Henry Richter (bishop)
Encyclopedia
Henry Joseph Richter was a German
-born prelate
of the Roman Catholic Church
. He was the first Bishop of Grand Rapids
, Michigan
(1883-1916).
, Oldenburg
, to Johann and Anna (née Albers) Richter. After studying at local schools and under a private teacher, he came to the United States
in 1854 and settled at Cincinnati
, Ohio
, where he enrolled at St. Xavier's College. He then studied at St. Joseph's College in Bardstown
, Kentucky
, before returning to Cincinnati to Mount St. Mary's Seminary
. In 1860 he was sent to further his studies at the Pontifical North American College
in Rome
, from where he obtained a Doctor of Sacred Theology
degree in 1865.
While in Rome, he was ordained
to the priesthood
by Cardinal Costantino Patrizi Naro
on June 10, 1865. Upon his return to Cincinnati in October 1865, Richter was named professor
of dogmatic theology
, philosophy
, and liturgy
at Mount St. Mary's Seminary. He also served as chaplain
to the Sisters of Charity
at Cedar Grove
, and became vice-president of Mount St. Mary's in 1866. From 1870 to 1883, he was the founding pastor
of St. Lawrence Church
in the Price Hill
neighborhood of Cincinnati.
On January 30, 1883, Richter was appointed the first Bishop
of the newly-erected Diocese of Grand Rapids
, Michigan
, by Pope Leo XIII
. He received his episcopal
consecration
on the following April 22 from Archbishop William Henry Elder
, with Bishops Caspar Henry Borgess
and William George McCloskey
serving as co-consecrators
, at St. Andrew's Cathedral
. At the time of his arrival, the diocese had 36 priests, 33 churches, 17 parochial school
s, and 50,000 Catholics; by the time of his death, there were 75 priests, 56 churches, 38 parochial schools, and over 150,000 Catholics. He also attended the Second (1882) and Fifth (1889) Provincial Councils of Cincinnati and the Third Plenary Council of Baltimore
(1884).
Richter died after three days' illness at St. Mary's Hospital, aged 78.
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 was the first Bishop of Grand Rapids
Roman Catholic Diocese of Grand Rapids
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Grand Rapids is a diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in western Michigan, in the United States. It comprises 102 churches in Ottawa, Kent, Ionia, Muskegon, Newaygo, Oceana, Montcalm, Mecosta, Lake, Mason, and Osceola counties in Michigan. The diocese was created on...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
(1883-1916).
Biography
Henry Richter was born in NeuenkirchenNeuenkirchen
Neuenkirchen can refer to several municipalities in Germany:*in Lower Saxony:**Neuenkirchen, Cuxhaven, part of the Samtgemeinde Hadeln, district of Cuxhaven**Neuenkirchen, Diepholz, part of the Samtgemeinde Schwaförden, district of Diepholz...
, Oldenburg
Oldenburg (state)
Oldenburg — named after its capital, the town of Oldenburg — was a state in the north of present-day Germany. Oldenburg survived from 1180 until 1918 as a county, duchy and grand duchy, and from 1918 until 1946 as a free state. It was located near the mouth of the River Weser...
, to Johann and Anna (née Albers) Richter. After studying at local schools and under a private teacher, he came to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1854 and settled at Cincinnati
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
, 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 enrolled at St. Xavier's College. He then studied at St. Joseph's College in Bardstown
Bardstown, Kentucky
As of the census of 2010, there were 11,700 people, 4,712 households, and 2,949 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 5,113 housing units at an average density of...
, Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
, before returning to Cincinnati to Mount St. Mary's Seminary
Athenaeum of Ohio
The Athenaeum of Ohio – Mount St. Mary's Seminary of the West, originally St. Francis Xavier Seminary, is the third-oldest Roman Catholic seminary in the United States and is currently located at 6616 Beechmont Avenue in the Cincinnati, Ohio neighborhood of Mt. Washington, in the former Saint...
. In 1860 he was sent to further his studies at the Pontifical North American College
Pontifical North American College
The Pontifical North American College is a Roman Catholic educational institution in Rome, Italy educating seminarians for the dioceses in the United States and providing a residence for American priests studying in Rome. It was founded in 1859 by Blessed Pope Pius IX and was granted pontifical...
in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, from where he obtained a Doctor of Sacred Theology
Doctor of Sacred Theology
The Doctor of Sacred Theology is the final theological degree in the pontifical university system of the Catholic Church....
degree in 1865.
While in Rome, 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 Cardinal Costantino Patrizi Naro
Costantino Patrizi Naro
Costantino Patrizi Naro JUD was a long-serving Italian Cardinal who became Dean of the College of Cardinals. Cardinal Benedetto Naro was his great-uncle.-Biography:...
on June 10, 1865. Upon his return to Cincinnati in October 1865, Richter was named professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
of dogmatic theology
Dogmatic theology
Dogmatic theology is that part of theology dealing with the theoretical truths of faith concerning God and his works, especially the official theology recognized by an organized Church body, such as the Roman Catholic Church, Dutch Reformed Church, etc...
, philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
, and liturgy
Liturgy
Liturgy is either the customary public worship done by a specific religious group, according to its particular traditions or a more precise term that distinguishes between those religious groups who believe their ritual requires the "people" to do the "work" of responding to the priest, and those...
at Mount St. Mary's Seminary. He also served as chaplain
Chaplain
Traditionally, a chaplain is a minister in a specialized setting such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam or lay representative of a religion attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, police department, university, or private chapel...
to the Sisters of Charity
Sisters of Charity
Many religious communities have the term Sisters of Charity as part of their name. The rule of Saint Vincent for the Daughters of Charity has been adopted and adapted by at least sixty founders of religious orders around the world in the subsequent centuries....
at Cedar Grove
Cedar Grove
-Towns, cities, and neighborhoods:Canada*Cedar Grove, OntarioUnited States*Cedar Grove, Shoreside Vale, Liberty City*Cedar Grove, El Dorado County, California*Cedar Grove, Fresno County, California*Cedar Grove, Florida*Cedar Grove, Indiana...
, and became vice-president of Mount St. Mary's in 1866. From 1870 to 1883, he was the founding 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 St. Lawrence Church
St. Lawrence Church (Cincinnati)
St. Lawrence Church is a Roman Catholic church located at 3680 Warsaw Avenue, in Price Hill, in Cincinnati, Ohio. The church was built on one of the highest hilltops in Cincinnati. The mother parish was St. Michael's in lower Price Hill....
in the Price Hill
Price Hill, Cincinnati
Price Hill is a neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio, located north of Sedamsville and Riverside, south of Westwood and South Fairmount, and west of Queensgate. It is one of the oldest outlying settlements of Cincinnati, and includes parts of the zip codes 45205, 45238, and 45204.-Geography:Price Hill...
neighborhood of Cincinnati.
On January 30, 1883, Richter was appointed the first Bishop
Ordinary
In those hierarchically organised churches of Western Christianity which have an ecclesiastical law system, an ordinary is an officer of the church who by reason of office has ordinary power to execute the church's laws...
of the newly-erected Diocese of Grand Rapids
Roman Catholic Diocese of Grand Rapids
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Grand Rapids is a diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in western Michigan, in the United States. It comprises 102 churches in Ottawa, Kent, Ionia, Muskegon, Newaygo, Oceana, Montcalm, Mecosta, Lake, Mason, and Osceola counties in Michigan. The diocese was created on...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, by Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII , born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci to an Italian comital family, was the 256th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, reigning from 1878 to 1903...
. 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 April 22 from Archbishop William Henry Elder
William Henry Elder
William Henry Elder was a U.S. archbishop. He served as the Roman Catholic Bishop of Natchez from 1857 to 1880 and the Roman Catholic Bishop of Cincinnati between 1883 and 1904.-Early life and education:...
, with Bishops Caspar Henry Borgess
Caspar Henry Borgess
Caspar Henry Borgess was the second Roman Catholic bishop of Detroit, Michigan.He was born in Hanover, Germany, and emigrated to the United States as a child. He completed his classical and theological studies at St. Xavier's College in Cincinnati and St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia...
and William George McCloskey
William George McCloskey
William George McCloskey was an American Catholic priest, who became Bishop of Louisville, Kentucky.-Life:He was sent to Mount St. Mary's College, Emmitsburg, Maryland in 1835...
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. Andrew's Cathedral
Cathedral of Saint Andrew (Grand Rapids, Michigan)
The Cathedral of Saint Andrew is a Catholic cathedral located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States. It is the seat of the Diocese of Grand Rapids.-History:...
. At the time of his arrival, the diocese had 36 priests, 33 churches, 17 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:...
s, and 50,000 Catholics; by the time of his death, there were 75 priests, 56 churches, 38 parochial schools, and over 150,000 Catholics. He also attended the Second (1882) and Fifth (1889) Provincial Councils of Cincinnati and the Third Plenary Council of Baltimore
Plenary Councils of Baltimore
The Plenary Councils of Baltimore were three national meetings of Roman Catholic bishops in the 19th century in Baltimore, Maryland.During the early history of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States all of the dioceses were part of one ecclesiastical province under the Archbishop of Baltimore...
(1884).
Richter died after three days' illness at St. Mary's Hospital, aged 78.