Ronald Michael Gilmore
Encyclopedia
Ronald Michael Gilmore is an American
prelate
of the Roman Catholic Church
. He was the fifth Bishop of Dodge City
.
, Kansas
, to Leo and Maxine (née McColm) Gilmore. He attended St. Mary's High School from 1956 to 1959, and graduated in 1960 from St. John Vianney High School
in Omaha
, Nebraska
.
From 1960 to 1962, Gilmore studied at Immaculate Conception Seminary
in Conception
, Missouri
. He then worked for Catholic Social Service in Wichita
in the Cuban Refugee
Program until 1963, working with approximately 20 Cuba
n boys at what was then called Mariana House. He also attended the University of Ottawa
in Canada
(1963-1969), from where he obtained a B.A. in Philosophy
and degrees
in theology
.
to the priesthood
by Bishop David Maloney
on June 7, 1969, and then served as an associate pastor
at Blessed Sacrament Church in Wichita. From 1971 to 1973, he pursued his doctoral
studies in theology in Canada.
Upon his return to the United States
in 1973, Gilmore was assigned to the Passionist
Monastery
in St. Paul
. He did pastoral
work at the Church of the Magdalen (1973-1975) and at St. Teresa Parish, Hutchinson (1975-1981), also serving as Assistant Chancellor
for the Diocese of Wichita
.
Gilmore also served as a chaplain
and religious
teacher
at Trinity High School, and Chairman
of the Executive Committee for the Holy Family Center for the mentally disabled
. He was administrator of St. Agnes Church in Castleton
from 1981 to 1982, whence he became was the first pastor
of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in Wichita. He was named Chancellor in August 1983, and Vicar General
and Moderator of the Curia
in June 1988. In May 1998, he was raised to the rank of Monsignor
as well.
by Pope John Paul II
. He received his episcopal consecration
on the following July 16 from Archbishop James Keleher
, with Bishops Eugene Gerber
and Stanley Schlarman
serving as co-consecrators
. He selected as his episcopal motto
: "Be Still and Know" . In 2001 the new Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe
was established. On December 15, 2010, Bishop Gilmore resigned.
Within the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
, Gilmore sits on the Stewardship Committee.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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 fifth Bishop of Dodge City
Roman Catholic Diocese of Dodge City
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Dodge City is a Roman Catholic diocese covering twenty-eight counties in Kansas. Pope Pius XII created the diocese on May 19, 1951.John B...
.
Early life and education
Ronald Gilmore was born in PittsburgPittsburg, Kansas
Pittsburg is a city in Crawford County, in southeastern Kansas, United States. It is the most populous city in Crawford County and in southeastern Kansas. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 20,233.-History:...
, 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 Leo and Maxine (née McColm) Gilmore. He attended St. Mary's High School from 1956 to 1959, and graduated in 1960 from St. John Vianney High School
Mount Michael Benedictine Abbey and High School
Mount Michael Benedictine Abbey and High School is a Benedictine monastic community in Elkhorn, Nebraska, USA. It is dedicated to following the example of Saint Benedict as written in the Benedictine Order. The school was founded in 1953 by the monastic community of Immaculate Conception Abbey in...
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...
, 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....
.
From 1960 to 1962, Gilmore studied at Immaculate Conception Seminary
Conception Abbey
Conception Abbey is a monastery of the Swiss-American Congregation of the Benedictine Confederation. The monastery, founded by the Swiss Engelberg Abbey in 1873 in northwest Missouri's Nodaway County, was raised to a conventual priory in 1876 and elevated to an abbey in 1881...
in Conception
Conception, Missouri
Conception is an unincorporated community in eastern Nodaway County, Missouri, United States. It is located about eleven miles southeast of Maryville on U.S. Route 136. It is very near Conception Junction, Missouri . Conception is home to Conception Abbey....
, 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...
. He then worked for Catholic Social Service in Wichita
Wichita, Kansas
Wichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...
in the Cuban Refugee
Cuban exile
The term "Cuban exile" refers to the many Cubans who have sought alternative political or economic conditions outside the island, dating back to the Ten Years' War and the struggle for Cuban independence during the 19th century...
Program until 1963, working with approximately 20 Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
n boys at what was then called Mariana House. He also attended the University of Ottawa
University of Ottawa
The University of Ottawa is a bilingual, research-intensive, non-denominational, international university in Ottawa, Ontario. It is one of the oldest universities in Canada. It was originally established as the College of Bytown in 1848 by the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate...
in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
(1963-1969), from where he obtained a B.A. in Philosophy
Bachelor of Philosophy
Bachelor of Philosophy is the title of an academic degree. The degree usually involves considerable research, either through a thesis or supervised research projects...
and degrees
Academic degree
An academic degree is a position and title within a college or university that is usually awarded in recognition of the recipient having either satisfactorily completed a prescribed course of study or having conducted a scholarly endeavour deemed worthy of his or her admission to the degree...
in theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
.
Priesthood
Gilmore was ordainedHoly 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 David Maloney
David Monas Maloney
David Monas Maloney was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Wichita from 1967 to 1982.-Biography:...
on June 7, 1969, and then served as an associate 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 Blessed Sacrament Church in Wichita. From 1971 to 1973, he pursued his doctoral
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
studies in theology in Canada.
Upon 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...
in 1973, Gilmore was assigned to the Passionist
Passionist
The Passionists are a Roman Catholic religious order founded by Saint Paul of the Cross . Professed members use the initials C.P. after their names.-History:St...
Monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
in St. Paul
St. Paul, Kansas
St. Paul is a city in Neosho County, Kansas, United States. It had a population of 646 at the 2000 census.-History:Father John Schoemakers, S.J. founded Osage Mission on April 28, 1847. Called the "Apostle to the Osage" and the "Father of civilization in Southeast Kansas," he served for 36 years...
. He did pastoral
Parish (Catholic Church)
In the Roman Catholic Church, a parish is the lowest ecclesiastical geographical subdivision: from ecclesiastical province to diocese to deanery to parish.-Requirements:A parish needs two things under common law to become a parish...
work at the Church of the Magdalen (1973-1975) and at St. Teresa Parish, Hutchinson (1975-1981), also serving as Assistant 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....
for the Diocese of Wichita
Roman Catholic Diocese of Wichita
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Wichita is a Roman Catholic diocese in Kansas. It was founded on August 2, 1887, and covers Allen, Bourbon, Butler, Chase, Chautauqua, Cherokee, Cowley, Crawford, Elk, Greenwood, Harper, Harvey, Kingman, Labette, Marion, McPherson, Montgomery, Morris, Neosho, Reno,...
.
Gilmore also served as a 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...
and religious
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
at Trinity High School, and Chairman
Chair (official)
The chairman is the highest officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office is typically elected or appointed by the members of the group. The chairman presides over meetings of the assembled group and conducts its business in an...
of the Executive Committee for the Holy Family Center for the mentally disabled
Developmental disability
Developmental disability is a term used in the United States and Canada to describe lifelong disabilities attributable to mental or physical impairments, manifested prior to age 18. It is not synonymous with "developmental delay" which is often a consequence of a temporary illness or trauma during...
. He was administrator of St. Agnes Church in Castleton
Castleton, Kansas
Castleton is a small community in Reno County, Kansas. The post office was established December 6, 1872, and discontinued June 28, 1957. The post office building was moved to the Barton County Historical Society Museum and Village in Barton County, Kansas, in 1971.-In popular culture:Castleton was...
from 1981 to 1982, whence he became was the first 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. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in Wichita. He was named Chancellor in August 1983, and 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...
and Moderator of the Curia
Curia (Roman Catholic Church)
In Roman Catholicism, a curia consists of a group of officials who assist in the governance of a particular Church. These curias range from the relatively simple diocesan curia, to the larger patriarchal curias, to the Roman Curia, which is the central government of the Catholic Church.Other...
in June 1988. In May 1998, he was raised to the rank of Monsignor
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"...
as well.
Bishop of Dodge City
On May 12, 1998, Gilmore was appointed the fifth Bishop of Dodge CityRoman Catholic Diocese of Dodge City
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Dodge City is a Roman Catholic diocese covering twenty-eight counties in Kansas. Pope Pius XII created the diocese on May 19, 1951.John B...
by Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
. 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 the following July 16 from Archbishop James Keleher
James Patrick Keleher
James Patrick Keleher was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Belleville and Archbishop of Kansas City .-Early life and education:...
, with Bishops Eugene Gerber
Eugene John Gerber
Eugene John Gerber is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Dodge City from 1976 to 1982, and Bishop of Wichita from 1982 to 2001.-Early life and education:...
and Stanley Schlarman
Stanley Girard Schlarman
Stanley Girard Schlarman is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Dodge City from 1983 to 1998.-Early life and ministry:...
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...
. He selected as his episcopal motto
Motto
A motto is a phrase meant to formally summarize the general motivation or intention of a social group or organization. A motto may be in any language, but Latin is the most used. The local language is usual in the mottoes of governments...
: "Be Still and Know" . In 2001 the new Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe
Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe (Dodge City, Kansas)
The Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe is a Catholic cathedral in Dodge City, Kansas, United States. It is the seat of the Diocese of Dodge City.-History:...
was established. On December 15, 2010, Bishop Gilmore resigned.
Within the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is the episcopal conference of the Catholic Church in the United States. Founded in 1966 as the joint National Conference of Catholic Bishops and United States Catholic Conference, it is composed of all active and retired members of the Catholic...
, Gilmore sits on the Stewardship Committee.