Edward Joseph Hunkeler
Encyclopedia
Edward Joseph Hunkeler was an American
clergyman of the Roman Catholic Church
. He served as Bishop of Grand Island
(1945–1951) and Archbishop of Kansas City in Kansas
(1951–1969).
, Kansas
, to Anton and Philomena (née Durst) Hunkeler. He and his parents later moved to Dayton
, Ohio
, where he attended the parochial school
of Holy Trinity Church before enrolling at the University of Dayton
. He completed his studies for the priesthood
at the Pontifical College Josephinum
in Worthington
. He was ordained
by Bishop James Joseph Hartley
on June 14, 1919, for the Diocese of Omaha
, Nebraska
.
Hunkeler then served as pastor
of SS. Philip & James Church in Wynot
until 1927, when he was transferred to Blessed Sacrament Church in Omaha
. From 1936 to 1945, he was rector
of St. Cecilia Cathedral
in Omaha. He was named a Domestic Prelate
by Pope Pius XI
in 1937, and became vicar general
of the Diocese of Omaha in 1944.
On March 10, 1945, Hunkeler was appointed the third Bishop of Grand Island
by Pope Pius XII
. He received his episcopal
consecration
on the following May 1 from Archbishop Amleto Giovanni Cicognani, with Bishops James Hugh Ryan
and Stanislaus Vincent Bona
serving as co-consecrators
, at St. Cecilia Cathedral. During his tenure in Grand Island, he ordained 16 priests and established one of the largest parishes in the diocese. He also oversaw a large increase in the construction of new churches and other religious institutions in the post-World War II
era.
He was named the seventh Bishop of Kansas City
, Kansas
, on March 31, 1951. When the Diocese of Kansas City
was elevated to the rank of an archdiocese
on August 9, 1952, Hunkeler became its first Archbishop
. He attended all four sessions of the Second Vatican Council
between 1962 and 1965. After reaching the mandatory retirement age of 75, he resigned as Archbishop on September 10, 1969; he was appointed Titular Archbishop
of Selsea by Pope Paul VI
on the same date.
While returning from the installation of Bishop Kenneth Joseph Povish
, Hunkeler was involved in an automobile accident near Crookston
, Minnesota
, on September 30, 1970. He died two days later from a cardiovascular respiratory condition, aged 76.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
clergyman of the Roman 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 served as Bishop of Grand Island
Roman Catholic Diocese of Grand Island
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Grand Island is a Roman Catholic diocese in Grand Island, Nebraska. It is suffragan to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Omaha. It was founded on April 11, 1917, after a decree from Pius X in 1912 with the first bishop appointed in 1913...
(1945–1951) and Archbishop of Kansas City in Kansas
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas is a Roman Catholic archdiocese in Kansas. The original diocese was formed on May 22, 1877 as the Diocese of Leavenworth...
(1951–1969).
Biography
Edward Hunkeler was born in Medicine LodgeMedicine Lodge, Kansas
Medicine Lodge is the most populous city in and the county seat of Barber County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 2,009.-19th century:...
, Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
, to Anton and Philomena (née Durst) Hunkeler. He and his parents later moved to Dayton
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, where he attended the parochial school
Parochial school
A parochial school is a school that provides religious education in addition to conventional education. In a narrower sense, a parochial school is a Christian grammar school or high school which is part of, and run by, a parish.-United Kingdom:...
of Holy Trinity Church before enrolling at the University of Dayton
University of Dayton
The University of Dayton is a private Roman Catholic university operated by the Society of Mary located in Dayton, Ohio...
. He completed his studies for the priesthood
Priesthood (Catholic Church)
The ministerial orders of the Catholic Church include the orders of bishops, deacons and presbyters, which in Latin is sacerdos. The ordained priesthood and common priesthood are different in function and essence....
at the Pontifical College Josephinum
Pontifical College Josephinum
The Pontifical College Josephinum is a four-year, Roman Catholic liberal arts college and graduate school of theology founded by Monsignor Joseph Jessing in 1888 and located in Columbus, Ohio, USA. The seminary prepares its students to become priests in the Roman Catholic Church. Students come...
in Worthington
Worthington, Ohio
-Dissolution of the Company:By August 11, 1804 the plat maps were completed, payments or notes promising payments collected and deeds prepared for all sixteen thousand acres of the Scioto Company's purchase...
. He was ordained
Holy Orders
The term Holy Orders is used by many Christian churches to refer to ordination or to those individuals ordained for a special role or ministry....
by Bishop James Joseph Hartley
James Joseph Hartley
James Joseph Hartley was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the fourth Bishop of Columbus from 1904 until his death over 39 years later...
on June 14, 1919, for the Diocese of Omaha
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Omaha
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Omaha is a particular church of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in the midwestern region of the United States. Archbishop Elden Francis Curtiss...
, Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
.
Hunkeler then served as pastor
Pastor
The word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....
of SS. Philip & James Church in Wynot
Wynot, Nebraska
Wynot is a village in Cedar County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 166 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Wynot is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , all of it land....
until 1927, when he was transferred to Blessed Sacrament Church in Omaha
Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...
. From 1936 to 1945, he was rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
of St. Cecilia Cathedral
St. Cecilia Cathedral
St. Cecilia Cathedral is the cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Omaha. Located at 701 North 40th Street in the Gold Coast Historic District, the Cathedral was ranked as one of the ten largest in the United States when it was completed in 1959...
in Omaha. He was named a Domestic Prelate
Monsignor
Monsignor, pl. monsignori, is the form of address for those members of the clergy of the Catholic Church holding certain ecclesiastical honorific titles. Monsignor is the apocopic form of the Italian monsignore, from the French mon seigneur, meaning "my lord"...
by Pope Pius XI
Pope Pius XI
Pope Pius XI , born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti, was Pope from 6 February 1922, and sovereign of Vatican City from its creation as an independent state on 11 February 1929 until his death on 10 February 1939...
in 1937, and became vicar general
Vicar general
A vicar general is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar general exercises the bishop's ordinary executive power over the entire diocese and, thus, is the highest official in a diocese or other particular...
of the Diocese of Omaha in 1944.
On March 10, 1945, Hunkeler was appointed the third Bishop of Grand Island
Roman Catholic Diocese of Grand Island
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Grand Island is a Roman Catholic diocese in Grand Island, Nebraska. It is suffragan to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Omaha. It was founded on April 11, 1917, after a decree from Pius X in 1912 with the first bishop appointed in 1913...
by Pope Pius XII
Pope Pius XII
The Venerable Pope Pius XII , born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli , reigned as Pope, head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City State, from 2 March 1939 until his death in 1958....
. He received his episcopal
Bishop (Catholic Church)
In the Catholic Church, a bishop is an ordained minister who holds the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders and is responsible for teaching the Catholic faith and ruling the Church....
consecration
Consecration
Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service, usually religious. The word "consecration" literally means "to associate with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different groups...
on the following May 1 from Archbishop Amleto Giovanni Cicognani, with Bishops James Hugh Ryan
James Hugh Ryan
James Hugh Ryan was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Rector of the Catholic University of America and Archbishop of Omaha .-Biography:...
and Stanislaus Vincent Bona
Stanislaus Vincent Bona
Stanislaus Vincent Bona was an American clergyman of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Grand Island and Bishop of Green Bay .-Biography:...
serving as co-consecrators
Consecrator
Consecrator is a term used in the Roman Catholic Church to designate a bishop who ordains a priest to the episcopal state. The term is often used in Eastern Rite Churches and in Anglican communities. The term "Principal Consecrator" is used to designate the primary bishop who ordains a new bishop...
, at St. Cecilia Cathedral. During his tenure in Grand Island, he ordained 16 priests and established one of the largest parishes in the diocese. He also oversaw a large increase in the construction of new churches and other religious institutions in the post-World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
era.
He was named the seventh Bishop of Kansas City
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas is a Roman Catholic archdiocese in Kansas. The original diocese was formed on May 22, 1877 as the Diocese of Leavenworth...
, Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
, on March 31, 1951. When the Diocese of Kansas City
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas is a Roman Catholic archdiocese in Kansas. The original diocese was formed on May 22, 1877 as the Diocese of Leavenworth...
was elevated to the rank of an archdiocese
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
on August 9, 1952, Hunkeler became its first 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...
. He attended all four sessions 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...
between 1962 and 1965. After reaching the mandatory retirement age of 75, he resigned as Archbishop on September 10, 1969; he was appointed Titular Archbishop
Titular bishop
A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese.By definition a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop the tradition of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches is that he be ordained for a specific place...
of Selsea by Pope Paul VI
Pope Paul VI
Paul VI , born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding Pope John XXIII, who had convened the Second Vatican Council, he decided to continue it...
on the same date.
While returning from the installation of Bishop Kenneth Joseph Povish
Kenneth Joseph Povish
Kenneth Joseph Povish was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Crookston and Bishop of Lansing .-Early life and education:...
, Hunkeler was involved in an automobile accident near Crookston
Crookston, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 8,192 people, 3,078 households, and 1,819 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,658.8 people per square mile . There were 3,382 housing units at an average density of 684.8 per square mile...
, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, on September 30, 1970. He died two days later from a cardiovascular respiratory condition, aged 76.