Bishop John B. Delany
Arms: Quarterly: 1 and 4: Argent a man’s heart girt with a crown of thorns and distilling drops of blood proper ensigned with flames also proper and issuant from them a Latin cross sable; 2 and 3: Sable three fish naiant in pale argent
SOURCE/NOTES & CREDITS: Source for arms and blazon: The blazon was re-worked by J.H. Gaylor from “Armorial of the American Hierarchy”, Volume III, The New England States, the Ecclesiastical Provinces of Boston and Hartford, page 79, by Brother Gerard Brassard, A.A., The Stobbs Press, Worcester, MA, 1956. Text sourced from “Armorial of the American Hierarchy”, Volume III, The New England States, the Ecclesiastical Provinces of Boston and Hartford, page 79, by Brother Gerard Brassard, A.A., The Stobbs Press, Worcester, MA, 1956; “The Life and Writings of Bishop Delany, Second Bishop of Manchester”, by G.C.D. The Lawler Printing Company, Lowell, 1911 and “Upon this Granite”, Msgr. Wilfrid H. Paradis, Peter E. Randall Publisher, Portsmouth, 1998.
John Bernard Delaney was born on 9 August 1864 in Lowell, MA was Ordained 23 May 1891 by Cardinal Richard, Archbishop of Paris. Fr. Delaney was assigned to the Diocese of Manchester upon ordination and served in a pastoral capacity until mid 1898 when Bishop Bradley appointed him as Chancellor of the diocese and as his secretary. Fr. Delany remained in these positions until Bishop Bradley’s death in December 1903.
He was elected by Pope St. Pius X to be the Second Bishop of the See of Manchester, NH on 18 April 1904 and Consecrated by Archbishop Falconio, Apostolic Delegate to the US on 8 September 1904. Early in his episcopacy, he made a visit to Rome and had a private audience with the future Saint, Pope Pius X, which thrilled him no end. He was considered so capable that great things were expected of him but it was not to be as he died of acute appendicitis. An incident from the time to be noted is that the diocese was split between two large groups of Irish-American and of French-Canadian families, so Bishop Delany had appointed two personal physicians, one from each group, neither one it seems could diagnosis the problem as appendicitis until very late on, so a specialist was called in from Boston who confirmed the correct diagnosis, but it was too late as peritonitis had set in so Bishop Delany died at age 42, on 11 Jun 1906 with only two years as Bishop.
The artwork is a rendering by John Hamilton Gaylor.
Wedvick Armorial, 068a, Delaney, 20080921
