San Francisco County CA Archives Biographies.....Hanna, D. D., Most Rev Edward J. July 21, 1860 - ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ca/cafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Ila L. Wakley iwakley@msn.com July 11, 2010, 1:24 pm Source: California and Californians, Vol. IV, Published 1932, Pages 55 - 56 Author: The Lewis Publishing Company MOST REV. EDWARD J. HANNA, D. D., archbishop, the beloved figure in California catholicism, was born at Rochester, New York, July 21, 1860, son of Edward and Anne (Clark) Hanna. For twenty years he has devoted his ripe scholarship and the service of his beneficent character to the church on the Pacific Coast. He attended school in Rochester and later went to Rome, to the University of the Propaganda. He was eighteen years of age when he entered the American College in Rome. There he acquired that wonderful fluency in Latin and Italian which has astonished even Italians who have heard him converse or lecture. In 1885 Cardinal Satolli, in selecting some of his students from the entire University of the Propaganda to stand in defense of theses in an exemplification of the teachings of St. Thomas, chose young Hanna as one of the two men from the American College for this ordeal. In addition to the ordinary class work the Cardinal prepared them from the public disputation by six months' training. The result was a great success and a triumph for the students and their professor. They received the congratulations of the Cardinals, who presented each with a gold medal. The Holy Father conferred upon each the degree of Doctor of Divinity without any further examination. Thus Doctor Hanna completed his course in theology in 1886. As a prefect in his own college he had been ordained in 1885. He then returned to America, but returned to Rome and during the year 1886-87 held the office of "reptitore" at the American College and had the rare distinction of being selected to fill the chair of Professor Satolli during his absences from the lecture hall. On returning again to America, Doctor Hanna was appointed professor of Latin in St. Andrew's Seminary at Rochester and in 1893 was appointed to the chair of dogmatic theology in St. Bernard's Seminary. He remained there, declining the offer of a chair in the Catholic University of America when it was opened. He was spoken of for the rectorship of the American College in Rome in 1901. In addition to performing his regular duties at the seminary at Rochester, Doctor Hanna devoted himself to the poor and distressed, and especially befriended the members of the Italian colony of the city. During the twenty years of his labors there he exemplified some of his outstanding characteristics, which have been described as self sacrifice and an indefatigable industry. Speaking of that period of his life one writer said: "He is never idle, and, apparently, never tired. During the trying course of eight years' study at Rome, he never missed a meal, was never absent from a lecture. The buoyancy of his character and absence of worry has certainly had a great deal to do with this. Like all men of real worth and piety, his wants are few and simple. In touring the diocese of Rochester and collecting the Italian laborers at every railroad crossing, he could eat anything, at any hour or go whole days without food. He could sleep anywhere, or not at all. He could preach to the poor Sicilians at a crossroad, then drive miles to a railroad station, take a train to the city, lecture before a scientific club, and, after weeks of this work, return to the Seminary, fresher than he went out. "He could take part in a discussion that might last till midnight, and which called into activity every cell of the brain, or he could preach or lecture from a public platform until nearly midnight, go directly to his room and be fast asleep one minute after his head touched the pillow. He was always so busy that he might easily have been judged to be a nervous man, but he knew not that he had nerves. An orderly though active mind, sound sleep and an even disposition furnished him with a perpetual and inexhaustible supply of energy. "One of the most important features of Doctor Hanna's power early manifested was his wonderful versatility. Living, as it were, the life of a monk, in study and teaching, while at St. Bernard's Seminary, he was, nevertheless, it may be said without exaggeration, the best known and most popular man in Rochester, whether Catholic or Protestant, lay or cleric. He was vice-president of the Humane Society and a leading light in several other organizations. Rochester is a university town, and has one of the most exclusive and scientific clubs in America. In this circle Doctor Hanna was for years the most prominent member. Such work made him familiar with the trend, the tendencies and the vagaries of American thought." From these quiet labors Doctor Hanna was called to San Francisco in 1912 as auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese, and was consecrated to that office December 4, 1912. On June 1, 1915, he was appointed archbishop of the San Francisco Archdiocese. When he came to this high office contributions and congratulations came from all over the world, and among laymen who responded to the occasion one was Mayor James Rolph, Jr., of San Francisco, who in the course of an address, referring to the labors of Catholic Fathers antedating the founding of the City of San Francisco, said: "Among the guiding stars of the city have been three revered and practical leaders — Archbishop Alemany, Archbishop Montgomery and Archbishop Riordan. One of the guilding stars at present is the fourth ecclesiastical leader, Archbishop Hanna, whose activity and service in the church and state have made his name beloved and revered, not only in the Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco, but throughout the land. He has already endeared himself to the people of San Francisco, irrespective of class or creed, and his broad democracy, scholarly attainments, Christian spirit and civic zeal are already recognized and deeply appreciated by us all." Photo: http://www.usgwarchives.net/ca/sanfrancisco/photos/bios/hannadd1022gbs.jpg File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ca/sanfrancisco/bios/hannadd1022gbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/cafiles/ File size: 6.6 Kb