Biography of Patrick Barry, St. Augustine, Flagler County, FL File contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by: Nancy Rayburn (naev@earthlink.net). USGENWEB ARCHIVES NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or publication by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm ****************************************************************************************** Transcribed from: The History of Florida: Past & Present, The Lewis Publishing Co., Vol. II, page 333, 1923. BARRY, Rt. Rev. PATRICK, who on May 3, 1922, was consecrated the fifth Bishop of Saint Augustine, was elevated to this high office with impressive ceremonies, the central figure in which was his predecessor, now Archbishop MICHAEL J. CURLEY of Baltimore, successor of Cardinal GIBBONS. In Saint Augustine, his Cathedral City, was established the first Catholic Parish in the United States. The church records of Saint Augustine, preserved in the cathedral, run back to the year 1594. Bishop BARRY was born in County Clare, Ireland, November 15, 1870, and was one of a family of eighteen children, thirteen of whom were alive when he was consecrated Bishop, and eleven of them in the United States. One of his brothers is a priest in Jacksonville, another in Ireland, and a sister is a Dominican nun in Michigan. His parents were MICHAEL and CATHERINE (DIXON) BARRY. His father died in 1911, and his mother in 1913. PATRICK BARRY was educated in the National School at his birthplace, and in October, 1887, at the age of seventeen, entered Mungret College at Limerick, which is also the alma mater of Archbishop CURLEY. In 1890 he entered St. Patrick's Seminary at Carlow, and was ordained a priest there June 9, 1895. A few days later he sailed for America, and in August began his long and profitable service in Florida. He became an assistant priest in Jacksonville, and during the Spanish-American war he acted as a volunteer chaplain and distinguished himself by his devotion and self-sacrifice in the camp at Jacksonville when hundreds of soldiers fell victims to typhoid fever. Several years later, after the destructive fire of 1901, he became a leader in relief work at Jacksonville. His health failing through the strain of hard work, he was relieved from his duties at Jacksonville and put in charge of parish and missions at Palatka and in a number of surrounding towns. He was soon given a vacation from those duties and went to Southern France, where he rapidly recovered, and from there went on to Rome, where for the first time he met the brilliant young student, now Archbishop CURLEY. During the ten years he had charge of the church at Palatka and surrounding Missions, he distinguished himself for his ability as a financier and administrator, and made many notable improvements in church extension and building. In 1913 he was called to take charge of a new parish in South Jacksonville, and in four years had built a church, rectory and made other improvements, all of which were paid for. In 1917 he was summoned to Saint Augustine to become rector of the cathedral and vicar general of the diocese under Bishop CURLEY. On June 9, 1920, he celebrated his silver jubilee and on February 22, 1922, the news came from Rome of his appointment by the Pope as successor of Bishop CURLEY.