Background
John Shanahan was born in Silver Lake, Pennsylvania, to John and Margaret (née Donovan) Shanahan, who came to the United States from County Cork, Ireland.
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John Walter
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He studied at Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary in Overbrook, and was ordained to the priesthood by his brother, Bishop Jeremiah F. Shanahan, on January 2, 1869.
Career
He served as Bishop of Harrisburg from 1899 until his death in 1916. He served as superintendent of Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. On January 2, 1899, Shanahan was appointed the third Bishop of Harrisburg by Pope Leo XIII. He received his episcopal consecration on the following May 1 from Archbishop Patrick John Ryan, with Bishops Ignatius Frederick Horstmann and Edmond Francis Prendergast serving as co-consecrators.
During his 16-year-long tenure, Shanahan erected 27 new parishes and increased the number of priests from 74 to 120.
He opened an orphanage for girls at Sylvan Heights and a protectory for boys at Abbottstown, and completed construction on the Cathedral of Saint Patrick in 1907. In 1907 he founded the Sisters of Saint Casimir.
Shanahan later died at age 70.
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Born
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Died
February 19, 1916 (aged 70)