The Dominican “Hero Priests” of the Yellow Fever and Cholera Epidemics
By Fr. Augustine DeArmond, O.P.
Dominicans have always been on the forefront of serving the Church – even in the the most dangerous situations.
In 1849, barely a decade after the founding of St. Peter Church in Memphis, epidemics of cholera and smallpox devastated the city. Fr. James Hyacinth Clarkson, O.P., Pastor of St. Peter Catholic Church, tirelessly ministered to the sick and dying. He himself became a victim of the disease in August of 1849. Fr. Thomas Grace, O.P., succeeded him as Pastor.
In 1855, the yellow fever epidemic struck Memphis. During this time, Fr. James Raymond Cleary, O.P., Pastor of St. Peter Church succumbed to the disease after caring for many in his parish. His missionary activities out of Memphis along the Mississippi weakened him to the point that he could not resist the fever. He died in September 1855, the first Dominican friar, but not the last, to die of yellow fever in Tennessee.
Throughout the yellow fever epidemic, the Dominican Friars continued to meet the pastoral needs of Memphis. Where many ministers of other faith traditions evacuated the city for fear of catching the fever, the Friars stayed to ensure even the least of God’s people received the Sacraments and loving care.
In 1873, yellow fever claimed the lives of three Parochial Vicars of St. Peter Church, and Fr. John Dominic Sheehy, O. P., who was stationed elsewhere but begged to come to Memphis when he heard that all the priests were victims.
Fr. Joseph Augustine Kelly, O.P., was stricken but survived. By developing an immunity, he was able to assume a truly heroic leadership role in the epidemics of 1878 and 1879. Letters and telegrams in the archives reveal this hero priest as a “one-man Red Cross Society.”
Frs. Clarkson, Cleary, and Kelly, three of the Dominican Hero Priests, are buried under the sanctuary of St. Peter Catholic Church.
Other Dominican Friars died in the epidemics of 1878 and 1879. Fr. Patrick Joseph Scannell, O. P., volunteered to come from Louisville, Kentucky when the Memphis priests became ill. He begged on his knees to be given the assignment. His desire was to serve and, if necessary, give his very life for the People of God.
These are just a few of the many heroic stories of the Dominican Friars and their legacy in Memphis. Learn more about the Friars in Memphis by exploring priestvocation.com.
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