Patrick Barry (bishop)
Patrick Joseph Barry DD was an Irish-born prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of St. Augustine in Florida from 1922 until his death in 1940.
Biography
Early life
Patrick Barry was born on November 15, 1868, in County Clare, Ireland, one of 18 children of Michael and Catherine Barry. After attending national school, he enrolled at Mungret College in Limerick, Ireland, in 1887, taking exams in the Royal University of Ireland from which he graduated. In 1890, he began his studies for the priesthood at St. Patrick's College in Carlow, Ireland. As a seminarian, he was recruited to serve the missions in Florida in the United States.Priesthood
Barry was ordained a priest by Bishop Michael Comerford in Carlow for the Diocese of St. Augustine on June 9, 1895. After his ordination, Barry immigrated to Florida, where he was appointed as a curate at Immaculate Conception Parish in Jacksonville. He later worked as a chaplain in 1898 for the US Armed Forces during the Spanish–American War. After the war, Barry served as pastor of St. Monica's Parish in Palatka, Florida, and then as rector of St. Augustine's Cathedral and as vicar general of the diocese.Bishop of St. Augustine
On February 22, 1922, Barry was appointed the fifth bishop of St. Augustine by Pope Pius XI. He received his episcopal consecration at Saint Augustine Cathedral iIn 1931, Barry instituted an annual pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche at the Mission Nombre de Dios in St. Augustine. The goal was to draw attention to the Catholic heritage of St. Augustine. In June 1932, Barry traveled with Cardinal Patrick Hayes to the World Eucharistic Congress in Dublin, Ireland. In 1940, Barry founded Barry University in Miami Shores, Florida, along with his sister, Mother M. Gerald Barry, and his brother, Father William Barry.