Hilary Baumann Hacker
Encyclopedia
Hilary Baumann Hacker was the Roman Catholic
Bishop of Bismarck
from 1957 to 1982.
Hacker was born to Emil and Sophia (née Bauman) Hacker in New Ulm
, Minnesota
. He attended Holy Trinity High School
for two years before entering Nazareth Hall Preparatory Seminary. He studied at St. Paul Seminary
from 1932 to 1938, and was ordained
to the priesthood
by Archbishop John Murray
on June 4, 1938.
He briefly served as assistant pastor
at the Church of the Nativity in St. Paul before being sent to Rome
for graduate studies
at the Pontifical Gregorian University
, from where he received a degree in canon law
. Following his return to the United States
, he was chancellor
of the Archdiocese of St. Paul
from 1941 to 1945, when he became vicar general
of the Archdiocese.
On December 29, 1956, Hacker was appointed the fourth Bishop of Bismarck
, North Dakota
, by Pope Pius XII
. He received his episcopal consecration
on February 27, 1957 from Archbishop William Brady, with Bishops Francis Schenk
and James Byrne serving as co-consecrators
, at the Cathedral of St. Paul
. Installed as Bishop on the following March 14, he was only 44-years-old at the time of his appointment and the youngest bishop to be chosen for the church in western North Dakota.
Hacker attended all four sessions of the Second Vatican Council
from 1962 to 1965, and dedicated much of his tenure implementing the Council's reforms, especially the Novus Ordo Mass
and greater participation of the laity
. His tenure was also marked by high Catholic school
enrollment, as well as the founding of Bishop Ryan High School
and Trinity High School
. He also established an annual appeal called God's Share; between 1956 and 1963, the annual collection rose from $165,000 to $225,000. Following 25 years as ordinary
of the Diocese of Bismarck
, he resigned on June 28, 1982, spending his retirement at the Church of Christ the King in Mandan and later at Emmaus Place, a retirement home for priests completed in 1986.
Hacker died at age 77 in St. Alexius Medical Center
, and is buried in St. Mary's Cemetery, Bismarck
.
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...
Bishop of Bismarck
Roman Catholic Diocese of Bismarck
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Bismarck is a Roman Catholic diocese in North Dakota. It was founded on December 31, 1909. It is part of the ecclesiastical province of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, which is headquartered in the twin cities of Minneapolis and St...
from 1957 to 1982.
Hacker was born to Emil and Sophia (née Bauman) Hacker in New Ulm
New Ulm, Minnesota
New Ulm is a city in Brown County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 13,522 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Brown County....
, 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...
. He attended Holy Trinity High School
Holy Trinity High School (Winsted, Minnesota)
Holy Trinity High School is a private, Roman Catholic high school in Winsted, Minnesota. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of New Ulm.-Background:...
for two years before entering Nazareth Hall Preparatory Seminary. He studied at St. Paul Seminary
Saint Paul Seminary School of Divinity
The Saint Paul Seminary School of Divinity, located in Saint Paul, Minnesota, was founded by Archbishop John Ireland in 1894, to provide ordained priests for the ever-increasing Catholic population of the Upper Midwest. The seminary now sits on the south campus of the University of St. Thomas,...
from 1932 to 1938, and 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 Archbishop John Murray
John Murray (archbishop)
John Gregory Murray was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Saint Paul from 1931 until his death in 1956, having previously served as Auxiliary Bishop of Hartford and Bishop of Portland .-Early life and education:John Murray was born in Waterbury,...
on June 4, 1938.
He briefly served as assistant pastor
Curate
A curate is a person who is invested with the care or cure of souls of a parish. In this sense "curate" correctly means a parish priest but in English-speaking countries a curate is an assistant to the parish priest...
at the Church of the Nativity in St. Paul before being sent to 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...
for graduate studies
Graduate school
A graduate school is a school that awards advanced academic degrees with the general requirement that students must have earned a previous undergraduate degree...
at the Pontifical Gregorian University
Pontifical Gregorian University
The Pontifical Gregorian University is a pontifical university located in Rome, Italy.Heir of the Roman College founded by Saint Ignatius of Loyola over 460 years ago, the Gregorian University was the first university founded by the Jesuits...
, from where he received a degree in canon law
Canon law (Catholic Church)
The canon law of the Catholic Church, is a fully developed legal system, with all the necessary elements: courts, lawyers, judges, a fully articulated legal code and principles of legal interpretation. It lacks the necessary binding force present in most modern day legal systems. The academic...
. Following his return to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, he was chancellor
Chancellor (ecclesiastical)
Two quite distinct officials of some Christian churches have the title Chancellor.*In some churches, the Chancellor of a diocese is a lawyer who represents the church in legal matters....
of the Archdiocese of St. Paul
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the United States. It is led by the prelature of an archbishop which administers the archdiocese from the cities of Saint Paul and Minneapolis...
from 1941 to 1945, when he 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 Archdiocese.
On December 29, 1956, Hacker was appointed the fourth Bishop of Bismarck
Roman Catholic Diocese of Bismarck
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Bismarck is a Roman Catholic diocese in North Dakota. It was founded on December 31, 1909. It is part of the ecclesiastical province of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, which is headquartered in the twin cities of Minneapolis and St...
, North Dakota
North Dakota
North Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....
, 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 consecration
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....
on February 27, 1957 from Archbishop William Brady, with Bishops Francis Schenk
Francis Joseph Schenk
Francis Joseph Schenk was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Crookston and Bishop of Duluth .-Biography:...
and James Byrne 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 the Cathedral of St. Paul
Cathedral of Saint Paul (Minnesota)
The Cathedral of Saint Paul is a Roman Catholic cathedral in the city of St. Paul, Minnesota. It is the Co-Cathedral of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, along with the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis. One of the most distinctive cathedrals in the United States, it sits on...
. Installed as Bishop on the following March 14, he was only 44-years-old at the time of his appointment and the youngest bishop to be chosen for the church in western North Dakota.
Hacker 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...
from 1962 to 1965, and dedicated much of his tenure implementing the Council's reforms, especially the Novus Ordo Mass
Mass of Paul VI
The Mass of Pope Paul VI is the liturgy of the Catholic Mass of the Roman Rite promulgated by Paul VI in 1969, after the Second Vatican Council...
and greater participation of the laity
Laity
In religious organizations, the laity comprises all people who are not in the clergy. A person who is a member of a religious order who is not ordained legitimate clergy is considered as a member of the laity, even though they are members of a religious order .In the past in Christian cultures, the...
. His tenure was also marked by high Catholic school
Catholic school
Catholic schools are maintained parochial schools or education ministries of the Catholic Church. the Church operates the world's largest non-governmental school system...
enrollment, as well as the founding of Bishop Ryan High School
Bishop Ryan High School
Bishop Ryan High School is a Catholic high school in Minot, North Dakota. It is located in the Diocese of Bismarck, and is a part of Minot Catholic Schools. The school opened in 1959, replacing St. Leo's, and was named for Vincent James Ryan, the second bishop of the diocese...
and Trinity High School
Trinity High School (Dickinson, North Dakota)
Trinity High School is a Roman Catholic high school located in Dickinson, North Dakota. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bismarck...
. He also established an annual appeal called God's Share; between 1956 and 1963, the annual collection rose from $165,000 to $225,000. Following 25 years as ordinary
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 Diocese of Bismarck
Roman Catholic Diocese of Bismarck
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Bismarck is a Roman Catholic diocese in North Dakota. It was founded on December 31, 1909. It is part of the ecclesiastical province of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, which is headquartered in the twin cities of Minneapolis and St...
, he resigned on June 28, 1982, spending his retirement at the Church of Christ the King in Mandan and later at Emmaus Place, a retirement home for priests completed in 1986.
Hacker died at age 77 in St. Alexius Medical Center
St. Alexius Medical Center
St. Alexius Medical Center is an American healthcare provider headquartered in Bismarck, North Dakota. St. Alexius is the oldest healthcare provider in the state of North Dakota....
, and is buried in St. Mary's Cemetery, Bismarck
Bismarck, North Dakota
Bismarck is the capital of the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Burleigh County. It is the second most populous city in North Dakota after Fargo. The city's population was 61,272 at the 2010 census, while its metropolitan population was 108,779...
.