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John Walter Shanahan (January 3, 1846 – February 19, 1916) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Harrisburg in Pennsylvania from 1899 until his death in 1916.

Biography

Early life

John Shanahan was born in Silver Lake, Pennsylvania, to John and Margaret (née Donovan) Shanahan, who immigrated to the United States from County Cork, Ireland. He studied at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia.

Shanahan was ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia by his brother, Bishop Jeremiah F. Shanahan, on January 2, 1869. He served as superintendent of Catholic schools in the archdiocese.

Bishop of Harrisburg

On January 2, 1899, Shanahan was appointed the third bishop of the Diocese of Harrisburg by Pope Leo XIII. He received his episcopal consecration on May 1, 1899, from Archbishop Patrick Ryan, with Bishops Ignatius Horstmann and Edmond Prendergast serving as co-consecrators. His brother Jeremiah was the first to hold that office, serving between 1868 and his death in 1886.

During his 16-year-long tenure, Shanahan erected 27 new parishes and increased the number of priests from 74 to 120. He opened an orphanage for girls at Sylvan Heights and a protectory for boys at Abbottstown, Pennsylvania, and completed construction on the Cathedral of St. Patrick in 1907. In 1907 he founded the Sisters of Saint Casimir. He also established the motherhouses of the Sisters of the Most Precious Blood and the Sisters of Saints Cyril and Methodius, and invited to the diocese the Franciscan Sisters of Saint Joseph and the Immaculate Heart Sisters of Scranton.

John Shanahan died on February 19, 1916, at age 70.

Legacy

Bishop Shanahan High School in Downingtown, Pennsylvania was named in honor of Shanahan.

References

1. Clarke, Richard Henry. Lives of the Deceased Bishops of the Catholic Church in the United States. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
2. ^ "Bishop John Walter Shanahan". Catholic-Hierarchy.org.
3. ^ "Diocese of Harrisburg". Catholic Encyclopedia.
4. ^ "Diocesan History". Roman Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg. Archived from the original on 2010-09-21.

v t e Roman Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg
Bishops	Ordinaries Jeremiah F. Shanahan Thomas McGovern John W. Shanahan Philip R. McDevitt George L. Leech Joseph Thomas Daley William H. Keeler Nicholas C. Dattilo Kevin C. Rhoades Joseph P. McFadden Ronald William Gainer Timothy C. Senior Auxiliaries Lawrence F. Schott Joseph T. Daley
Churches	Cathedral Cathedral of St. Patrick, Harrisburg Basilicas Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Conewago Basilica of Saints Cyril and Methodius, Danville Parishes St. Edward's Church, Shamokin St. Mary's Church, Lancaster
Education	High schools Bishop McDevitt High School, Harrisburg Delone Catholic High School, McSherrystown Lancaster Catholic High School, Lancaster Our Lady of Lourdes Regional High School, Coal Township Trinity High School, Camp Hill York Catholic High School, York Closed Lebanon Catholic School (K-12)
Priests	Edward C. Malesic William J. Waltersheid
Pennsylvania portal Catholicism portal

v t e Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia
Ordinaries	Bishops Michael Francis Egan Henry Conwell Francis Kenrick John Neumann Archbishops James Frederick Wood Patrick John Ryan Edmond Francis Prendergast Dennis Joseph Dougherty John Francis O'Hara John Krol Anthony Bevilacqua Justin Rigali Charles J. Chaput Nelson J. Pérez Auxiliary bishops, current John J. McIntyre Keith J. Chylinski Christopher R. Cooke Efren V. Esmilla Auxiliary bishops, former Cletus Joseph Benjamin Michael Francis Burbidge Joseph R. Cistone Michael Joseph Crane Edward Peter Cullen Louis A. DeSimone Francis James Furey John Joseph Graham Edward Hughes Hugh L. Lamb Martin Nicholas Lohmuller Robert P. Maginnis Joseph Francis Martino Joseph Carroll McCormick John Joseph McCort Gerald Vincent McDevitt Joseph P. McFadden Joseph Mark McShea Gerald O'Hara Francis B. Schulte Daniel Edward Thomas Thomas Jerome Welsh Edward Michael Deliman Michael J. Fitzgerald Timothy C. Senior
Churches	Cathedral Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul Parish churches List of churches in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia Immaculate Conception Old St. Joseph Old St. Mary St. Adalbert St. Agatha and St. James St. Anne St. Augustine St. Basil the Great St. Cyprian St. Donato St. Francis de Sales St. Joachim St. Michael St. Nicholas of Tolentine St. Thomas the Apostle Church St. William Chapels and shrines Church of the Gesú National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa National Shrine of St. John Neumann Former Holy Trinity
Education	Seminary St. Charles Borromeo Seminary Higher education Chestnut Hill College Gwynedd Mercy University Holy Family University Immaculata University La Salle University Neumann University Rosemont College Saint Joseph's University Villanova University High schools Acad. of Notre Dame de Namur Archbishop John Carroll Archbishop Prendergast Archbishop Ryan Archbishop Wood Bishop McDevitt Bishop Shanahan Cardinal O'Hara Conwell-Egan Country Day School of the Sacred Heart Devon Prep Father Judge Gwynedd Mercy Academy Holy Ghost Prep John W. Hallahan Catholic Girls La Salle College HS Lansdale Catholic Little Flower Malvern Prep Mercy Career & Technical Merion Mercy Acad. Monsignor Bonner Mount Saint Joseph Acad. Nazareth Acad. Pope John Paul II Roman Catholic HS for Boys Saint Basil Academy Saint Joseph's Prep Saints John Neumann and Maria Goretti St. Hubert Catholic High School for Girls Villa Joseph Marie Villa Maria Academy Closed Cardinal Dougherty High School St. James High School for Boys
Priests	Living Edward Joseph Adams Herbert Bevard Michael J. Bransfield Joseph L. Coffey James Green Joseph A. Pepe Nelson J. Pérez Deceased Joseph Anthony Galante Francis Brennan Edwin Byrne George Aloysius Carrell Hubert James Cartwright Joseph M. Corrigan Joseph Thomas Daley Edmond John Fitzmaurice John Edmund Fitzmaurice John Patrick Foley Francis Xavier Gartland Daniel James Gercke Michael Hurley Ignatius Frederick Horstmann John Hughes Francis Edward Hyland Francis W. Kelly Thomas Francis Kennedy Philip R. McDevitt Thomas Joseph McDonough Thomas McGovern Eugene J. McGuinness William Matthews John Joseph O'Connor William O'Hara Jeremiah F. Shanahan John W. Shanahan David B. Thompson Francis X. DiLorenzo
Miscellany	Archdiocesan Boy Choir Frances Xavier Cabrini Catholic League The Catholic Standard & Times Katharine Drexel Sexual abuse scandal
Catholicism portal

• 1846 births
• 1916 deaths
• People from Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania
• Roman Catholic bishops of Harrisburg
• 19th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States
• 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States
• St. Charles Borromeo Seminary alumni