John McElroy was born in 1782 in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. Following a rudimentary education due to the penal laws prohibiting Irish schoolmasters from teaching Catholic students, McElroy worked on his father’s farm. In 1803, he left for America on a flax ship bound for Baltimore, Maryland. From Baltimore, McElroy moved to Georgetown. In Georgetown, while working as a store clerk, McElroy felt a calling to the religious life. In 1806, following the reinstatement of the Jesuit Order in America, John McElroy entered the Society of Jesus at Georgetown College as a novice.

During his probationary period, McElroy worked at Georgetown and witnessed the 1814 burning of Washington, DC. In 1815, he was elevated to the Scholasticate and began studying for the priesthood. By 1816, he had received tonsure and minor orders, and by 1817, he was ordained a priest by Archbishop Neale. In 1818, McElroy was appointed assistant pastor, and later full pastor, of Trinity Church, Georgetown, where he was known for his oratorical gifts.

McElroy engaged in the missionary work of his parish and the surrounding areas, supported the development of local Catholic education, and lead spiritual retreats. His work brought him the recognition of superiors and Church leaders, including Archbishop Hughes, Bishop Purcell, and Bishop Flaget. A further honor came in 1845, when, in response to a request of President Polk, McElroy was chosen as one of the first two Catholic priests to be appointed chaplains for the United States Army. McElroy served in Matamoras, Mexico, until 1847.

The establishment of a Jesuit school serving the city of Boston had long been an aspiration of McElroy’s, and his transfer to that city in 1847 enabled him actively to pursue the cause. Overcoming obstacles such as financial problems, public anti-Catholic sentiment, and turmoil caused by the Civil War, McElroy realized his dream in 1863 when Boston College was formally incorporated. He served as the College’s first vice-president and was instrumental in the building of the Church of the Immaculate Conception, the College’s first chapel.

Following his tenure in Boston, McElroy retired to the novitiate house in Frederick City, Maryland, where he continued to serve as a priest. He died in 1877.

Sources

Dunigan, David R. A History of Boston College. Milwaukee, WI: Bruce Publishing Co., 1947.

Clippings, Box 1, Folder 27, John McElroy, SJ, President's Office Records, BC2002.126, John J. Burns Library, Boston College.