Francis Joseph Schenk (April 1, 1901 – October 28, 1969) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the

Diocese of Crookston The Diocese of Crookston ( la, Diœcesis Crookstoniensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church that covers the northwest section of the state of Minnesota in the United States of America. The Diocese of Cro ...

in Minnesota (1945–1960) and bishop of the Diocese of Duluth in Minnesota (1960–1969).

Biography

Early life

Francis Schenk was born on April 1, 1901, in

Superior, Wisconsin , native_name_lang = oj , nickname = , total_type = , motto = , image_skyline = Tower Avenue.jpg , imagesize = , image_caption = Downtown Superior , ima ...

, to Nicholas and Frances Mary (née Fischer) Schenk. He attended

St. Thomas Academy Saint Thomas Academy (abbr. STA), originally known as St. Thomas Aquinas Seminary and formerly known as St. Thomas Military Academy, is the only all-male, Catholic, college-preparatory, military high school in Minnesota. It is located in Mendota H ...

then in St. Paul, Minnesota, from 1915 to 1918, and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the

College of St. Thomas A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a University system, constituent part of one. A college may be a academic degree, degree-awarding Tertiary education, tertiary educational institution, a part of a coll ...

in St. Paul in St. Paul in 1922. He then studied for the priesthood at St. Paul Seminary, receiving a Bachelor of Sacred Theology degree in 1926.

Priesthood

Schenk was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis on June 13, 1926. He continued his studies at the

Catholic University of America The Catholic University of America (CUA) is a private Roman Catholic research university in Washington, D.C. It is a pontifical university of the Catholic Church in the United States and the only institution of higher education founded by U.S. ...

in Washington, D.C., where he earned a

doctorate in canon law Doctor of Canon Law ( la, Juris Canonici Doctor, JCD) is the doctoral-level terminal degree in the studies of canon law of the Roman Catholic Church. It can also be an honorary degree awarded by Anglican colleges. It may also be abbreviated ICD ...

in 1928. Following his return to Minnesota, he served as secretary to Archbishop Austin Dowling from 1928 to 1930. Schenk then served as vice-

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of the archdiocese (1930–1934) and as a professor at St. Paul Seminary (1934–1942). From 1942 to 1945, he served as vicar general of the archdiocese and

rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

of the Cathedral of St. Paul.

Bishop of Crookston

On March 10, 1945, Schenk was appointed the third bishop of the Diocese of Crookston by

Pope Pius XII Pope Pius XII ( it, Pio XII), born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli (; 2 March 18769 October 1958), was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 2 March 1939 until his death in October 1958. Before his e ...

. 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 24, 1945, from Archbishop John Murray, with Bishops

Thomas Welch Thomas Welch or Walsh (November 5, 1742 – July 2, 1816) was a surveying, surveyor and judge in Upper Canada. He was born in the Province of Maryland in 1742, the son of Ireland, Irish immigrants with roots in Wales. He studied in Philadelp ...

and Aloisius Muench 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, ...

. During his tenure in Crookston, Schenk established over 30 new churches, founded ''Our Northland Diocese'' newspaper, and organized diocesan offices of the Catholic Social Service Agency and the

Catholic Youth Organization Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) is an international Catholic youth movement founded by Bishop Bernard Sheil in Chicago in 1930. It would become a major factor in the development of race relations in the US Catholic Church following World War ...

. He also founded summer boarding schools for children of the thousands of

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migrant workers who worked in the diocese.

Bishop of Duluth

Following the death of Bishop Welch, Schenk was appointed the fourth bishop of the Diocese of Duluth by Pope John XXIII on January 27, 1960. Between 1962 and 1965, he attended all four sessions of the Second Vatican Council in Rome.

Retirement and legacy

On April 30, 1969, Pope Paul VI accepted Schenk's resignation as bishop of Duluth. Francis Schenk died on October 28, 1969, at age 68.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Schenk, Francis Joseph 1901 births 1969 deaths University of St. Thomas (Minnesota) alumni Saint Paul Seminary School of Divinity alumni Catholic University of America alumni People from Superior, Wisconsin Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis Roman Catholic bishops of Duluth Roman Catholic bishops of Crookston Participants in the Second Vatican Council 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States Religious leaders from Wisconsin Catholics from Wisconsin