Patrick Short was a Roman Catholic priest who is best known for his role in the first Catholic mission in the Kingdom of Hawaii. He was a member of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, a Catholic religious institute. Short was of Anglo-Irish descent.
Biography Short left for Hawaii from Bordeaux in 1826, along with and Abraham Armand, Alexis Bachelot, and several lay brothers.Kuykendall 1938, p. 139 They arrived in Honolulu on July 7, 1827. Kaʻahumanu, the Queen Regent of Hawaii, viewed them with disdainKuykendall 1938, p. 140 due to her theological disagreements with them as well as her desire for national unity.Martin 2010, p. 88 Many of the Hawaiian chiefs were skeptical of the group because they suspected that they were covert agents of the government of France. Though he was a British citizen, Short spoke little English.Garrett 1982, p. 50 After settling on the island, the group quietly spent much of their time studying Hawaiian.Tabrah 1984, p. 45 Short was, however, able to baptize several Hawaiians and teach them Catholic doctrine.Garrett 1982, p. 52
By 1831, Kaʻahumanu had decided to force the Catholic priests to leave Hawaii. Richard Charlton, the British Consul in Hawaii, attempted to persuade Kaʻahumanu to allow Short to remain on the island due to his British citizenship. His efforts were unsuccessful and she would not allow Short to remain. Bachelot and Short were deported from Hawaii in December 1831.Kuykendall 1938, p. 142
They arrived in San Pedro, Los Angeles in January 1832Older 1938, p. 66 and then traveled to the Mission San Gabriel Arcángel.Older 1938, p. 67 While Bachelot stayed at San Gabriel, Short left for the San Carlos Mission in Monterey, California.Older 1938, p. 68 There he taught MathematicsDakin 1949, p. 160 and nursed sick students.Dakin 1949, p. 171 There he became a friend and traveling partner of William Edward Petty Hartnell.Dakin 1949, p. 161-162 He also worked at the Seminario del Patrocinio de San Jose that Hartnell founded opened.Dakin 1949, p. 183
After serving in Mexico until 1837, Bachelot and Short returned to Hawaii. The Hawaiian chiefs again attempted to expel them and Charlton again furiously protested on Short's behalf.Garrett 1982, p. 53 Short was forbidden to preach and left Hawaii in September 1837. He traveled to Valparaíso, leaving Hawaii separately from Bachelot. He lived in Valparaíso until he died in 1870.
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