author
John Lancaster Spalding
1840–1916
A thoughtful Catholic bishop, writer, and educator, he helped shape American Catholic higher education while leading the Diocese of Peoria. His work joined religious conviction with a deep belief in learning, culture, and public life.
2 Audiobooks
Education and the Higher Life
by John Lancaster Spalding
Means and Ends of Education
by John Lancaster Spalding
About the author
Born in Lebanon, Kentucky, on June 2, 1840, John Lancaster Spalding became the first bishop of Peoria and served from 1877 until his retirement in 1908. Educated in the United States and in Europe, he was ordained in 1863 and built a reputation as an eloquent preacher and a serious Catholic intellectual.
Spalding is especially remembered as an advocate for higher education and as one of the figures involved in founding The Catholic University of America. Alongside his church leadership, he wrote widely as an author and poet, often focusing on religion, education, culture, and the place of Catholics in American life.
He died on August 25, 1916. Today he is remembered not only as a bishop, but also as a public thinker who encouraged Catholics to engage confidently with scholarship and modern society.