page_title: James Frederick Wood
section_title: Fifth Bishop of Philadelphia
hierarchical_section_title: James Frederick Wood / Episcopal ministry / Fifth Bishop of Philadelphia
context_page_description: James Frederick Bryan Wood was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He was the fifth Bishop and first Archbishop of Philadelphia, serving between 1860 and his death in 1883.
context_section_description: Wood later succeeded Neumann as the fifth Bishop of Philadelphia upon the latter's death on January 5, 1860. At the time of his succession, the diocese (which included the entire states of Pennsylvania and Delaware in addition to western New Jersey) included 200,000 Catholics, 137 priests, 131 parishes, 17 chapels and missions, 40 parish schools with 8,710 pupils, four colleges and four academies. The erection of the Cathedral of Sts. Peter and Paul came to a brief halt with the outbreak of the Civil War, but was later dedicated by Wood on November 20, 1864. In 1865 he purchased a large tract of land in Overbrook, on the outskirts of Philadelphia, for the new St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, the cornerstone of which was laid on April 4, 1866. The seminary was opened in September 1871 with 128 students. He was named an Assistant at the Pontifical Throne in 1862.
  Wood established the Catholic Home for Destitute Orphan Girls, enlarged St. Vincent's Home and founded a convent for the Sisters of the Good Shepherd. He also introduced into the diocese the Little Sisters of the Poor, Servant Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis and Sisters of the Holy Child Jesus. He condemned such secret societies as the Freemasons and Molly Maguires.
  In 1868 the Dioceses of Harrisburg, Scranton and Wilmington were established, leaving Philadelphia with 93 churches and 157 priests. Wood attended the First Vatican Council, where he supported the definition of papal infallibility, but was forced to leave early in March 1870 due to poor health. He was also named Treasurer of the Board for the Pontifical North American College.
caption: Portrait of Wood by Thomas Eakins
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