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Fenwick History: Who was Edward Fenwick?

Edward Fenwick and Slavery

Edward Dominic Fenwick

First Bishop of Cincinnati

Life

Edward Fenwick was born in Maryland on August 19, 1768, studied at the Dominican Holy Cross College in Belgium, and in 1793 was ordained a Dominican priest. In 1805 Fenwick opened near Springfield, Kentucky, St. Rose Priory, the first Dominican house in the United States. Fenwick also ministered to Catholics scattered across Ohio. In 1822 Fenwick was consecrated the first Bishop of Cincinnati. At the corner of Seventh and Sycamore Streets, Fenwick in 1826 built St. Peter Cathedral, in 1829 St. Francis Xavier Seminary, and in 1831 the College of the Athenaeum (which became St. Xavier High School and Xavier University). Fenwick died at Wooster, Ohio, on September 26, 1832.

Fenwick Primary Sources with Reference to Slavery

Letters, including the brief summaries, from Edward Dominic Fenwick Papers 1803-1832: Founding American Dominican Friar and Bishop, Luke Tancrell OP, editor (New York: The Dominican Province of St. Joseph, 2005) . Used with permission.