McCarty, Mgr. Thomas J. 1863-1933

MCCARTY, CLINTON

Posted By: Linda Ziemann, Volunteer (email)
Date: 4/30/2011 at 19:45:27

LeMars Semi-Weekly Sentinel
May 30, 1933

WELL KNOWN PRELATE DIES
MGR. THOMAS J. McCARTY EXPIRES AFTER AN ILLNESS OF SOME WEEKS.

Mgr. Thomas J. McCarty, of Sioux City, widely known prelate in Iowa, died at St. Joseph hospital in Sioux City Saturday morning. He was pastor of the Cathedral of the Epiphany.

Mgr. McCarty had been in frail health for years, and had had several acute nervous attacks that confined him to his bed weeks at a time, but, in spite of his somewhat delicate constitution, he was able always to conquer his affliction to a sufficient extent to enable him to resume his religious duties. The time arrived at last, however, when reserve energy became exhausted and he had to surrender to the inevitable.

The last illness had its beginning in a cold he took at the funeral of a brother priest some weeks ago, which turned into flu.

Services will be held at the Cathedral of the Epiphany where he served so faithfully and for so many years as pastor and undoubtedly will be attended by most of the priests of the diocese of Sioux City and many clergymen from other diocese, especially the diocese of Dubuque, where Mgr. McCarty served as pastor for many years. Interment will be in Calvary cemetery where lie buried his father, his mother and other members of the family.

Surviving relatives are five sisters, Misses Mary McCarty, Kate McCarty, Elizabeth McCarty and Grace McCarty, of Sioux City, and Sister Mary Eva, an instructor in Rosary college. The first two were teachers in Sioux City’s public schools many years.

EARLY LOVE FOR SANCTUARY
Born in Manchester, Iowa, October 30, 1863, son of Laurence and Eliza Clinton, McCarty, the future churchman moved to Sioux City with his parents while yet little more than a babe. The family came by stage before there was any railroad into Sioux City. The senior McCarty was one of Sioux City’s early day merchants. For years he conducted a grocery store at Sioux and Pearl streets, and there his son Thomas, acting as a clerk, learned rudiments of business that stood him in good stead when he became a priest and had to attend to the temporal affairs of his various parishes.

Young Thomas attended religious services in the old St. Mary’s church that early day Catholics built out of logs on the west bank of Perry Creek on West Seventh Street. There and in an imposing brick church which with the growth of the parish the Catholics built on the northwest corner of Sixth and Pierce streets, he served as an altar boy and acquired a love for the sanctuary that later was to lead him into the priestly life.

SIOUX CITY’S FIRST PRIEST
In the late 70s and the early 80s, he came under the influence of Rev. B. C. Lenihan, whom early day Sioux Cityans of all creeds remember with affection, and Rev. Father Lenihan was largely responsible for bringing him to a decision to enter the priesthood. He attended Creighton college in Omaha in 1884, St. Joseph’s (now Columbia) college in Dubuque in 1888 and 1889 and St. Francis’ seminary in Milwaukee from 1889 to 1892. He was ordained by Bishop (later Archbishop) John Hennessy in Dubuque in 1892.

The young priest celebrated his first mass in a hall on the top floor of St. Mary’s school building at Tenth and Pearl streets, before an admiring congregation of fellow townsmen, many of whom had seen him grow up from boyhood. He was the first Sioux Cityan to have become a priest. At that time the old St. Mary’s church had been torn down and a new church building was being elected at Tenth and Douglas streets. It is a coincidence that he said his first mass on a Palm Sunday and also said his last mass on a Palm Sunday.

SOME OF HIS ASSIGNMENTS
Shortly after his ordination, he was sent to Marshalltown to substitute for an absent pastor, and from Marshalltown he came to Sioux City to care for the old home parish in the absence of the pastor, Rev. Timothy Treacy, on a visit home to Ireland. His first permanent appointment was at Eagle Center, where he served in 1892 and 1893. He then was sent to Holy Cross, near Dubuque, one of the oldest parishes of the diocese and there he remained from 1893 to 1903.

Shortly after Sioux City was made a see city in 1902 and Bishop P. J. Garrigan had been installed as its first bishop, Rev. Father McCarty was called back to Sioux City to be chancellor of the diocese. He held this responsible office from 1903 to 1912. Then he was made pastor of St. Joseph’s church at Carroll, and he remained there until 1920. He was dean of three counties—Carroll, Greene and Boone.

MADE VICAR GENERAL
Something about the old home town seemed to make him gravitate back to it and in 1920 he returned to become pastor of the Cathedral of the Epiphany (which was simply old St. Mary’s in aristocratic garb.) In becoming pastor of the old parish, he realized an ambition of his priestly lifetime, and ill health was the only thing that could possibly have detracted from the triumph and the satisfaction of his last thirteen years residence in Sioux City.

At different times Rev. Father McCarty was mentioned for bishop but his delicate health militated against his being named for that exacting office. On September 19, 1927, Rome appointed him a domestic prelate, with the rank of monsignor, entitling him to wear the royal purple of the church. He was invested with the robes of that office at the Cathedral of the Epiphany November 16, 1927. On April 16, 1931, he was made vicar general and as such was second in rank only to the bishop. While Bishop Heelan was in Ireland last summer, the vicar general had Episcopal faculties and was in complete charge of the diocese.

With a natural bent for historical research, Rev. Father McCarty did valuable service in substantiation and preservation of historical facts. He did much important historical writing regarding Sioux City and Iowa and his investigations of early religious happenings resulted in substantial contributions to middle west Catholic history.