Bishop John Conroy
When Bishop McCloskey left the Albany Diocese in 1865 to head the New York Diocese, I was appointed the second bishop of Albany. If you could hear me speak, you'd hear a brogue because I was born in Ireland.
I studied for the priesthood in Montreal and Maryland, and was ordained in 1842. Three years later, I was assigned to St. Joseph's parish in Albany, where I remained as pastor even while serving as bishop. (I wouldn't be the only pastor from St. Joseph's to become bishop.)
One of my goals was to centralize the administration of the Diocese, which was growing by leaps and bounds. I also attended the First Vatican Council in 1869-70, which defined the doctrine of papal infallibility.
In 1872, the Albany Diocese got a little smaller when the new Diocese of Ogdensburg was separated from it. But the population was growing, and many French and German parishes were founded. The Franciscan Order of Friars Minor Conventual came to Albany to start Our Lady of Angels. I established many new parishes, such as Assumption in Albany, St. Joseph's in Cohoes and Our Lady of Angels in Whitehall. I also brought religious orders into the Diocese, including the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary, and the Little Sisters of the Poor.
I was very interested in education and encouraged the Sisters of St. Joseph, the Sisters of Mercy and the Christian Brothers to enlarge their schools. Also during my tenure, St. Peter's Hospital opened in Albany.
When I ended my stint as bishop, there were 96 churches in the Diocese, an increase of approximately 59 since Bishop McCloskey's departure.