Hibernians Support Seminarians, Catholic Schools

August 13, 2025

Jim Duffy, a member of the Hibernians, distributed $1,000 to Bishop William Joensen for seminarians; $3,000 to Father Nivin Scaria, of St. Ambrose Cathedral, for Holy Family School in Des Moines; and $2,000 to Dowling Catholic High School President Dan Ryan, Ed.D. in West Des Moines for student scholarships.

The Rev. James Kiernan division of the Ancient Order of Hibernians continues to provide support for education and vocations in the Diocese of Des Moines.

The Polk County division was established in the fall of 1992. It actively supports Holy Family School in Des Moines with monetary donations to the teachers. It also provides money for scholarships to Dowling Catholic High School in West Des Moines, and funds to support a seminarian.

The local division sponsors a ticket raffle annually for two tickets to Ireland to support these endeavors and other charities.

Since 1992, they have hosted a St. Patrick’s Day Dinner for members, priests, and religious women.

The Ancient Order of Hibernians is a Catholic, Irish American organization founded in New York City in 1836. The order can trace its roots back to the parent organization which has existed in Ireland for more than 200 years.

The order evolved from a need in the early 1600s to protect the lives of priests who risked immediate death to keep the Catholic faith alive in occupied Ireland after the reign of England’s King Henry VIII.

 The Ancient Order of Hibernians of America was founded May 4, 1836, in New York’s St. James Church to protect the clergy and church property from the “know nothings” and their followers.

Active across the United States, the order sought to aid the newly arrived Irish, both socially and politically.