Father Patrick Ryan Remembered for Heroic Service During 1878 Yellow Fever Epidemic in Chattanooga
Father Patrick Ryan, born in 1845 near Nenagh, County Tipperary, Ireland, is being remembered for his dedicated service and ultimate sacrifice during the 1878 Yellow Fever epidemic in Chattanooga, Tennessee. His parents, forced to emigrate from Ireland, settled in New York, where Ryan grew up. He pursued a vocation to the priesthood, entering St. Vincent’s College in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, in October 1866. Ordained in 1869 by Bishop P. A. Feehan in Nashville, Father Ryan initially served as pastor of Clarksville and its missions for three years, where he built a church in Gallatin. On July 10, 1872, he was transferred to Chattanooga. During his six years there, he expanded the local frame church, constructed a rectory on Georgia Avenue, and established the Notre Dame Academy under the Dominican Sisters. When the Yellow Fever epidemic struck in 1878, Father Ryan remained with his congregation, ultimately succumbing to the disease at the age of 33.
