Charles Horan

Charles Horan, O.F.M. (19 November 1837 – 27 January 1900), was a Franciscan friar from Ireland who served, as a missionary in Australia and possibly later the United States. He was a strong opponent of St. Mary of the Cross, foundress of the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart and Australia's first saint.

He was born Hugh Horan in County Galway and upon been received into the Order of the Friars Minor on 17 March 1859, at St. Isidore's College in Rome, he took the name Charles. Returning to Ireland, in 1863 he was named titular Guardian of the abandoned friary of Bantry. In 1864 Horan was appointed guardian at Cashel. In 1866 he received another titular appointment, this time as guardian of the vacant friary at Meelick. He resided in Cork. On 26 November 1867 he was reappointed Guardian of Cashel.^[1] At some point during these years he was stationed in Ennis. He was known as an eloquent preacher.

Horan left Ireland for Australia in 1868, in the company of his fellow friar, Laurence Bonaventure Sheil, OFM, the Bishop of Adelaide (1866-1872). The following year he was reported for over-consumption of alcohol. He acted as Sheil's Vicar General, though not formally appointed. After Sheil's death a feud developed between him and the Rev. Christopher Reynolds. As Reynolds was a friend of Mother Mary of the Cross, she became an object of Horan's ire. A divisive issue over jurisdiction and canonical authority among the Sisters of St. Joseph led to a meeting with Horan:

One Thursday evening, 21 September 1871, Horan told Mary MacKillop that the bishop (who had called while she was out that day) wanted her to go to another convent. She could not go that night and wanted to discuss matters with the Sisters and the bishop as well. Horan told her that the bishop would not see her and added, 'I suppose you won't go.' She answered: 'Father, how can I under these circumstances.' Horan led her to believe that she was excommunicated. The next morning the bishop arrived with four priests and, in a ranting mood, amid the hysteria of some of the Sisters, and with MacKillop kneeling down on her knees in the chapel, he excommunicated her and sent her back into the world.

Citando este relato, Ignatius Fennessy afirmó que «…Horan fue, al menos en parte, responsable de encender la mecha del obispo». Fennessy añade que todo el asunto pudo deberse a un malentendido, ya que Horan nunca afirmó haberla excomulgado. Cuando algunas de las monjas —en presencia de Sheil— no acudieron a la iglesia al día siguiente (creyendo que habían sido excomulgadas), él pensó que lo estaban desafiando. Sin embargo, Sheil levantó la pena cinco meses después, desde su lecho de muerte.

En agosto de 1872, tras la muerte de Sheil, tuvo lugar una visita canónica del Secretario de la Sagrada Congregación para la Propagación de la Fe . En junio de 1873 le sucedió Reynolds, quien más tarde se convertiría en el primer Arzobispo de Adelaida. Para entonces, Horan se encontraba en Castlemaine, en la Diócesis de Victoria . ^{[ 2 ]}

Como resultado de sus investigaciones, el Secretario informó al Ministro General de los Frailes Menores que Horan debía ser llamado de nuevo «para mayor tranquilidad de la región». Horan fue llamado de nuevo en agosto de 1873. ^{[ 2 ]}

Se desconoce la vida de Horan después de su estancia en Australia. Es posible que haya prestado servicio en diversas diócesis de Estados Unidos durante 15 años, a partir de 1876 aproximadamente, aparentemente en Milwaukee , Wisconsin . Regresó a Irlanda en octubre de 1892 y falleció en Limerick en 1900.