Edward Joseph Weisenburger,
J.C.L., is 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 'pre ...
of the
Roman 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 ...
, serving as the
bishop
A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution.
In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...
of the
Diocese of Tucson
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Tucson ( la, Dioecesis Tucsonensis, es, Diócesis de Tucson) is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the southwestern region of the United States. It is a suffragan see of the Metrop ...
in Arizona since 2017. He previously served as the bishop of the
Diocese of Salina in Kansas from 2012 to 2017.
Biography
Early life and education
Weisenburger was born in
Alton, Illinois
Alton ( ) is a city on the Mississippi River in Madison County, Illinois, Madison County, Illinois, United States, about north of St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri. The population was 25,676 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. It is a p ...
on December 23, 1960, to Edward John Weisenburger and Asella (Walters) Weisenburger. Weisenburger grew up primarily in Lawton, Oklahoma, where he attended St. Barbara's Parish School and then graduated from
Eisenhower High School in 1979.
Deciding to enter the priesthood, Weisenburger began his studies at
Conception Seminary College
Conception Abbey, site of the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, is a monastery of the Swiss-American Congregation of the Benedictine Confederation. The monastery, founded by the Swiss Engelberg Abbey in 1873 in northwest Missouri's Noda ...
in Conception, Missouri, graduating with honors in 1983.
He then traveled to
Leuven, Belgium
Leuven (, ) or Louvain (, , ; german: link=no, Löwen ) is the capital and largest city of the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located about east of Brussels. The municipality itself comprises the historic c ...
, to attend the
American College Seminary at the
Catholic University of Leuven. He was awarded a Pontifical
Bachelor of Theology
The Bachelor of Theology degree (BTh, ThB, or BTheol) is a three- to five-year undergraduate degree in theological disciplines and is typically pursued by those seeking ordination for ministry in a church, denomination, or parachurch organization. ...
degree along with a Master of Religious Studies degree in 1986. Weisenburger received a Masters of Arts in Religious Studies and a Master of Moral and Religious Sciences degree there in 1987.
Priesthood
On December 19, 1987, Weisenburger was ordained to the priesthood for the
Archdiocese of Oklahoma City in the
Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Oklahoma City by Archbishop
Charles Salatka
Charles Alexander Kazimieras Salatka (February 26, 1918 – March 17, 2003) was a prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City in Oklahoma from 1977 to 1992. Salatka was the first bishop o ...
.
After his ordination, Weisenburger was assigned to pastoral duties at St. Mary Parish in
Ponca City, Oklahoma
Ponca City ( iow, Chína Uhánⁿdhe) is a city in Kay County in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The city was named after the Ponca tribe. Ponca City had a population of 25,387 at the time of the 2010 census- and a population of 24,424 in the 2020 ...
. In 1990, Weisenburger was sent to
Ottawa, Ontario
Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...
to attend
St. Paul University, where he was awarded a
Licentiate of Canon Law
Licentiate of Canon Law ( la, Juris Canonici Licentiatus; JCL) is the title of an advanced graduate degree with canonical effects in the Roman Catholic Church offered by pontifical universities and ecclesiastical faculties of canon law. Licentiat ...
degree in 1992.
After returning to Oklahoma, Weisenburger was appointed as vice chancellor and adjutant
judicial vicar for the archdiocese. He also performed pastoral work in the parishes and prison ministries. In 1995, Weisenburger was appointed pastor of Holy Trinity Parish in
Okarche, Oklahoma. After the April 19, 1995,
Oklahoma City bombing
The Oklahoma City bombing was a domestic terrorism in the United States, domestic terrorist truck bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States, on April 19, 1995. Perpetrated by two anti-federal go ...
, Weisenburger volunteered as an on-site chaplain for rescue workers. In 2002, after seven years at Holy Trinity, Weisenburger was appointed pastor and then rector of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish. He would hold his position until becoming bishop in 2012.
In the fall of 1995, he began 17 years of service on the Council of Priests and the Archdiocesan College of Consulters. While assigned to parish work, Weisenburger was also appointed in 1996 as
vicar general
A vicar general (previously, archdeacon) is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority and possesses the title of local ordinary. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar general exercises the bishop' ...
of the archdiocese. He served as an officer with the Archdiocesan Tribunal for almost 20 years. He was also
promoter of justice for the canonization of
Stanley Francis Rother, an Oklahoma priest murdered in
Guatemala. On October 2, 2009, Weisenburger was appointed a
prelate of honor to
Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the soverei ...
, with the title reverend
monsignor
Monsignor (; it, monsignore ) is an honorific form of address or title for certain male clergy members, usually members of the Roman Catholic Church. Monsignor is the apocopic form of the Italian ''monsignore'', meaning "my lord". "Monsignor" ca ...
.
Bishop of Salina
Weisenburger was appointed bishop of the Diocese of Salina by Benedict XVI on February 6, 2012. He was consecrated by Archbishop
Joseph Naumann on May 1, 2012 in the
Sacred Heart Cathedral in Salina.
Bishop of Tucson
On October 3, 2017, Weisenburger was named the seventh bishop of the Diocese of Tucson by
Pope Francis
Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...
. He was installed on November 29, 2017.
On October 3, 2017, Weisenburger was named the seventh bishop of the Diocese of Tucson by
Pope Francis
Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...
. He was installed on November 29, 2017.
At a meeting of the
US Conference of Catholic Bishops on June 15, 2018, Weisenburger suggested that Catholic federal agents who separate children from
undocumented immigrant
Illegal immigration is the migration of people into a country in violation of the immigration laws of that country or the continued residence without the legal right to live in that country. Illegal immigration tends to be financially upwar ...
parents as part of
Trump Administration policy should be denied
communion.
On September 19, 2018, Weisenburger made a statement in which he said the Diocese of Tucson had fired ten employees over the past 10 years due to charges of
sexual misconduct
Sexual misconduct is misconduct of a sexual nature which exists on a spectrum that may include a broad range of sexual behaviors considered unwelcome. This includes conduct considered inappropriate on an individual or societal basis of morality, se ...
. He did not provide any details on the firings. In comments on the recent
Pennsylvania grand jury report of sexual abuse by priests in that state, Weisenburger offered an opinion linking the so-called
sexual revolution of the 1960's to these crimes: “It would be way too simplistic to blame a cultural movement for what individuals have done, but I also think it would be irresponsible to not acknowledge its role.”
In December 2020, the Diocese of Tucson, along with the
Archdiocese of Los Angeles
The Archdiocese of Los Angeles ( la, Archidiœcesis Angelorum in California, es, Arquidiócesis de Los Ángeles) is an ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church (Catholic particular churches and liturgical rites, particularly ...
, were named in a federal
racketeering lawsuit by two individuals alleging sexual abuse as minors by four priests in Arizona. One of the plaintiffs was Diana Almader-Douglas, who claimed that she was abused when she was five years old by Father Charles Knapp at her home in
Pirtleville, Arizona in the 1970's. Weisenburger said the diocese immediately notified police of the allegation, which they declined to investigate. An outside investigation was unable to determine if the allegations were credible. A third individual joined the lawsuit in 2021.
See also
*
Catholic Church hierarchy
The hierarchy of the Catholic Church consists of its bishop (Catholic Church), bishops, Priesthood (Catholic Church), priests, and deacons. In the Catholic ecclesiology, ecclesiological sense of the term, "hierarchy" strictly means the "holy or ...
*
Catholic Church in the United States
With 23 percent of the United States' population , the Catholic Church is the country's second largest religious grouping, after Protestantism, and the country's largest single church or Christian denomination where Protestantism is divided i ...
*
Historical list of the Catholic bishops of the United States
This is a historical list of all bishops of the Catholic Church whose sees were within the present-day boundaries of the United States, with links to the bishops who consecrated them. It includes only members of the United States Conference of Cat ...
*
List of Catholic bishops of the United States
The following is a list of bishops of the Catholic Church in the United States, including its five inhabited territories.
The U.S. Catholic Church comprises:
* 176 Latin Church dioceses led by bishops
* 18 Eastern Catholic eparchies led by ...
*
Lists of patriarchs, archbishops, and bishops
This is a directory of patriarchs, archbishops, and bishops across various Christian denominations. To find an individual who was a bishop, see the most relevant article linked below or :Bishops.
Lists
Catholic
* Bishop in the Catholic Chur ...
References
External links
Roman Catholic Diocese of Tucson Official Site
Episcopal succession
{{DEFAULTSORT:Weisenburger, Edward
1960 births
Living people
Salina
People from Alton, Illinois
21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Oklahoma City
Religious leaders from Oklahoma
People from Hays, Kansas
Catholics from Illinois
Catholics from Kansas
Catholics from Oklahoma