William Joseph Dendinger
Encyclopedia
William Joseph Dendinger (born May 20, 1939) is an American
prelate
of the Roman Catholic Church
. He serves as the seventh and current Bishop of Grand Island, Nebraska
.
, Nebraska
, as the youngest of the six children of David and Regina Dendinger. Raised on a farm
, he was a member of the first graduating class of Mount Michael High School
in Elkhorn
in 1957. Dendinger then studied at the Immaculate Conception Seminary in Conception
, Missouri
, whence he obtained a Bachelor of Arts
in philosophy
in 1961.
He furthered his studies at the Aquinas Institute
in Dubuque
, Iowa
, earning his Master of Arts
in theology
in 1964. Dendinger was ordained
to the priesthood
on May 29, 1965, for the Archdiocese of Omaha
.
He then taught at Petersburg
and Elgin
Catholic high schools
until 1970, and obtained his Master of Science
in counseling from Creighton University
in 1969. Subsequently entering the military as a chaplain
, Dendinger served as a base and cadet wing chaplain, member of the chaplain resource board for the United States Air Force
Chaplain Institute, plans and programs officer in the Office of the Air Force Chief of Chaplain Service, and then Chief of the Air Force Chaplain Service
for over the next thirty-one years. He retired in 2001 as a two-star general
, and then served as pastor
of St. Stephen the Martyr Church in Omaha
until 2004.
On October 14, 2004, Dendinger was appointed Bishop of Grand Island
by Pope John Paul II
. He received episcopal consecration
on the following December 13 from Archbishop Elden Curtiss
, with Bishops Fabian Bruskewitz
and Lawrence McNamara
serving as co-consecrators
. As Bishop of Grand Island, Dendinger acts as a suffragan bishop
under Archbishop of Omaha, currently George Joseph Lucas
.
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 serves as the seventh and current Bishop of Grand Island, Nebraska
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...
.
Biography
William Dendinger was born in ColeridgeColeridge, Nebraska
Coleridge is a village in Cedar County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 473 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Coleridge is located at ....
, 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....
, as the youngest of the six children of David and Regina Dendinger. Raised on a farm
Farm
A farm is an area of land, or, for aquaculture, lake, river or sea, including various structures, devoted primarily to the practice of producing and managing food , fibres and, increasingly, fuel. It is the basic production facility in food production. Farms may be owned and operated by a single...
, he was a member of the first graduating class of Mount Michael 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 Elkhorn
Elkhorn, Nebraska
Elkhorn was a city in Douglas County, Nebraska, United States and is a present-day neighborhood on the western edge of Omaha. The population was 6,062 at the 2000 census and was estimated by the Census Bureau at 8,192 in 2005...
in 1957. Dendinger then studied at the Immaculate Conception Seminary 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...
, whence he obtained a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in 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...
in 1961.
He furthered his studies at the Aquinas Institute
Aquinas Institute of Theology
Aquinas Institute of Theology is a Roman Catholic graduate school and seminary in St. Louis, Missouri. It was founded by the Dominican Order and sponsored by the Province of St...
in Dubuque
Dubuque, Iowa
Dubuque is a city in and the county seat of Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, located along the Mississippi River. In 2010 its population was 57,637, making it the ninth-largest city in the state and the county's population was 93,653....
, Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
, earning his Master of Arts
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
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...
in 1964. Dendinger 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....
on May 29, 1965, for the Archdiocese 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...
.
He then taught at Petersburg
Petersburg, Nebraska
Petersburg is a village in Boone County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 374 at the 2000 census. Petersburg is the site of a memorial to Logan Fontenelle, an Omaha chief who was killed near there in a skirmish with Brulé and Arapaho in 1855....
and Elgin
Elgin, Nebraska
Elgin is a city in Antelope County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 735 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Elgin is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land....
Catholic high schools
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...
until 1970, and obtained his Master of Science
Master of Science
A Master of Science is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in the sciences including the social sciences.-Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay:...
in counseling from Creighton University
Creighton University
Creighton University is a private, coeducational, Jesuit, Roman Catholic university located in Omaha, Nebraska, United States. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1878, the school is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities. The university is accredited by...
in 1969. Subsequently entering the military 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...
, Dendinger served as a base and cadet wing chaplain, member of the chaplain resource board for the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
Chaplain Institute, plans and programs officer in the Office of the Air Force Chief of Chaplain Service, and then Chief of the Air Force Chaplain Service
Chief of Chaplains of the United States Air Force
The Chief of Chaplains of the United States Air Force is the commanding officer of the U.S. Air Force Chaplain Corps. The current CCHAF is Major General Cecil R. Richardson.-U.S...
for over the next thirty-one years. He retired in 2001 as a two-star general
Major General
Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
, and then served as 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...
of St. Stephen the Martyr 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...
until 2004.
On October 14, 2004, Dendinger was appointed 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 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 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 December 13 from Archbishop Elden Curtiss
Elden Francis Curtiss
Elden Francis Curtiss is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Helena from 1976 to 1993, and Archbishop of Omaha from 1993 to 2009.-Early life and ministry:...
, with Bishops Fabian Bruskewitz
Fabian Bruskewitz
Fabian Wendelin Bruskewitz is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He is the eighth and current Bishop of Lincoln, Nebraska.-Early life and ministry:...
and Lawrence McNamara
Lawrence James McNamara
Lawrence James McNamara was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Grand Island from 1978 to 2004.-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...
. As Bishop of Grand Island, Dendinger acts as a suffragan bishop
Suffragan bishop
A suffragan bishop is a bishop subordinate to a metropolitan bishop or diocesan bishop. He or she may be assigned to an area which does not have a cathedral of its own.-Anglican Communion:...
under Archbishop of Omaha, currently George Joseph Lucas
George Joseph Lucas
George Joseph Lucas is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He is the fifth and current Archbishop of Omaha, having previously served as Bishop of Springfield in Illinois from 1999 to 2009.-Biography:...
.