Bernardo José Nolker was an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 born bishop

Bishop

A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...

 in the Catholic Church

Roman Catholic Church

The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...

. He was the first bishop of the Diocese of Paranaguá

Roman Catholic Diocese of Paranaguá

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Paranaguá is a diocese located in the city of Paranaguá in the Ecclesiastical province of Curitiba in Brazil.-History:* July 21, 1962: Established as Diocese of Paranaguá from the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Curitiba...

 in the state of Parana

Paraná (state)

Paraná is one of the states of Brazil, located in the South of the country, bordered on the north by São Paulo state, on the east by the Atlantic Ocean, on the south by Santa Catarina state and the Misiones Province of Argentina, and on the west by Mato Grosso do Sul and the republic of Paraguay,...

, Brazil

Brazil

Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...

 from 1963-1989.

Biography

Bernard Joseph Nolker was born in Baltimore, Maryland and grew up in the Wyman Park section of North Baltimore. He was educated in the Redemptorist

Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer

The Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer is a Roman Catholic missionary Congregation founded by Saint Alphonsus Liguori at Scala, near Amalfi, Italy for the purpose of labouring among the neglected country people in the neighbourhood of Naples.Members of the Congregation, priests and brothers,...

 minor seminary

Minor seminary

A minor seminary is a secondary boarding school created for the specific purpose of enrolling teenage boys who have expressed interest in becoming priests. They are generally Roman Catholic institutions, and designed to prepare boys both academically and spiritually for vocations to the priesthood...

 at North East, Pennsylvania

North East, Pennsylvania

North East is a borough in Erie County, Pennsylvania, northeast of Erie. Fruit growing was an early economic endeavor, and is still to this day, as this is a popular area for especially cherries and grapes. There is an annual Cherry Festival in the summer and an annual in the fall. It contains...

 and attended novitiate

Novitiate

Novitiate, alt. noviciate, is the period of training and preparation that a novice monastic or member of a religious order undergoes prior to taking vows in order to discern whether they are called to the religious life....

 at Ilchester, Maryland

Ilchester, Maryland

Ilchester is an unincorporated community in Howard County, Maryland. It was named after the village of Ilchester in England.-History:Located about southeast of Ellicott City, Ilchester was settled by the Ellicott family in the late 18th century...

 where he professed religious vows

Religious vows

Religious vows are the public vows made by the members of religious communities pertaining to their conduct, practices and views.In the Buddhist tradition, in particular within the Mahayana and Vajrayana tradition, many different kinds of religious vows are taken by the lay community as well as by...

 as a Redemptorist in the Baltimore Province. He studied for the priesthood at Mount St. Alphonsus Seminary in Esopus, New York

Esopus, New York

Esopus is a town in Ulster County, New York, United States. The population was 9,331 at the 2000 census. The name comes from the local Indian tribe and means "high banks."...

 and was ordained there on June 18, 1939.

Nolker served as a missionary

Missionary

A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...

 in Brazil until January 7, 1963 when Pope Blessed John XXIII named him the first bishop of the Diocese of Paranaguá. He was consecrated a bishop by Archbishop

Archbishop

An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...

 Lawrence Joseph Shehan of Baltimore

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore

The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Baltimore is a particular church of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States. The archdiocese comprises the City of Baltimore as well as Allegany, Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Frederick, Garrett, Harford, Howard, and Washington Counties in Maryland...

 on April 25, 1963. The principal co-consecrators were Archbishop Manoel da Silveira d’Elboux of Curitiba

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Curitiba

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Curitiba is an archdiocese located in the city of Curitiba in Brazil.-History:* April 27, 1892: Established as Diocese of Curitiba from the Diocese of São Paulo...

 and Bishop Edward John Harper

Edward John Harper

Edward John Harper, C.SS.R. was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He was the first Bishop of St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands .Harper was born in the Bay Ridge section of Brooklyn, New York...

, C.Ss.R. of Saint Thomas

Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint Thomas

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint Thomas is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in the Caribbean. The diocese comprises the overseas dependency of the Virgin Islands specifically the islands Saint Thomas, Saint Croix and Saint John. The diocese is a suffragan of the...

. He attended sessions two, three and four of the Second Vatican Council

Second Vatican Council

The Second Vatican Council addressed relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the modern world. It was the twenty-first Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church and the second to be held at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. It opened under Pope John XXIII on 11 October 1962 and closed...

 and was then responsible for initiating the Councils reforms into the new diocese. The Diocese of Paranaguá is located in southeastern Brazil and the region contains semitropical forests, mountains and a maritime

Sea

A sea generally refers to a large body of salt water, but the term is used in other contexts as well. Most commonly, it means a large expanse of saline water connected with an ocean, and is commonly used as a synonym for ocean...

 region. In order to reach certain areas of the diocese he had to travel by horseback or a jeep. Bishop Nolker served the diocese as its bishop for 26 years before Pope John Paul II accepted his resignation on March 15, 1989, and he became bishop emeritus. He died of heart failure at St. John Neumann Residence in Saratoga Springs, New York

Saratoga Springs, New York

Saratoga Springs, also known as simply Saratoga, is a city in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 26,586 at the 2010 census. The name reflects the presence of mineral springs in the area. While the word "Saratoga" is known to be a corruption of a Native American name, ...

at the age of 87.