John McAuliffe

John Francis Joseph McAuliffe, also known by his religious name Norbert McAuliffe, was an American missionary known for his work in Uganda. He was born in lower Manhattan, New York, on September 30, 1886. As a professed member of the Institute of the Brothers of the Sacred Heart, a Roman Catholic religious community of laymen, he would work in education for more than 50 years until his death on July 3, 1959, in Gulu, Uganda. Childhood McAuliffe was born to an Irish-American working-class family in lower Manhattan. His father, Daniel, was an immigrant from Ireland and worked on the New York City docks. His mother, Elizabeth or Lizzie, was Daniel's second wife and would raise five children – three survived to adulthood – Walter, John, and Elizabeth or Lillian. McAuliffe was baptized at St. Rose Church in lower Manhattan on November 7, 1886. His father died after a short illness in 1893 and he and his siblings would be orphaned with the unexpected death of their mother on October 10, 1895. His sister, Elizabeth, went to stay with their half-brother, Daniel Jr, from their father's first marriage. McAuliffe (age 9) and his brother Walter (age 11) were accepted into St. Agnes Home in Sparkill, New York, on November 13, 1895. After St. Agnes Home was destroyed by fire in 1899, the two brothers were separated, with Walter going to the Catholic Protectory in New York City while McAuliffe went to the new St. Agnes Home established in Troy, New York.