Father Robert Tillotson, CSP, was born in New York City on October 23, 1825. His father, Robert Tillotson, Esq., was in the words of Father Augustine Hewit, CSP, "a gentleman of fortune." Raised as an Episcopalian, he studied in the 1840s at Saint Paul's College in Flushing, Long Island, under the guidance of William Augustus Muhlenberg, at that time a major figure in the American Episcopal Church. Tillotson was sufficiently inspired by Muhlenberg to apply to General Theological Seminary in lower Manhattan.
Tillotson did not last at General. Through the guidance of the late Bishop of New York, Henry Hobart, General Seminary had drifted towards the tractarians. In the early 1840s, the question of restoring Protestant orthodoxy to General had led Clarence Walworth and several of his classmates into the Roman Catholic Church. Tillotson, now a student a few years later, was also taken with Dr. Newman's tracts. He left General and in 1848 made his way to Oxford where John Henry Newman received him into the Catholic Church.
During the next three years after his conversion, Tillotson lived on his father's estate on the Hudson, uncertain of what he wanted to do with his life. He returned to England in 1851 and applied for membership in Newman's Oratory. He was ordained a priest at the Oratory on September 21, 1856, and served as Assistant Novice Master under Newman's close associate, Ambrose St. John.
In September 1859, Tillotson requested a leave of absence from the Oratory. The leave was granted until Christmas so that he could visit his father in New York. He never returned. How Tillotson met the Paulists during his visit is unknown. But he wrote the Oratory in late October 1859 stating he would not return and that he had found an American community he wished to join. Tillotson became the first member after the founders, formally joining the Paulists in March 1860.
Tillotson's presence in 1860 meant that three of the five original Paulists would be free for missionary work. Saint Paul the Apostle parish, though small in numbers of faithful, was extensive in territory, stretching from 52nd Street all the way to Manhattanville. Tillotson's health was considered too fragile for the missions, but he remained extremely active within the parish. The other Paulists considered him a "charming preacher," and a good liturgist. The return of Clarence Walworth in March 1861 and the arrival of Alfred Young from the Diocese of Newark in February 1862 nearly doubled the priest members of the Paulist community and increased apostolic possibilities.
Father Isaac Hecker, the founder of the Paulist community, felt a particular closeness to "Father Robert," as he called him. Hecker appeared to identify his own sporadic health problems with Tillotson's physical difficulties. Tilotson's chronic ill health also brought inquiries from John Henry Newman. Tillotson was continually ill for almost a year before his death, in a state of what Father Hewit called "gradual decline." He died at Saint Paul the Apostle parish in New York of tuberculosis on August 31, 1868.
Ironically the day Tillotson the Episcopal convert died was the very day that Walter Elliot, representing a new type of Paulist recruit, arrived at Saint Paul the Apostle to begin his novitiate training. Elliott wrote the following about his arrival:
"It was Monday morning, and as I entered the door, Father Hecker came in immediately after, having been gone over Sunday. Shaking hands with me, he pointed to a parlor, bade me welcome and said to Mr. Patrick Clark, who was the clerk at the time, that he should call down Father Deshon to attend to me, and immediately added, ‘Mr. Clark, how is Father Robert?' Mr. Clark answered, ‘very low, he passed a bad night.' Father Hecker immediately went up to Father Tillotson's room. He died later that day."
"Father Hewit preached the funeral sermon. It was the first sermon I had ever heard in our church. The sermon was a masterpiece, exceedingly simple but brimming with emotion altogether indescribable. The Sunday after I listened to another sermon preached by Father Deshon. He told us of (Tillotson's) preaching, how after Father Baker, it was the favorite of the people of the parish. He told us of his beautiful qualities as a confessor, how patient, sympathetic, wise and understanding he was. He spoke of his care for the sick, being himself never a well man. He also described his convert-making, his private interviews with enquirers, his wisdom, prudence and persistent zeal."
Father Tillotson died at the age of 42, having served as a priest for twelve years, eight of them as a Paulist. According to his death certificate, he was buried on September 2, 1868, in the "Cathedral vault" at Old Saint Patrick's Church.
Tillotson did not last at General. Through the guidance of the late Bishop of New York, Henry Hobart, General Seminary had drifted towards the tractarians. In the early 1840s, the question of restoring Protestant orthodoxy to General had led Clarence Walworth and several of his classmates into the Roman Catholic Church. Tillotson, now a student a few years later, was also taken with Dr. Newman's tracts. He left General and in 1848 made his way to Oxford where John Henry Newman received him into the Catholic Church.
During the next three years after his conversion, Tillotson lived on his father's estate on the Hudson, uncertain of what he wanted to do with his life. He returned to England in 1851 and applied for membership in Newman's Oratory. He was ordained a priest at the Oratory on September 21, 1856, and served as Assistant Novice Master under Newman's close associate, Ambrose St. John.
In September 1859, Tillotson requested a leave of absence from the Oratory. The leave was granted until Christmas so that he could visit his father in New York. He never returned. How Tillotson met the Paulists during his visit is unknown. But he wrote the Oratory in late October 1859 stating he would not return and that he had found an American community he wished to join. Tillotson became the first member after the founders, formally joining the Paulists in March 1860.
Tillotson's presence in 1860 meant that three of the five original Paulists would be free for missionary work. Saint Paul the Apostle parish, though small in numbers of faithful, was extensive in territory, stretching from 52nd Street all the way to Manhattanville. Tillotson's health was considered too fragile for the missions, but he remained extremely active within the parish. The other Paulists considered him a "charming preacher," and a good liturgist. The return of Clarence Walworth in March 1861 and the arrival of Alfred Young from the Diocese of Newark in February 1862 nearly doubled the priest members of the Paulist community and increased apostolic possibilities.
Father Isaac Hecker, the founder of the Paulist community, felt a particular closeness to "Father Robert," as he called him. Hecker appeared to identify his own sporadic health problems with Tillotson's physical difficulties. Tilotson's chronic ill health also brought inquiries from John Henry Newman. Tillotson was continually ill for almost a year before his death, in a state of what Father Hewit called "gradual decline." He died at Saint Paul the Apostle parish in New York of tuberculosis on August 31, 1868.
Ironically the day Tillotson the Episcopal convert died was the very day that Walter Elliot, representing a new type of Paulist recruit, arrived at Saint Paul the Apostle to begin his novitiate training. Elliott wrote the following about his arrival:
"It was Monday morning, and as I entered the door, Father Hecker came in immediately after, having been gone over Sunday. Shaking hands with me, he pointed to a parlor, bade me welcome and said to Mr. Patrick Clark, who was the clerk at the time, that he should call down Father Deshon to attend to me, and immediately added, ‘Mr. Clark, how is Father Robert?' Mr. Clark answered, ‘very low, he passed a bad night.' Father Hecker immediately went up to Father Tillotson's room. He died later that day."
"Father Hewit preached the funeral sermon. It was the first sermon I had ever heard in our church. The sermon was a masterpiece, exceedingly simple but brimming with emotion altogether indescribable. The Sunday after I listened to another sermon preached by Father Deshon. He told us of (Tillotson's) preaching, how after Father Baker, it was the favorite of the people of the parish. He told us of his beautiful qualities as a confessor, how patient, sympathetic, wise and understanding he was. He spoke of his care for the sick, being himself never a well man. He also described his convert-making, his private interviews with enquirers, his wisdom, prudence and persistent zeal."
Father Tillotson died at the age of 42, having served as a priest for twelve years, eight of them as a Paulist. According to his death certificate, he was buried on September 2, 1868, in the "Cathedral vault" at Old Saint Patrick's Church.
Father Robert Tillotson, CSP, was born in New York City on October 23, 1825. His father, Robert Tillotson, Esq., was in the words of Father Augustine Hewit, CSP, "a gentleman of fortune." Raised as an Episcopalian, he studied in the 1840s at Saint Paul's College in Flushing, Long Island, under the guidance of William Augustus Muhlenberg, at that time a major figure in the American Episcopal Church. Tillotson was sufficiently inspired by Muhlenberg to apply to General Theological Seminary in lower Manhattan.
Tillotson did not last at General. Through the guidance of the late Bishop of New York, Henry Hobart, General Seminary had drifted towards the tractarians. In the early 1840s, the question of restoring Protestant orthodoxy to General had led Clarence Walworth and several of his classmates into the Roman Catholic Church. Tillotson, now a student a few years later, was also taken with Dr. Newman's tracts. He left General and in 1848 made his way to Oxford where John Henry Newman received him into the Catholic Church.
During the next three years after his conversion, Tillotson lived on his father's estate on the Hudson, uncertain of what he wanted to do with his life. He returned to England in 1851 and applied for membership in Newman's Oratory. He was ordained a priest at the Oratory on September 21, 1856, and served as Assistant Novice Master under Newman's close associate, Ambrose St. John.
In September 1859, Tillotson requested a leave of absence from the Oratory. The leave was granted until Christmas so that he could visit his father in New York. He never returned. How Tillotson met the Paulists during his visit is unknown. But he wrote the Oratory in late October 1859 stating he would not return and that he had found an American community he wished to join. Tillotson became the first member after the founders, formally joining the Paulists in March 1860.
Tillotson's presence in 1860 meant that three of the five original Paulists would be free for missionary work. Saint Paul the Apostle parish, though small in numbers of faithful, was extensive in territory, stretching from 52nd Street all the way to Manhattanville. Tillotson's health was considered too fragile for the missions, but he remained extremely active within the parish. The other Paulists considered him a "charming preacher," and a good liturgist. The return of Clarence Walworth in March 1861 and the arrival of Alfred Young from the Diocese of Newark in February 1862 nearly doubled the priest members of the Paulist community and increased apostolic possibilities.
Father Isaac Hecker, the founder of the Paulist community, felt a particular closeness to "Father Robert," as he called him. Hecker appeared to identify his own sporadic health problems with Tillotson's physical difficulties. Tilotson's chronic ill health also brought inquiries from John Henry Newman. Tillotson was continually ill for almost a year before his death, in a state of what Father Hewit called "gradual decline." He died at Saint Paul the Apostle parish in New York of tuberculosis on August 31, 1868.
Ironically the day Tillotson the Episcopal convert died was the very day that Walter Elliot, representing a new type of Paulist recruit, arrived at Saint Paul the Apostle to begin his novitiate training. Elliott wrote the following about his arrival:
"It was Monday morning, and as I entered the door, Father Hecker came in immediately after, having been gone over Sunday. Shaking hands with me, he pointed to a parlor, bade me welcome and said to Mr. Patrick Clark, who was the clerk at the time, that he should call down Father Deshon to attend to me, and immediately added, ‘Mr. Clark, how is Father Robert?' Mr. Clark answered, ‘very low, he passed a bad night.' Father Hecker immediately went up to Father Tillotson's room. He died later that day."
"Father Hewit preached the funeral sermon. It was the first sermon I had ever heard in our church. The sermon was a masterpiece, exceedingly simple but brimming with emotion altogether indescribable. The Sunday after I listened to another sermon preached by Father Deshon. He told us of (Tillotson's) preaching, how after Father Baker, it was the favorite of the people of the parish. He told us of his beautiful qualities as a confessor, how patient, sympathetic, wise and understanding he was. He spoke of his care for the sick, being himself never a well man. He also described his convert-making, his private interviews with enquirers, his wisdom, prudence and persistent zeal."
Father Tillotson died at the age of 42, having served as a priest for twelve years, eight of them as a Paulist. According to his death certificate, he was buried on September 2, 1868, in the "Cathedral vault" at Old Saint Patrick's Church.
Tillotson did not last at General. Through the guidance of the late Bishop of New York, Henry Hobart, General Seminary had drifted towards the tractarians. In the early 1840s, the question of restoring Protestant orthodoxy to General had led Clarence Walworth and several of his classmates into the Roman Catholic Church. Tillotson, now a student a few years later, was also taken with Dr. Newman's tracts. He left General and in 1848 made his way to Oxford where John Henry Newman received him into the Catholic Church.
During the next three years after his conversion, Tillotson lived on his father's estate on the Hudson, uncertain of what he wanted to do with his life. He returned to England in 1851 and applied for membership in Newman's Oratory. He was ordained a priest at the Oratory on September 21, 1856, and served as Assistant Novice Master under Newman's close associate, Ambrose St. John.
In September 1859, Tillotson requested a leave of absence from the Oratory. The leave was granted until Christmas so that he could visit his father in New York. He never returned. How Tillotson met the Paulists during his visit is unknown. But he wrote the Oratory in late October 1859 stating he would not return and that he had found an American community he wished to join. Tillotson became the first member after the founders, formally joining the Paulists in March 1860.
Tillotson's presence in 1860 meant that three of the five original Paulists would be free for missionary work. Saint Paul the Apostle parish, though small in numbers of faithful, was extensive in territory, stretching from 52nd Street all the way to Manhattanville. Tillotson's health was considered too fragile for the missions, but he remained extremely active within the parish. The other Paulists considered him a "charming preacher," and a good liturgist. The return of Clarence Walworth in March 1861 and the arrival of Alfred Young from the Diocese of Newark in February 1862 nearly doubled the priest members of the Paulist community and increased apostolic possibilities.
Father Isaac Hecker, the founder of the Paulist community, felt a particular closeness to "Father Robert," as he called him. Hecker appeared to identify his own sporadic health problems with Tillotson's physical difficulties. Tilotson's chronic ill health also brought inquiries from John Henry Newman. Tillotson was continually ill for almost a year before his death, in a state of what Father Hewit called "gradual decline." He died at Saint Paul the Apostle parish in New York of tuberculosis on August 31, 1868.
Ironically the day Tillotson the Episcopal convert died was the very day that Walter Elliot, representing a new type of Paulist recruit, arrived at Saint Paul the Apostle to begin his novitiate training. Elliott wrote the following about his arrival:
"It was Monday morning, and as I entered the door, Father Hecker came in immediately after, having been gone over Sunday. Shaking hands with me, he pointed to a parlor, bade me welcome and said to Mr. Patrick Clark, who was the clerk at the time, that he should call down Father Deshon to attend to me, and immediately added, ‘Mr. Clark, how is Father Robert?' Mr. Clark answered, ‘very low, he passed a bad night.' Father Hecker immediately went up to Father Tillotson's room. He died later that day."
"Father Hewit preached the funeral sermon. It was the first sermon I had ever heard in our church. The sermon was a masterpiece, exceedingly simple but brimming with emotion altogether indescribable. The Sunday after I listened to another sermon preached by Father Deshon. He told us of (Tillotson's) preaching, how after Father Baker, it was the favorite of the people of the parish. He told us of his beautiful qualities as a confessor, how patient, sympathetic, wise and understanding he was. He spoke of his care for the sick, being himself never a well man. He also described his convert-making, his private interviews with enquirers, his wisdom, prudence and persistent zeal."
Father Tillotson died at the age of 42, having served as a priest for twelve years, eight of them as a Paulist. According to his death certificate, he was buried on September 2, 1868, in the "Cathedral vault" at Old Saint Patrick's Church.
Advertisement
Explore more
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
