Introduction

Biography

Clarence was the son of Reu­ben Hyde Wal­worth and Ma­ria Ketch­um Aver­ill.

He gra­du­at­ed from Un­ion Col­lege in Sche­nec­ta­dy, New York, plan­ning to be a law­yer, but chose the min­is­try in­stead. He at­tend­ed the Ge­ne­ral Theo­lo­gic­al Se­mi­na­ry in New York Ci­ty, and was or­dained a Ro­man Ca­tho­lic priest in Hol­land in 1848.

He served first as a mis­sion­ary, then was as­signed to St. Pe­ter’s Church in Troy, New York. He tried to re­sume mis­sion­ary work lat­er with the Paul­ist Fa­thers, but poor health forced him to a less ri­gor­ous field, and he be­came pas­tor at St. Ma­ry’s Church in Al­ba­ny, New York.