Augustine Francis Schinner (May 1, 1863 – February 7, 1937) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the first bishop of the

Diocese of Superior The Diocese of Superior ( la, Dioecesis Superiorensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church that encompasses the city of Superior and the counties of Ashland, Barron, Bayfield, Burnett, Douglas, Iron, L ...

in Wisconsin from 1905 to 1913 and as the first bishop of the Diocese of Spokane in Washington State from 1914 to 1925.

Biography

Early years in Milwaukee

Augustine Schinner was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on May 1, 1863. He was educated at St. Francis Seminary in Wisconsin. Schinner was ordained to the priesthood for the

Archdiocese of Milwaukee The Archdiocese of Milwaukee ( la, Archidiœcesis Milvauchiensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in the United States. It encompasses the City of Milwaukee, a ...

on March 7, 1886, by Archbishop Michael Heiss at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist. After his ordination, Schinner served for one year as pastor of St. Hubertus Parish in

Hubertus, Wisconsin Hubertus is a former unincorporated community and now neighborhood in the village of Richfield in Washington County, Wisconsin, United States. The community was named after the previous parish St. Hubert's (now joined with St. Gabriel). Educati ...

. From 1887 to 1893, Schinner was a faculty member of St. Francis Seminary. From 1893 to 1905, her served as

chancellor Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...

and vicar general of the archdiocese, appointed by Archbishop Frederick Katzer.

Bishop of Superior

On May 13, 1905,

Pope Pius X Pope Pius X ( it, Pio X; born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto; 2 June 1835 – 20 August 1914) was head of the Catholic Church from 4 August 1903 to his death in August 1914. Pius X is known for vigorously opposing modernist interpretations of C ...

appointed Schinner as the first bishop of the newly created Diocese of Superior. He was consecrated by Cardinal Diomede Falconio on July 25, 1905. Traveling by train with an entourage of over 60 priests from Milwaukee, he arrived at

Ashland, Wisconsin Ashland is a city in Ashland and Bayfield counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is the county seat of Ashland County. The city is a port on Lake Superior, near the head of Chequamegon Bay. The population was 7,908 at the 2020 census, al ...

, traveled to the Apostle Islands on a short boat tour, and then continued on to Superior.''Our Journey through Faith; A History of the Diocese of Superior''. Ireland: Booklink, 2005, p. 20. There were 39 diocesan priests, 17

religious order A religious order is a lineage of communities and organizations of people who live in some way set apart from society in accordance with their specific religious devotion, usually characterized by the principles of its founder's religious practi ...

priests serving 38,861 Catholics in 43 parishes with resident pastors, and 50 missions and 33 stations.''Our Journey'', p. 21. For Catholic schools, there was 1 high school, 16 elementary and 2 boarding schools with a total enrollment of 9,016 students. Schinner immediately saw the need for an additional 10 priests. As a missionary bishop, he learned first hand the difficulties of travel into remote rural counties. He took an interest in evangelizing among the nearly 4,000 Catholic Native Americans. On February 7, 1913, Pope Benedict XV accepted Schinner's resignation as bishop of the Diocese of Superior.

Bishop of Spokane

On March 18, 1914, Schinner was appointed first bishop of the new Diocese of Spokane by Pope Benedict XV. Schinner was installed on April 18, 1914.

Retirement and legacy

On December 17, 1925, Pope Pius XI accepted Schinner's resignation as bishop of the Diocese of Spokane. After his resignation, Schinner served as a missionary in Bolivia until 1928. After returning to Milwaukee, he spent the rest of his life serving as chaplain for the

Sisters of the Divine Savior The Sisters of the Divine Savior (also known as the Salvatorian Sisters) is a Roman Catholic religious institute co-founded on December 8, 1888 in Tivoli, Italy. Founder, Blessed Francis Mary of the Cross Jordan, was beatified on May 15, 2021 in R ...

in Milwaukee. Augustine Schinner died of pneumonia at St. Mary's Hospital on February 7, 1937, at age 73. He was buried in Holy Cross Cemetery in Milwaukee.Holy Cross Cemetery & Mausoleum, Milwaukee
at www.cemeteries.org

References

External links

Roman Catholic Diocese of SpokaneRoman Catholic Diocese of SuperiorSuperior’s Bishop Schinner resigns
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schinner, Augustine Francis 1863 births 1937 deaths People from Milwaukee County, Wisconsin People from Douglas County, Wisconsin Religious leaders from Milwaukee 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States Roman Catholic bishops of Spokane Roman Catholic bishops of Superior Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee St. Francis Seminary (Wisconsin) alumni