John Joseph Hennessy

The Right Rev. Bishop John Joseph Hennessy D D.
Bishop of Wichita

Appointed	February 11, 1888
Successor	Augustus John Schwertner
Orders
Ordination	November 27, 1869
Personal details
Born	(1847-07-19)July 19, 1847 Cloyne, Ireland
Died	July 13, 1920(1920-07-13) (aged 72) Wichita, Kansas
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Parents	Michael and Ellen (Cronin) Hennessy
Education	Christian Brothers College High School St. Vincent's Seminary Saint Francis de Sales Seminary of Milwaukee

John Joseph Hennessy (July 19, 1847 – July 13, 1920) was an Irish-born prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He was the first Bishop of Wichita, Kansas (1888-1920).

John Hennessy was born near Cloyne, County Cork, to Michael and Ellen (née Cronin) Hennessy. In 1850 he and his parents came to the United States, where they settled at St. Louis, Missouri. He received his early education at the local cathedral school and the Christian Brothers College, from where he graduated in 1862. He completed his theological studies at St. Francis Seminary in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and his philosophical studies at St. Vincent College in Cape Girardeau. Hennessy was ordained to the priesthood on November 28, 1869. At age 22, he was below the age requirement for ordination but was granted a dispensation by Pope Pius IX.

Hennessy then served as pastor of Iron Mountain, with his jurisdiction extending as far south as Arkansas. He erected churches at Bismarck, Doniphan, Poplar Bluff, Gatewood, Graniteville, and Farmington. He established the Catholic Railroad Men's Benevolent Union in 1871, a convent for the Ursuline Sisters at Arcadia in 1877, and the first total abstinence society in southeast Missouri. In 1878 he was elected and vice-president of the Catholic Protectory for Boys at Glencoe. He became rector of St. John's Church at St. Louis in 1880. That same year he became editor of the St. Louis Youths' Magazine and in 1882 secretary of the St. Louis Orphan Board. He also served as treasurer of the diocesean clergy fund and spiritual director of the St. Vincent de Paul Society.