt satisfied that Wyoming was still a missionary held and that the recognition of this fact was a necessary premise for the accomplishment of any effective results. At once he became all [14] things to all men that he might save all. There was no work of the ministry that he considered foreign to his office as a bishop. He passed from town to town over his extensive though sparsely settled diocese, making known the truth and beauty of our holy faith. Missions were given to Catholics, expositions of Catholic teaching to those not of the fold. Nor were his activities confined to his own jurisdiction. Wherever invited, he gave retreats to the clergy and to nuns, preached in season and out of season at sacred functions of various kinds, and in general spent himself for the upbuilding of the kingdom of God.

Knowing that one of the greatest obstacles to the spiritual progress of his diocese was the lack of churches or chapels in places where the number of the faithful was very small, he determined if possible to remedy this defect. Not only was building expensive, but loans were difficult to secure, and interest rates exceedingly high. With characteristic energy he proceeded to eliminate this obstacle by appealing to the charity of the Catholics in the more favored localities of the East. His plea for help to establish mission churches in the vast area entrusted to his care met with a generous response in the dioceses of Philadelphia, Providence, Springfield (Mass.) and Hartford. Whatever he could secure by this means was put into [15] a fund which has been of inestimable benefit in furthering the cause of religion in Wyoming.

A full account of Bishop Keane’s work in building the beautiful cathedral and bishop’s residence will be found in the history of the cathedral parish. His eminently successful work in the diocese was rewarded by his promotion to the archdiocese of Dubuque, Aug. 11, 1911.