Remains of first Hartford bishop come home to Connecticut

Published: 2006-07-06

BLOOMFIELD, Conn. (CNS) -- Bishop William B. Tyler, named first bishop of Hartford when the diocese was established in 1843, has come home to rest. His remains were transferred from Providence, R.I., and reburied June 12 in Mount St. Benedict Cemetery, where all other deceased bishops of Hartford except one are buried. Bishop Bernard O'Reilly, who succeeded Bishop Tyler, perished at sea in 1856 while returning from Europe. Archbishop Henry J. Mansell officiated at the reburial, which was attended by a group of priests. Born June 5, 1806, in Derby, Vt., Bishop Tyler converted to Catholicism from New England Protestantism with his parents and five siblings. In 1826 he enrolled in a seminary run by Bishop Benedict J. Fenwick of Boston, who would later become his lifelong mentor and confidant. As a native New Englander, Father Tyler was attuned to his times and knew how to navigate safely through its sometimes treacherous religious environment, according to Mercy Sister Dolores Liptak, a historian who has written "Hartford's Catholic Legacy: Leadership."

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