Dominic Laurence Graessel, (Lorenz Grässel) (August 18, 1753 – October 1793) was an American

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. He was the first German-American to be appointed bishop.

Biography

Lorenz Grässel was born at Ruhmannsfelden, Bavaria, on 18 August 1753. He joined the Society of Jesus in

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...

and was a novice at the time of its suppression in 1773. He continued his studies at the

Jesuit College of Ingolstadt The Jesuit College of Ingolstadt (german: Jesuitenkolleg Ingolstadt) was a Jesuit school in Ingolstadt, in the Duchy and Electorate of Bavaria, founded in 1556, that operated until the suppression of the Jesuit Order in 1773. The college was th ...

and was ordained priest for the Archdiocese of Munich. In 1781, Grässel left his native land for the American mission at the invitation of fellow Jesuit

Ferdinand Steinmeyer Ferdinand Steinmeyer (13 October 1720 – 17 August 1786), also known as Ferdinand Farmer, was a German Jesuit missionary who worked in North America. Biography He was born in Swabia, southern Germany and studied medicine for three years before en ...

, commonly referred to as "Father Farmer", who served areas of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York.Kelly, Blanche Mary. "Lorenz Grässel." The Catholic Encyclopedia
Vol. 6. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1909. 15 January 2019 Sailing from London in August 1781, he arrived in America that October. Old St

In March 1787, Grässel was given charge of the German members of St. Mary's congregation in Philadelphia and of the Catholics scattered through New Jersey, all territories then within the Diocese of Baltimore. He spent six years in Philadelphia and became noted for his learning, zeal, and piety. When it became necessary to appoint a bishop coadjutor to succeed

John Carroll John Carroll may refer to: People Academia and science *Sir John Carroll (astronomer) (1899–1974), British astronomer *John Alexander Carroll (died 2000), American history professor *John Bissell Carroll (1916–2003), American cognitive sci ...

bishop of Baltimore The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Baltimore ( la, link=no, Archidiœcesis Baltimorensis) is the premier (or first) see of the Latin Church of the Catholic Church in the United States. The archdiocese comprises the City of Baltimore and nine of Mar ...

, the priests of the diocese chose Grässel for the office and the petition for his appointment was formally made to Rome on September 24, 1793. The petition was granted, making Grässel the first German-born Catholic appointed to a bishopric in the United States, though he was never consecrated a bishop. In October 1793 Grässel succumbed to yellow fever contracted while attending the victims of the plague which that year ravaged Philadelphia. The brief naming him titular bishop of Samosata did not arrive until December 8, 1793. News of his death did not reach the Vatican until July 1794.

References

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* 1753 births 1793 deaths Religious leaders from Baltimore American Roman Catholic priests 18th-century American Jesuits 18th-century German Jesuits Roman Catholic Ecclesiastical Province of Baltimore 18th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States {{US-RC-clergy-stub