Monsignor Carl Peter Hensler (November 7, 1898 – November 1984) was an American
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
priest of the
Diocese of Pittsburgh. Nicknamed "the Labor Priest" in recognition of the help and support he gave to the Steel Workers union during his early career, he also became a founding member of the
Catholic Radical Alliance. Describing the alliance in 1937, Hensler said:
"We contend that the relationship between Catholicism and Capitalism is one of fundamental opposition, which cannot be removed unless the ax of reform is laid to the very roots."
During the 1950s, he was assigned as pastor of St. George's Catholic Church, and was also appointed director of the Institute of Adult Education, which was sponsored by the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh.
Formative years
Born in
Carnegie, Pennsylvania
Carnegie () is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and is part of the Greater Pittsburgh Region, Pittsburgh metropolitan area. The population was 7,972 in the United St ...
on November 7, 1898, Carl Peter Hensler was a son of Charles P. Hensler and Margaret E. (Klein) Hensler and the brother of Clara Hensler (later known as Sister Estelle), Paul Joseph Hensler, Cecilia Hensler (married surname Johnson), John Francis Hensler, Mildred Hensler (married surname Graham), and Francis Gerard Hensler.
A graduate of St. Joseph's parochial school, he earned Bachelor of Arts and Licentiate in Philosophy degrees from
Saint Vincent College
Saint Vincent College is a private Benedictine college in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1846 by Boniface Wimmer, a monk from Bavaria, it is operated by the Benedictine monks of Saint Vincent Archabbey, the first Benedictine monastery in the ...
in
Latrobe, Pennsylvania
Latrobe is a city in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, in the United States and part of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area.
The city population was 8,338 as of the 2010 census (9,265 in 1990). It is located near Pennsylvania's scenic Chestnut Rid ...
in 1920.
Theological training and ministry
Hensler then pursued theological training at the
St. Vincent Seminary in Latrobe, earning his Master of Arts there in 1922. and at the
North American College in
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
,
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
. He was a pupil of minimum wage proponent,
John A. Ryan
John Augustine Ryan (1869–1945) was an American Catholic priest who was a noted moral theologian and advocate of social justice. Ryan lived during a decisive moment in the development of Catholic social teaching within the United States. The ...
.
He was formally ordained as a priest at the
Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran
The Archbasilica Cathedral of the Most Holy Savior and of Saints John the Baptist and John the Evangelist in the Lateran ( it, Arcibasilica del Santissimo Salvatore e dei Santi Giovanni Battista ed Evangelista in Laterano), also known as the Papa ...
in Rome on March 15, 1924.
After initial ministries at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in
Mt. Pleasant, Pennsylvania
Mount Pleasant is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States. It stands 45 miles (72 km) southeast of Pittsburgh. As of the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census, the borough's population was 4,454 ...
and at St. Brendan's Catholic Church in
Braddock, Pennsylvania
Braddock is a borough located in the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. It is upstream from the mouth of the Monongahela River. The population was 1,721 as of the 2020 census.
The borough is represented by the Pen ...
, he left for China on August 7, 1930 to help establish the
Catholic University of Peking
Fu Jen Catholic University (FJU, FJCU or Fu Jen; or ) is a private Catholic university in Xinzhuang, New Taipei City, Taiwan. The university was founded in 1925 in Beijing at the request of Pope Pius XI and re-established in Taiwan in 1961 at ...
. His time there was challenging due to political unrest in the region and the escalating conflict between China and Japan, as well as the school's financial instability.
By the end of 1933, he was back in Pittsburgh, celebrating Christmas masses as an assistant pastor at St. Lawrence Church. During this period of his life, he also became a founding member of the
Catholic Radical Alliance. In December 1934, he presented a lecture to the St. Lawrence Parent Teachers' Association, entitled "Human Rights Versus Property Rights."
In 1951, he was appointed as the pastor of St. George's Church. In 1958, he became the director of the Institute of Adult Education, which was sponsored by the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh.
Hensler died at the age of 86 at the North Hills Passavant Hospital on November 21, 1984. Funeral masses were held at St. Wendelin Church in
Carrick, Pennsylvania
Carrick is a south neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in the United States. It is served by two zip codes, 15210 and 15227, and has representation on Pittsburgh City Council by the council member for District 4 (South Neighborhoods) with a ...
on November 23 and 24.
[Hensler]
(funeral notice). Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', November 22, 1984, p. 175 (subscription required).
References
Sources
Archives of the Diocese of Pittsburgh, Record Group 22, subgroup 01
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hensler, Carl
History of Catholicism in the United States
Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh
History of labor relations in the United States
Saint Vincent Seminary alumni
Religious leaders from Pittsburgh
Roman Catholic activists
Fu Jen Catholic University faculty
1898 births
1984 deaths
20th-century American Roman Catholic priests