Background
He was born 29 January 1827 in County Tipperary, Ireland, and was privately educated before entering All Hallows College at Drumcondra north of Dublin to prepare for missionary service.
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William Gleeson
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All Hallows College.
Career
He was ordained in 1853. Soon after his ordination, Father Gleeson volunteered for service in India and was sent to Agra under the supervision of Ignatius Persico. He was placed in charge of a nearby congregation at Saldana, where he learned Hindustani and the Persian language from his parishioners.
Father Gleeson was at Agra when it was taken by Tantya Tope during the Indian Rebellion of 1857, and subsequently served as a chaplain to Catholic soldiers in the British Army.
lieutenant was in this capacity that he became acquainted with Colin Campbell, 1st Baron Clyde and Sir James Outram, 1st Baronet. There he learned Arabic.
Father Gleeson was eventually invited to spend a year doing missionary work in the Diocese of Salford in England, and three years in Glasgow, Scotland. But, the climate in those two places disagreed with him, and he accepted a calling to teach ancient languages at Saint Mary"s College of California by 1870.
lieutenant was published in 1872, a year after he had resumed parochial work in East Oakland, Fruitvale, and Alameda, California.
Father Gleeson continued to enjoy learning foreign languages as a pastor, including the Portuguese language of his parishioners and the Hebrew and Syro-Chaldaic writings he studied. He died on his seventy-sixth birthday, 29 January 1903, having suffered a stroke four days earlier while preparing for late Sunday Mass at Saint Anthony"s Church. His funeral was held there on 31 January, with burial following at nearby Saint Mary"s Cemetery.
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Born
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Died
January 29, 1903 (aged 76) -
Religion
Roman Catholic