Stephen Vincent Ryan

Stephen Vincent Ryan, C.M. (January 1, 1825 – April 10, 1896) was a Canadian-born American prelate of the Catholic Church. A member of the Congregation of the Mission, he served as Bishop of Buffalo from 1868 until his death in 1896. Biography Early life Ryan was born on New Year's Day 1825 in Almonte, Ontario, to Martin and Margaret (née McCarthy) Ryan. His parents were natives of Ireland who lived in Sixmilebridge before immigrating to Canada, and Ryan was the fifth of their nine children. At his baptism, the priest is alleged to have remarked, "This child will command an army yet." When he was three years old, the family moved to Pottsville, Pennsylvania. He was confirmed by the visiting Mexican bishop Joaquín Fernández de Madrid y Canal in 1835 and then took the name Vincent. Ryan entered St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia at age 15 to begin his studies for the priesthood. After the accession of a Vincentian rector at the seminary, he decided to join that religious order and enrolled at St. Mary's Seminary of the Barrens in Perryville, Missouri. He made his profession as a Vincentian on May 6, 1846.