Francis Patrick Keough (December 30, 1890 – December 8, 1961) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Providence in Rhode Island from 1934 to 1947 and as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Baltimore in Maryland from 1947 until his death.
Biography
Early life
Francis Keough was born on December 30, 1890, in New Britain, Connecticut, the second and youngest son of Patrick and Margaret (née Ryan) Keough. His parents were Irish immigrants, and his father died when Francis was only five years old.[1] He received his early education at the parochial school of St. Mary's Church in New Britain, and began his studies for the priesthood at St. Thomas Seminary in Bloomfield, Connecticut.[2][1]
In 1911, Keough was sent to the Grand Seminary of Saint-Sulpice in Issy-les-Moulineaux, France.[3] He returned home following the outbreak of World War I in 1913. Keough then completed his theological studies at St. Bernard's Seminary in Rochester, New York.[1][2]
During Keough's tenure in Providence, the Catholic population of the diocese increased from 325,000 to 425,000, and the number of clergy grew by fifty percent. He opened 15 new parishes and built four high schools.[1][4]
In 1939, Keough opened Our Lady of Providence Seminary in Providence, the first minor seminary in the diocese.[5] He worked to ease tensions between the French-speaking and English-speaking members of his congregation, and reduced the heavy financial debts burdening the diocese.[2]
In 1942, during World War II, Keough delivered the blessing at the launching of the first Liberty ship built in Providence.[5] In the late 1940s, Keough worked with the Sisters of Mercy to open Salve Regina College in Newport, Rhode Island, the first college for Catholic women in the diocese.[5]
Archbishop of Baltimore
On November 29, 1947, Keough was named by Pope Pius XII as the eleventh archbishop of Baltimore.[4] He was installed in the Basilica of the Assumption in Baltimore on February 24, 1948.[4]
During Keough's fourteen years in Baltimore, the Catholic population of the archdiocese grew from 265,000 to 400,000.[6] Like other Catholic prelates of the early Cold War era, Keough was strong foe of communism. He supported the founding of the Maryland Action Guild, an anti-communist organization. At a commencement address at the University of Notre Dame in 1950, he warned about 2000 years of Christianity "...crumbling before the juggernaut of communism."[7]
Keough broke ground in 1954 for the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen in Baltimore. He also built many new schools, homes, orphanages and other institutions.[6] In 1956, Keough banned Catholics in the archdiocese from seeing the 1956 film Baby Doll.[7] He called for a "crusade of prayer" during the 1959 visit of Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev to the United States.[7]
