CONWELL, Henry. - Second bishop of Philadelphia, b. at Moneymore, Londonderry, in 1745, d. in 1812 at Philadelphia in 1842. Ordained priest in 1776, he was parish priest of Dungannon and vicar general of Armagh; on 26 Nov. 1819 he was appointed bishop of Philadelphia. Despite his advanced age, he took up his duties with enthusiasm, but was unable to put an end to the discord that agitated the diocese.
The church of St. Mary, then the cathedral, had been arbitrarily assigned by the founding associates to Rev. William Hogan, who was not held in good esteem by the faithful. On 12 Dec., in accordance with American legislative provisions, which did not allow for certain interferences in the appointment of the clergy, he dismissed Hogan and recalled as vicar general William V. Harold, a Dominican, whom Hogan had removed; this worsened the situation to the point that in May 1821 the founders closed the church to the bishop and the clergy, forcing them to move to that of St. Joseph.
Later, the dissidents planned an agreement to be submitted to the judgment of the authorities in Rome, who rejected it because it was contrary to the decorum and prestige of the Church. While Conwell was in Rome to justify his actions, the first provincial council was held in Baltimore, where the matter was re-examined and it was proposed that a coadjutor and administrator be appointed in the person of Francis Patrick Kenrick. Rome, in agreement with Conwell, gave its approval; Conwell returned to Philadelphia in 1830, and spent his last years there in solitude and prayer.