Francis Johannes was a German

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

-born prelate

Prelate

A prelate is a high-ranking member of the clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin prælatus, the past participle of præferre, which means "carry before", "be set above or over" or "prefer"; hence, a prelate is one set over others.-Related...

 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 Leavenworth

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...

 from 1929 until his death in 1937.

Biography

Francis Johannes was born in Mittelstetten

Mittelstetten

Mittelstetten is a municipality in the district of Fürstenfeldbruck in Bavaria in Germany....

, Bavaria

Bavaria

Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...

, to Urban and Anna (née Zwierlein) Johannes. In 1882 he and his family came to the United States

United States

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

, where they settled at St. Joseph

Saint Joseph, Missouri

Saint Joseph is the second largest city in northwest Missouri, only second to Kansas City in size, serving as the county seat for Buchanan County. As of the 2010 census, Saint Joseph had a total population of 76,780, making it the eighth largest city in the state. The St...

, Missouri

Missouri

Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...

. After graduating from St. Benedict's College

Benedictine College

Benedictine College is a co-educational university in Atchison, Kansas, founded in 1971 by the merger of St. Benedict's College for men and Mount St. Scholastica College for women. It is a Roman Catholic, Benedictine, liberal arts, and residential college located on bluffs overlooking the...

 at Atchison

Atchison, Kansas

Atchison is a city situated along the Missouri River in the eastern part of Atchison County, located in northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 11,021. It is the county seat and most populous city of Atchison County...

, 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...

 in 1892, he attended St. Francis Seminary in Milwaukee

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...

, Wisconsin

Wisconsin

Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...

. 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....

 to 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....

 by Bishop Maurice Francis Burke

Maurice Francis Burke

Maurice Francis Burke was an Irish-born clergyman of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Cheyenne and Bishop of Saint Joseph .-Biography:...

 on January 3, 1897. He then engaged in pastoral work in the Diocese of St. Joseph

Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint Joseph

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint Joseph was an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the northwestern part of the state of Missouri in the United States, erected on March 3, 1868, with territories taken from the Archdiocese of Saint Louis. Its first bishop was...

, Missouri

Missouri

Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...

.

On December 19, 1927, Johannes was appointed Coadjutor Bishop

Coadjutor bishop

A coadjutor bishop is a bishop in the Roman Catholic or Anglican churches who is designated to assist the diocesan bishop in the administration of the diocese, almost as co-bishop of the diocese...

 of Leavenworth

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...

 and Titular Bishop

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 Thasus 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...

. 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 May 1, 1928 from Bishop Francis Gilfillan

Francis Gilfillan

Francis Gilfillan was an Irish-born prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of St. Joseph from 1923 until his death in 1933.-Biography:...

, with Bishops Francis Joseph Tief

Francis Joseph Tief

Francis Joseph Tief was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Concordia from 1921 to 1938.-Biography:...

 and Augustus John Schwertner

Augustus John Schwertner

Augustus John Schwertner was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Wichita from 1921 until his death in 1939.-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...

. Following the death of John Chamberlain Ward

John Chamberlain Ward

John Chamberlain Ward was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Leavenworth from 1911 until his death in 1929.-Biography:...

, he succeeded him as the fourth Bishop of Leavenworth

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...

. He remained as bishop for the next seven years, until his death at age 63.