Joseph Dwenger
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 | April 7, 1837 Minster, Ohio U.S. |
| Died | January 22, 1893 (aged 55) Fort Wayne, Indiana, U.S. |
| Buried | Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Fort Wayne |
| 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 in Indiana from 1872 to 1893. He was a member of the Missionaries of the Precious Blood.
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 Reverend Andrew Kunkler, a priest of the Missionaries of the Precious Blood. The order raised Dwenger and educated him at Holy Trinity School in Cincinnati, Ohio[1] He later joined the religious order, and was sent to study for the priesthood at Mount St. Mary's Seminary in Cincinnati.[2]
Priesthood
Dwenger was ordained a priest for the Missionaries of the Precious Blood by Archbishop John Baptist Purcell on September 4, 1859. [3] He had received a papal dispensation to receive ordination at age 22.[4] In 1861, Dwenger arranged for the purchase of a property in Carthagena, Ohio that would become St. Charles Seminary, he was its founding rector.[5] In 1862, the Missionaries assigned Dwenger to pastoral work. In 1867, he was sent on 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.[4]
Bishop of Fort Wayne
On February 15, 1872, Pope Pius IX appointed Dwenger as bishop of Fort Wayne. He was consecrated at the Cathedral of St. Peter in Chains in Cincinnati by Purcell on April 14, 1872, in Cincinnati. In 1874, Dwenger led the first pilgrimage of American bishops to Europe.[4]
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 neighboring 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,[6] and he aided in establishing Immaculate Conception Parish in Celina, Ohio[7] In 1875, he erected the St. Joseph orphan asylum for boys in Lafayette.[8] He also created a trade school for boys in Lafayette. He was a zealous promoter of the parochial school system.[1]
In 1884, Dwenger attended the Third Plenary Council at Baltimore, a meeting of the bishops of the United States. He spent seven months in Rome the following year, presenting the decrees of the plenary council to Pope Leo XIII for approval. Residing at the Pontifical North American College during his visit to Rome, he caused a stir by raising an American flag at the college on July 4th, American independence day.[4]
In 1886, Dwenger erected an asylum for orphan girls at Fort Wayne.[1] In 1888, while traveling again to Rome, Dwenger visited the motherhouse of the Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ in Dernbach in the German Empire. He wanted to thank the sisters for their contributions to the diocese, including the work of the many sisters who had established schools and hospitals there. Dwenger took his final trip to Rome in 1891 to lobby support for the North American College.[2]
Death and legacy
Joseph Dwenger died on January 22, 1893, in Fort Wayne.[3] He was buried at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Fort Wayne.[9] Bishop Dwenger High School in Fort Wayne is named for him.
References
- ^ a b c "CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Fort Wayne". www.newadvent.org. Retrieved 2025-10-30.
- ^ a b "Bishop Dwenger Promoted Catholic Education - Missionaries of the Precious Blood". 2021-04-13. Retrieved 2025-10-30.
- ^ a b "Bishop Joseph Gregory Dwenger [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 2022-08-09.
- ^ a b c d "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.
- ^ Schuller, Mary Viatora (1954). "A History of Catholic Orphan Homes in the United States, 1727 to 1884" (PDF). Loyola University Chicago. p. 312. Retrieved October 29, 2025.
- ^ "Burial of Bishops Brooks and Dwenger". St. Louis Globe-Democrat. 1893-01-27. p. 4. Retrieved 2022-11-18 – via Newspapers.com.
This article incorporates text from the 1909 Catholic Encyclopedia article "Fort Wayne" by Bonaventure Hammer, a publication now in the public domain.