John Lancaster Spalding

John Lancaster Spalding – Life, Career, and Famous Quotes

John Lancaster Spalding (1840–1916) was an American Catholic bishop, educator, and author. He helped found The Catholic University of America, advanced Catholic education, and left behind memorable essays and quotations. Explore his life, ideas, and legacy.

Introduction

John Lancaster Spalding remains a significant but sometimes underappreciated figure in American Catholic history and the history of education. Born in 1840 and passing in 1916, he combined a pastoral vocation with a vigorous intellectual and literary life. He was the first Bishop of Peoria, a co-founder of The Catholic University of America, a proponent of Catholic schooling, a published essayist and poet (sometimes under pseudonym), and a public voice on social, educational, and religious matters. His life and work offer a window into the challenges Catholics faced in integrating faith, learning, and civic life in a rapidly changing America.

Early Life and Family

John Lancaster Spalding was born on June 2, 1840 in Lebanon, Kentucky, the eldest of nine children to Richard Martin Spalding and Mary Lancaster Spalding.

His family lineage was deeply rooted in American Catholic history. The Spaldings traced their roots to English immigrants from Lincolnshire who settled in Maryland in the 17th century.

His mother, Mary Jane Lancaster Spalding, played a particularly formative role. She had been among the early graduates of the Loretto Academy in Kentucky, and she educated John at home until about age twelve. Her teaching fostered in him a love for truth, virtue, and intellectual pursuit.

His paternal uncle, Martin John Spalding, was a prominent prelate—first Bishop of Louisville, later Archbishop of Baltimore—and he served as an important spiritual and relational influence on John’s path toward the priesthood.

Youth and Education

After his early home schooling, John attended St. Mary’s College in Lebanon, Kentucky (a secondary-level institution). Mount St. Mary’s College (a petit séminaire) and continued further studies at Mount St. Mary’s of the West in Cincinnati.

He graduated from the Cincinnati school in 1859 as class valedictorian.

Following the advice of his uncle, he went abroad to the American College of the Immaculate Conception in Louvain (Belgium) for theological studies. There he earned degrees in sacred theology (S.T.B. and S.T.L.).

He was ordained a priest on December 19, 1863 by Archbishop Engelbert Sterckx in Belgium.

After his ordination, he spent time in Europe (including studies in Rome) before returning to the U.S. in 1865 to begin his pastoral and educational work.

Priesthood, Writings & Early Career

Back in Kentucky, Spalding served as assistant pastor at the Cathedral of the Assumption in Louisville. He also held roles such as diocesan chancellor, editor of the diocesan newspaper, and pastor of St. Augustine, an African American parish in Louisville.

He accompanied Archbishop François Blanchet as a theologian during the Second Plenary Council of Baltimore (1866).

In 1872, following the death of his uncle Martin, Spalding went to New York to write a biography of him. He also served in parish work and continued publishing essays, sermons, and addresses.

During this period, he published Essays and Reviews (1876) and other collections of lectures and discourses.

Throughout this time, Spalding’s voice as an intellectual and activist began to mature: he argued for a Catholic intellectual presence in American society, for the foundation of a Catholic national university, and for more robust Catholic schooling.

Bishop of Peoria & Institutional Leadership

Appointment & Early Years

On December 19, 1876, Pope Pius IX appointed John Lancaster Spalding as the first bishop of the newly formed Diocese of Peoria, Illinois. May 1, 1877 by Cardinal John McCloskey of New York.

He formally assumed leadership of the diocese on May 23, 1877.

The Diocese of Peoria covered a large territory and fairly limited Catholic infrastructure at the start. Spalding’s task was to build parishes, recruit clergy, and establish schools.

Education and Parochial Expansion

One of Spalding’s principal priorities as bishop was to build a system of Catholic schooling and foster intellectual life. Under his leadership, the number of parochial schools in his diocese rose from 12 to 70, and student enrollment grew from about 2,010 to 11,360.

He also supported academies for girls and established a boys’ high school, Spalding Institute, in 1899.

Spalding’s vision for Catholic education went beyond mere schooling: he believed in integrating faith, art, science, and character formation, and he considered the role of teachers and educational leaders crucial.

He opposed heavy government interference in education and argued that purely secular systems lacked the depth needed to form whole persons.

National & Intellectual Influence

Spalding’s influence extended beyond Illinois. He was a leading voice among American bishops advocating for a Catholic national university. His efforts helped bring the idea to fruition: The Catholic University of America (in Washington, D.C.) acknowledged Spalding as one of its early founders and intellectual champions.

He also played a key role in the drafting of the Baltimore Catechism. At the Third Plenary Council of Baltimore (1884), Spalding was given responsibility for coordinating suggestions from bishops and preparing a draft.

During the Great Coal Strike of 1902, Spalding served as a member of the arbitration commission which mediated between laborers and coal operators. The commission awarded miners a retrospective 10% wage increase and reduced daily working hours from 10 to 9.

He was awarded honorary degrees from institutions like Columbia University (1902) and Western Reserve University (1904) in recognition of his intellectual and public contributions.

Challenges, Health & Retirement

In 1905, Spalding suffered a stroke which left him partially paralyzed and diminished his capacity to govern.

Due to declining health, Pope Pius X accepted his resignation from the Diocese of Peoria on September 11, 1908. He was made Titular Bishop of Scythopolis and given the honorary title of archbishop.

Though retired, he continued to write and consult until his death on August 25, 1916, in Peoria, Illinois. He was 76 years old.

Legacy and Influence

John Lancaster Spalding’s legacy is multifaceted, touching on education, Catholic intellectual life, institution-building, and public engagement.

• The Catholic University of America remains among his most enduring legacies; many historians credit Spalding’s vision and advocacy as foundational.

• Several buildings and institutions bear his name: the Spalding Center (in Peoria) houses diocesan offices; Spalding High School; and Spalding Hall at CUA are tributes.

• The Diocese of Peoria instituted a John Lancaster Spalding Scholarship to assist students from any parish attending Catholic schools.

• His writings—essays, discourses, poetry—continue to inspire Catholic educators and thinkers who weigh the relationship between faith, knowledge, and civic life.

In historical scholarship, Spalding is sometimes discussed in relation to the “Americanism” controversy: he was sympathetic to adapted Catholic engagement in democratic society, though he advocated caution and fidelity to core doctrine.

His educational philosophy influenced subsequent Catholic education leaders: he emphasized the human person, teacher formation, and the ideal of heroism in pedagogy.

Personality and Talents

Spalding combined several virtues and gifts:

• Intellectual breadth and clarity: his writings show a mind at ease with theology, philosophy, social issues, education, and literature.

• Eloquent communicator: he was known for persuasive speeches and balanced argumentation.

• Institution builder: he could translate vision into functional structures (schools, parishes, universities).

• Pastoral sensitivity: though a public figure, he remained attuned to parish needs, immigrant communities, and educational leaders.

• Courage of conviction: he addressed controversial matters (labor, Church and state relations, schooling, Catholic identity) without easy conformity.

Though he faced health difficulties later in life, his intellectual stamina persisted even in retirement, as he continued to write and advise.

Famous Quotes of John Lancaster Spalding

Here are some of his memorable reflections:

“The doubt of an earnest, thoughtful, patient and laborious mind is worthy of respect. In such doubt may be found indeed more faith than in half the creeds.”

“As memory may be a paradise from which we cannot be driven, it may also be a hell from which we cannot escape.”

“We are more disturbed by a calamity which threatens us than by one which has befallen us.”

Beyond these, his essays and discourses contain many aphorisms and reflections on education, faith, society, and the moral life.

Lessons from John Lancaster Spalding

1. Faith and reason belong together. Spalding modeled a life where intellectual rigor and religious commitment reinforce one another.

2. Education must form the whole person. He resisted purely utilitarian or secular schooling and insisted that formation needs moral, aesthetic, and spiritual dimensions.

3. Leadership involves building institutions. Vision alone is not enough; the ability to organize, motivate others, and lay structures is essential.

4. Public engagement with temperance. He showed how a religious leader might speak on social issues (labor, immigration, schooling) without succumbing to partisanship.

5. Perseverance amid infirmity. Even as his health failed, Spalding remained intellectually active, teaching us that legacy can outlast personal limitations.

Conclusion

John Lancaster Spalding bridged multiple worlds: the pulpit and the classroom, the local parish and the national stage, faith and reason, contemplation and action. In an era when Catholics in America were often marginalized, he helped carve an intellectually confident and institutionally robust Catholic presence. His commitment to education, social justice, and the integration of faith and intellect continues to resonate today.