Joseph Dwenger

American prelate

His Excellency, The Most Reverend Joseph Gregory Dwenger C.P.P.S.
Bishop of Fort Wayne

Church	Roman Catholic Church
See	Diocese of Fort Wayne
In office	April 14, 1872 to January 22, 1893
Predecessor	John Henry Luers
Successor	Joseph Rademacher
Orders
Ordination	September 4, 1859 by John Baptist Purcell
Consecration	April 14, 1872 by John Baptist Purcell
Personal details
Born	(1837-04-07)April 7, 1837 Minster, Ohio U.S.
Died	January 22, 1893(1893-01-22) (aged 55) Fort Wayne, Indiana, U.S.
Buried	Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception Fort Wayne, Indiana, U.S.
Education	Athenaeum of Ohio

Styles of Joseph Gregory Dwenger

Reference style	The Most Reverend
Spoken style	Your Excellency
Religious style	Monsignor

Joseph Gregory Dwenger, C.P.P.S (April 7, 1837 – January 22, 1893) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Fort Wayne from 1872 to 1893.

Biography

Early life

Joseph Dwenger was born near Minster, Ohio, on April 7, 1837. His parents were Johann Gerhard Heinrich "Henry" Dwenger and Maria Catherine Wirdt. Dying of cholera, his widowed mother entrusted the boy to Fr. Andrew Kunkler. Joseph was raised by the Missionaries of the Precious Blood and educated at Holy Trinity School in Cincinnati^[1] He later joined the community, and was sent to Mount St. Mary's Seminary in Cincinnati.

Priesthood

Dwenger was ordained a priest for the Missionaries of the Precious Blood by Archbishop John Baptist Purcell on September 4, 1859. He had received a papal dispensation to receive ordination at age 22.^[2] In 1861, he arranged for the purchase of the property where St. Charles Seminary would eventually be located and was its founding rector.^[3] In 1862, he was assigned to parochial work. From 1867 to 1872, he was occupied in preaching missions in Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky. In 1872, Dwenger accompanied Purcell as his theologian to the Second Plenary Council of American bishops in Baltimore, Maryland.^[2]

Bishop of Fort Wayne

On February 15, 1872, Pope Pius IX appointed Dwenger as bishop of the Diocese of Fort Wayne. He was consecrated by Purcell on April 14, 1872, in Cincinnati. In 1874, Dwenger joined other American bishops in a pilgrimage to Europe.^[2]

During his time in office he supported the congregation of the Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ, as had his predecessor Bishop John Henry Luers. He allowed Father Edward Koenig – who had served as advisor to the sisters since their arrival – to remain in office in their Motherhouse in Fort Wayne. The good relationship continued, and in due course the congregation opened many schools, orphanages and hospitals in his and the neighbouring dioceses. Especially the establishment of orphanages were at his core interest.

He served such parishes as Holy Rosary in St. Marys and St. Joseph's in Wapakoneta, both in Auglaize County,^[4] and he aided in establishing Immaculate Conception parish in Celina in Mercer County.^[5] In 1875, he erected an orphan asylum and a trade school for boys at Lafayette. He was a zealous promoter of the parochial school system.^[1]

In 1884 he attended the Third Plenary Council at Baltimore. The following March he was deputed, with Bishops John Moore and Richard Gilmour, to present the decrees of the council to Pope Leo XIII. In 1886, he erected an asylum for orphan girls at Fort Wayne.^[1] In 1888 when he was on his way to Rome he visited the German Motherhouse of the congregation of the Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ in Dernbach Westerwald from where their community took its beginnings. He stated his intention as to express personally his gratitude for the many services which had been done for the development of his diocese and the many sisters which had been sent to serve in the US. As in 1888, in 1891 he again went to Rome, the last time in the interest of the Pontifical North American College.^[6]

Death and legacy

Joseph Dwenger died on January 22, 1893, in Fort Wayne.^[7] He was buried at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Fort Wayne.^[8] Bishop Dwenger High School in Fort Wayne is named for him.

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Hammer, Bonaventure. "Fort Wayne." The Catholic Encyclopedia Vol. 6. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1909. 10 October 2022 This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
^ ^a ^b ^c "OBITUARY.; BISHOP DWENGER". The New York Times. 1893-01-23. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-08-09.
^ "History of St. Charles Center". St. Charles, Carthagena, Ohio.
^ McMurray, William J., ed. History of Auglaize County Ohio. Vol. 1. Indianapolis: Historical Publishing Company, 1923, 324.
^ "Mercer County, Ohio History 1978." Celina: Mercer County Historical Society, 1978, 525.
^ Stack, C.PP.S., Jerome. "Bishop Dwenger Promoted Catholic Education", Missionaries of the Precious Blood, US Province
^ "Bishop Joseph Gregory Dwenger [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 2022-08-09.
^ "Burial of Bishops Brooks and Dwenger". St. Louis Globe-Democrat. 1893-01-27. p. 4. Retrieved 2022-11-18 – via Newspapers.com.

Catholic Church titles
Preceded by John Henry Luers	Bishop of Fort Wayne 1872–1893	Succeeded by Joseph Rademacher

This article incorporates text from the 1909 Catholic Encyclopedia article "Fort Wayne" by Bonaventure Hammer, a publication now in the public domain.

Roman Catholic Diocese of Fort Wayne–South Bend

Bishops

Ordinaries: John Henry Luers; Joseph Gregory Dwenger; Joseph Rademacher; Herman Joseph Alerding; John F. Noll; Leo Aloysius Pursley; William Edward McManus; John Michael D'Arcy; Kevin C. Rhoades

Auxiliary bishops: Joseph Robert Crowley; John Richard Sheets; Daniel R. Jenky

Churches

Cathedrals: Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Fort Wayne; St. Matthew Cathedral, South Bend

Basilica: Basilica of the Sacred Heart, Notre Dame

Parishes: St. Mary of the Assumption Church, Avilla; St. Mary's Catholic Church, Huntington; St. Adalbert Church, South Bend; St. Casimir Church, South Bend

Education

Higher education: Ancilla Domini College, Donaldson; University of Saint Francis, Fort Wayne; Holy Cross College, Notre Dame; Saint Mary's College, Notre Dame; University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame

High schools: Bishop Dwenger High School, Fort Wayne; Bishop Luers High School, Fort Wayne; Marian High School, Mishawaka; St. Joseph High School, South Bend

Priests

John George Bennett

John Paul Elford

Andrew Gregory Grutka

Miscellany

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Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati

v t e Ordinaries of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati
Bishop	Edward Fenwick
Archbishops	John Baptist Purcell William Henry Elder Henry K. Moeller John T. McNicholas Karl Joseph Alter Paul Francis Leibold Joseph Bernardin Daniel Edward Pilarczyk Dennis Marion Schnurr
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v t e Churches in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati
Cathedral	Cathedral Basilica of Saint Peter in Chains
Parishes	Cincinnati Church of the Annunciation Immaculata Church Old St. Mary's Church St. Aloysius on the Ohio St. Francis De Sales Church Saint Francis Seraph Church St. Francis Xavier Church St. Lawrence Church St. Pius X Church St. Rose Church Dayton Holy Cross Church Sacred Heart Church St. Adalbert Church St. Mary's Church Springfield St. Joseph's Church St. Raphael's Church Other Immaculate Conception Church, Botkins St. Aloysius Church, Carthagena Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church, Cassella Immaculate Conception Church, Celina Precious Blood Church, Chickasaw Our Lady of Victory Church, Delhi Township St. Joseph's Church, Egypt Holy Family Church, Frenchtown St. John's Church, Fryburg St. Patrick's Church, Glynwood St. John the Baptist Church, Maria Stein Sacred Heart Church, McCartyville St. Michael's Church, Mechanicsburg St. Augustine's Church, Minster St. Louis Church, North Star St. Nicholas Church, Osgood St. Anthony's Church, Padua St. Remy's Church, Russia St. Henry's Church, St. Henry Holy Rosary Church, St. Marys St. Rose's Church, St. Rose St. Sebastian's Church, Sebastian St. Joseph's Church, Wapakoneta
Former parishes	All Saints Church, Cincinnati Holy Trinity Church, Cincinnati St. Augustine Church, Cincinnati St. George's Church, Cincinnati St. Michael the Archangel Church, Cincinnati St. Paul Church, Cincinnati St. Philomena's Church, Cincinnati St. Patrick's Church, St. Patrick
Shrine	Shrine of the Holy Relics

v t e Education in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati
Higher education	Chatfield College University of Dayton Edgecliff College Mount St. Joseph University Xavier University
Seminary	Athenaeum of Ohio – Mount St. Mary's Seminary of the West
High schools	Cincinnati DePaul Cristo Rey High School Elder High School La Salle High School Mercy McAuley High School Archbishop McNicholas High School Purcell Marian High School Seton High School St. Ursula Academy St. Xavier High School Summit Country Day School Ursuline Academy Dayton Carroll High School Chaminade Julienne High School Other Archbishop Alter High School, Kettering Father Stephen T. Badin High School, Hamilton Catholic Central School, Springfield Bishop Fenwick High School, Franklin Lehman Catholic High School, Sidney Moeller High School, Kenwood Mount Notre Dame High School, Reading Royalmont Academy, Mason Roger Bacon High School, St. Bernard St. Rita School for the Deaf, Evendale

v t e Clergy of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati
Auxiliary bishops	Sylvester Horton Rosecrans Joseph H. Albers George John Rehring Paul Francis Leibold Edward A. McCarthy Nicholas Elko Daniel Edward Pilarczyk James Henry Garland Carl K. Moeddel Joseph R. Binzer
Priests	John Martin Henni Edward Fitzgerald Clarence George Issenmann Henry Damian Juncker Joshua Maria Young John Baptist Lamy James Frederick Wood John Henry Luers Caspar Henry Borgess Richard Gilmour John Quinlan Augustus Toebbe Joseph Gregory Dwenger Henry Richter Francis Beckman Urban John Vehr Francis Augustine Thill Anthony John King Mussio John Joseph Kaising Robert Daniel Conlon Michael William Warfel Earl K. Fernandes