Description

John Carroll was an American Catholic prelate who served as the first Bishop of Baltimore, then the only diocese in the nascent United States, from 1789 to 1815. He became the first Archbishop of Baltimore in 1808, up to which point Carroll had also administered the entire U.S. Catholic Church. Born to an aristocratic family in the colonial-era Province of Maryland, Carroll spent most of his early years as a priest in Europe, teaching and serving as a chaplain. After returning to Maryland in 1773, he started organizing the Catholic Church in America with a small cadre of priests. The Vatican appointed him to several roles as leader of the American Catholic hierarchy, culminating in his appointment as archbishop.