Francis Johannes (February 17, 1874 – March 13, 1937) was a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

-born

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

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 ...

. He served as Bishop of Leavenworth from 1929 until his death in 1937.

Biography

Francis Johannes was born in Mittelstreu,

Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...

, to Urban and Anna (née Zwierlein) Johannes. He and his family came to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

arriving in New York, New York on November 8, 1882 aboard the ship ''General Werder'', where they settled at

St. Joseph Joseph (; el, Ἰωσήφ, translit=Ioséph) was a 1st-century Jewish man of Nazareth who, according to the canonical Gospels, was married to Mary, the mother of Jesus, and was the legal father of Jesus. The Gospels also name some brothers ...

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

. After graduating from St. Benedict's College at

Atchison Atchison may refer to: Places In the United States: *Atchison, California, a former settlement *Atchison, Kansas, a city *Atchison County, Kansas *Atchison County, Missouri People with the surname * Bob Atchison (born 1941), Canadian drag race ...

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...

in 1892, he attended St. Francis Seminary in

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

. He 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 by Bishop

Maurice Francis Burke Maurice Francis Burke (May 5, 1845 – March 17, 1923) was an Ireland, Irish-born prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cheyenne, Diocese of Cheyenne in Wyoming (1887–1893) and as bishop o ...

on January 3, 1897. He then engaged in pastoral work in the Diocese of St. Joseph,

. On December 19, 1927, Johannes was appointed

Coadjutor Bishop A coadjutor bishop (or bishop coadjutor) is a bishop in the Catholic, Anglican, and (historically) Eastern Orthodox churches whose main role is to assist the diocesan bishop in the administration of the diocese. The coadjutor (literally, "co ...

of Leavenworth,

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 ''Thasus'' by

Pope Pius XI Pope Pius XI ( it, Pio XI), born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti (; 31 May 1857 – 10 February 1939), was head of the Catholic Church from 6 February 1922 to his death in February 1939. He was the first sovereign of Vatican City fro ...

. He received his

episcopal Episcopal may refer to: *Of or relating to a bishop, an overseer in the Christian church *Episcopate, the see of a bishop – a diocese *Episcopal Church (disambiguation), any church with "Episcopal" in its name ** Episcopal Church (United State ...

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 May 1, 1928 from Bishop Francis Gilfillan, with Bishops

Francis Joseph Tief Francis Joseph Tief (March 7, 1881 – September 22, 1965) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Concordia in Kansas from 1921 to 1938. Biography Early life Francis Tief was born on March 7, 18 ...

and

Augustus John Schwertner Augustus John Schwertner (December 23, 1870 – October 2, 1939) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Wichita in Kansas from 1921 until his death in 1939. Biography Early life and education Au ...

serving as

co-consecrators A consecrator is a bishop who ordains someone to the episcopacy. A co-consecrator is someone who assists the consecrator bishop in the act of ordaining a new bishop. The terms are used in the canon law of the Catholic Church, Lutheran Churches, ...

. Following the death of

John Chamberlain Ward John Chamberlain Ward (May 25, 1857 – April 20, 1929) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas, Bishop of Leavenworth from 1911 until his death in 1929. Biography T ...

, he succeeded him as the fourth Bishop of Leavenworth. He remained as bishop for the next seven years, until his death at age 63.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Johannes, Francis 1874 births 1937 deaths Bavarian emigrants to the United States St. Francis Seminary (Wisconsin) alumni People from Fürstenfeldbruck (district) Roman Catholic Diocese of Kansas City–Saint Joseph Roman Catholic bishops of Leavenworth 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States Religious leaders from Missouri