Connolly, Arthur T. (Arthur Theodore), 1853-1933

Arthur T. Connolly was born in Waltham, Massachusetts on December 2, 1853. He attended Boston College then transferred to St. Charles College in Ellicott City, Maryland. He entered the Grand Seminary in Montreal, Quebec to study theology and was ordained to the Catholic priesthood in 1876. Relocating back to Boston, Connolly would remain a lifelong parish priest. His longest tenure was as the inaugural rector for the Blessed Sacrament Parish in Boston, serving from 1892 until his retirement in 1931. From 1916-1932, Connolly also served as a Trustee of the Boston Public Library, acting as the Library’s Board President from 1923-24 and 1927-28. Connolly was also an avid collector and traveler. He acquired numerous books and art objects which he later donated to Catholic institutions of higher learning. Connolly died on November 10, 1933.