On December 9 , 1853 , O'Regan was appointed the third Bishop of Chicago , Illinois , by Pope Pius IX . He initially refused the appointment , feeling that his quiet scholarly background made him unsuitable for such an office , but accepted after the Holy See sent him a mandate in June 1854 . He received his episcopal consecration on July 25 , 1854 from Archbishop Kenrick , with Bishops James Oliver Van de Velde , S.J. , and John Henni serving as co-consecrators , at the Cathedral of St. Louis . After a severe spell of nervous debility , he finally reached Chicago and was solemnly installed as Bishop on the following September 3 . He soon began construction on a new episcopal residence , completed in 1856 but later destroyed by the Great Chicago Fire in 1871
Great Chicago Fire
Great Chicago Fire
Anthony O'Regan