Allen James Babcock (June 17, 1898 – June 27, 1969) was an American

prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Christian clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which means 'carry before', 'be set above or over' or 'pref ...

of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

who served as the seventh

Bishop of Grand Rapids The Roman Catholic Diocese of Grand Rapids ( la, Dioecesis Grandcataractensis) is a diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in western Michigan, in the United States. It comprises 80 parishes in 11 counties in West Michigan. It is a suffragan see to ...

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

from 1954 to 1969.

Biography

Early life

Babcock was born on June 17, 1898, in Bad Axe,

to Willard Babcock and Susan Ryan. He attended the University of Detroit Jesuit High School in Detroit, then in 1917 entered Assumption College in Windsor, Ontario, studying there until 1919. In 1920, Babcock traveled to Rome to reside at the

Pontifical North American College The Pontifical North American College (NAC) is a Catholic Church, Roman Catholic educational institution in Rome, Italy, that prepares seminarians to become priests in the United States and elsewhere. The NAC also provides a residence for Pri ...

. He received a Bachelor of Sacred Theology degree in 1922 and a

Licentiate of Sacred Theology Licentiate in Sacred Theology ( la, Sacrae Theologiae Licentiatus; abbreviated STL) is the second of three ecclesiastical degrees in theology (the first being the Baccalaureate in Sacred Theology and the third being the Doctorate in Sacred Theol ...

in 1924 from the Propaganda Fide University in Rome.

Priesthood

Babcock was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform va ...

to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Detroit by Cardinal Basilio Pompilj in Rome for the Archdiocese of Detroit on March 7, 1925. After returning to Detroit, Babcock was assigned as

assistant pastor A pastor (abbreviated as "Pr" or "Ptr" , or "Ps" ) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and ...

at Holy Name Parish in that city. He was transferred in 1928 to serve as assistant pastor at St. Thomas Parish in Ann Arbor, Michigan. At the same time, he was appointed chaplain at the St. Mary's Student Parish next to the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

campus in Ann Arbor. Babcock returned to Rome in1936 to serve as vice rector for the North American College. Pope Piux XII honored him in 1938 with the title of

papal chamberlain A Papal Gentleman, also called a Gentleman of His Holiness, is a lay attendant of the pope and his papal household in Vatican City. Papal gentlemen serve in the Apostolic Palace near St. Peter's Basilica in ceremonial positions, such as escorting d ...

, allowing him to be called monsignor. (also March 9, 1939). With the closing of the North American College in 1940 due to

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Babcock came back to the United States; he was appointed pastor of St. Mary's parish in Ann Arbor. In 1942, Babcock was appointed rector of Blessed Sacrament in Detroit.

Auxiliary Bishop of Detroit

On February 15, 1947, Babcock was appointed as an auxiliary bishop of

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

and

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 Catholic, Eastern Orthodox an ...

of ''Irenopolis in Cilicia'' by

Pope Pius XII Pope Pius XII ( it, Pio XII), born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli (; 2 March 18769 October 1958), was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 2 March 1939 until his death in October 1958. Before his e ...

. He received his episcopal

consecration Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service. The word ''consecration'' literally means "association with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different grou ...

on March 25, 1947, from Cardinal Edward Mooney, with Bishops William Murphy and Stephen Woznicki serving as co-consecrators. Later that year, Babcock was appointed as vicar for the religious orders in the archdiocese and was name a domestic prelate by the pope. In 1948, he became a consultor for the archdiocese.

Bishop of Grand Rapids

On March 23, 1954, Pope Pius XII appointed Babcock as bishop of the Diocese of Grand Rapids. He was installed on May 20, 1954. Babcock attended the

Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st Catholic ecumenical councils, ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions) ...

in Rome (1962–1965).

Death and legacy

Allen Babcock died of

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

on June 27, 1969 at St. Mary's Hospital in Grand Rapids at age 71.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Babcock, Allen James 1898 births 1969 deaths People from Bad Axe, Michigan Participants in the Second Vatican Council Roman Catholic bishops of Grand Rapids Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States