Painting
Chestico Museum
All rights reserved.
| Object Name: | Painting |
|---|---|
| Artist/Maker: | Gaetano Valerio |
| Category: | Art |
| Material: | paper oil paint wood |
| Accession Number: | CMP 19-7 |
| Earliest Production Date: | 1955-01-01 |
| Latest Production Date: | 1955-12-31 |
| Description: | Framed, painted full length portrait of Bishop John R. MacDonald. He is standing in his bishops robes. There is a crucifix in the background. |
| Narrative: | Bishop John R. was born in Port Hood on July 9, 1891 to Christiann (MacNeil) and Daniel A. MacDonald. The family moved to Antigonish in 1905. He attended Saint Francis Xavier College from 1905 1911 and received his B.A. from that institution. From 1911 until 1912 he acted as director of Saint Louis College in New Westminister, BC. He then attended the Grand Seminary of Quebec from 1912 until 1914 and Saint Augustines Seminary, Toronto, ON from 1914 until 1916. Bishop John R. was ordained in St. Ninians Cathedral by Bishop James Morrison. His first appointment was as an assistant priest in St. Ninians Cathedral. He was then a professor in Edmonton before being named pastor of Georgeville and later St. Andrews. Next he served as rector and administrator back at St. Ninians Cathedral. It was there he was consecrated as Bishop of Peterborough on Aug 24, 1943. On March 3, 1945 he was named titular Bishop of Ancusa and on June 4, 1943 he was canonically installed in St. Ninians as coadjutor to Archbishop Morrison with right of succession. He was appointed Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Antigonish on January 17, 1950 and he succeeded to the See on April 13 of that year. Bishop John R.s hectic pace took a toll on his health. He underwent surgery in Boston on February 17, 1958 but resumed his active duties about a month later. He suffered a seizure at home on August 13, 1959 and was hospitalized for five weeks. On Friday, December 18, 1959 he experienced some difficulty in the offering of his Mass and he died suddenly in the Bishops House, Antigonish, NS. Bishop John R. was the fifth Bishop of Antigonish and the first native of Cape Breton to become Bishop of the Diocese. He was a nephew of Archbishop Neil MacNeil. The portrait is currently in St. Peters Church due to space restrictions at the museum. The painting is by Gaetano Valerio. In the 100th anniversary booklet on the Church of Our Lady in Guelph, ON it mentions that all the frescos in that church were done by Gaetano Valerio and his brother Giuseppe. There is a reference to Gaetano Valerio in "Gather up the Fragments: A History of the Diocese of London" by Michael Power And Daniel J Brock. He worked with his brother Joseph who was also a painter. They were living in London, Ontario. |
| History of Use: | The Sisters of St. Martha contacted the Chestico Museum about the portrait when they were downsizing in 2017 because they were moving to a new building. The Sisters offered the portrait to the Chestico Museum because Bishop John R. was born in Port Hood. |
| Length: | 2 m |
| Width: | 1.23 m |
| Institution: |
Chestico Museum
 Facebook-Chestico Museum
 Twitter-Chestico Museum
|
| Institution City: | Chestico |
| Institution Province: | Nova Scotia |