Frank Joseph Rodimer (October 25, 1927 – December 6, 2018) was 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 'pref ...

of the

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. He served as the sixth bishop of the Diocese of Paterson in New Jersey from 1977 to 2004.

Biography

Early life

Frank Rodimer was born on October 25, 1927, in Rockaway,

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

. He graduated from

Seton Hall Preparatory School Seton Hall Preparatory School, generally called Seton Hall Prep or "The Prep", is a Roman Catholic all boys' high school located in the suburban community of West Orange in Essex County, New Jersey, operating under the supervision of the Arch ...

, then attended St. Charles College in

Catonsville, Maryland Catonsville is a census-designated place (CDP) in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. The population was 41,567 at the 2010 census. The community lies to the west of Baltimore along the city's border. Catonsville contains the majority of th ...

, and St. Mary's Seminary, Baltimore, Maryland.

Priesthood

Rodimer 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 for the Diocese of Paterson on May 19, 1951. He studied 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. ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, obtaining his

licentiate in theology The Licentiate in Theology or (in Britain) Licence in Theology (LTh or, in Australia, ThL) is a non-degree qualification in theology awarded in Canada and previously awarded in the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. A qualification simil ...

in 1951. He also received 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 1954 for a thesis entitled ''The Canonical Effects of Infamy of Fact: A Historical Synopsis and Commentary,'' published by the

Catholic University of America Press The Catholic University of America Press, also known as CUA Press, is the publishing division of The Catholic University of America. Founded on November 14, 1939, and incorporated on July 16, 1941,Roy J. Deferrari ''Memoirs of the Catholic Univer ...

. In June 1954, Rodimer returned to New Jersey and was appointed assistant

chancellor Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...

of the diocese and secretary of the diocesan Tribunal. During this time, he served as assistant pastor to St. Brendan's Parish in

Clifton, New Jersey Clifton is a city in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Criss-crossed by several major highways, the city is a regional commercial hub for North Jersey and is a bedroom suburb of New York City in the New York Metropolitan Area. As ...

. Rodimer was appointed first diocesan director of sacred liturgy. He was named priest-secretary of Bishop James J. Navagh and attended the sessions of the

Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st Catholic ecumenical councils, ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions) ...

as Navagh's principal aide. In December 1964, he was appointed secretary of the diocesan

College of Consultors A consultor is one who gives counsel, i.e., a counselor. In the Catholic Church, it is a specific title for various advisory positions: *in the Roman Curia, a consultor is a specially appointed expert who may be called upon for advice desired by ...

. As priest-secretary, Rodimer was in Rome when Bishop Navagh died there in October 1965, and was responsible for returning to New Jersey with the body of the bishop for burial services. Under his predecessor Bishop Lawrence B. Casey, Rodimer served as administrator of Our Lady of the Lake Parish in

Sparta, New Jersey Sparta is a township in Sussex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 19,600, reflecting a decrease of 122 (−0.6%) from the 2010 United States Census, when the township's population was 19, ...

, from April 1967 to January 1968, at which time he became pastor of St. Paul's Parish in Clifton. He also served as the diocesan chancellor, and in that capacity, was elected

diocesan administrator :''See: Catholic Church hierarchy#Equivalents of diocesan bishops in law'' A diocesan administrator is a provisional ordinary of a Roman Catholic particular church. Diocesan administrators in canon law The college of consultors elects an admini ...

by the College of Consultors upon Casey's death in June 1977.

Bishop of Paterson

On December 5, 1977,

Pope Paul VI Pope Paul VI ( la, Paulus VI; it, Paolo VI; born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini, ; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City, Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 to his ...

appointed Rodimer the sixth bishop of the Diocese Paterson, the first native-born bishop in the diocese. He was consecrated bishop on February 28, 1978, with Archbishop

Peter Gerety Peter Gerety (born May 17, 1940) is an American actor. He is best known as Judge Daniel Phelan in ''The Wire'' (2002–2008). Career Gerety is a veteran of stage, screen and television. In early 1992, he performed to critical acclaim on Broadway ...

as principal

consecrator 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 Churche ...

, and Archbishops

Joseph Bernardin Joseph Louis Bernardin (April 2, 1928 – November 14, 1996) was an American Cardinal of the Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Cincinnati from 1972 until 1982, and as Archbishop of Chicago from 1982 until his death in 1996 from ...

and

Peter Poreku Dery Peter Porekuu Dery (10 May 1918 – 6 March 2008), originally Porekuu Der, was a Ghanaian prelate of the Catholic Church who served as Archbishop of Tamale from 1974 to 1994, and was elevated to the rank of cardinal in 2006. He was the Bish ...

serving as co-consecrators. As bishop, Rodimer wrote a weekly column for the diocesan newspaper, ''The Beacon''. He also established a $7 million diocesan endowment to support Catholic schools, parishes and other diocesan ministries through fund raising. With corporate leaders, Rodimer established the Tri-County Scholarship fund to provide scholarships to needy students attending Catholic schools."Bishop Frank J. Rodimer, JCD, DD", Diocese of Paterson
/ref> During his tenure, Rodimer made public his opposition to

capital punishment Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that t ...

and to permanent replacements for striking workers.The Catholic Advocate
Bishop Serratelli to be seventh head of Paterson Diocese
June 16, 2004 Although he once declared, "I fear for a society which deplores but does little or nothing to address the horrible daily realities which many of our children face", Rodimer admitted his "own inadequacy" in failing to prevent at least four of his clerical colleagues, with whom he shared a

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...

beach house, from committing

sexual abuse Sexual abuse or sex abuse, also referred to as molestation, is abusive sexual behavior by one person upon another. It is often perpetrated using force or by taking advantage of another. Molestation often refers to an instance of sexual assa ...

Retirement and legacy

Rodimer retired as Bishop on June 1, 2004, after twenty-six years of service. A 2020 report revealed that a Diocese of Paterson priest had informed Rodimer in the late 1980s of allegations that former Cardinal

Theodore McCarrick Theodore Edgar McCarrick (born July 7, 1930) is a laicized American bishop and former cardinal of the Catholic Church. Ordained a priest in 1958, he became an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of New York in 1977, then became Bishop of Metuch ...

had sexually abused boys at his beach house and that Rodimer had responded that he would contact U.S. representatives of the Vatican. Frank Rodimer died on December 6, 2018, at his residence in St. Joseph’s Home for the Elderly in

Totowa, New Jersey Totowa (pronounced "TO-tuh-wuh" ) is a borough in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States census, the borough's population was 10,844,Catholic Church hierarchy The hierarchy of the Catholic Church consists of its bishops, priests, and deacons. In the ecclesiological sense of the term, "hierarchy" strictly means the "holy ordering" of the Church, the Body of Christ, so to respect the diversity of gif ...

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 e ...

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 Paterson Official SiteUSCCB - Press Release

Episcopal succession

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rodimer, Frank Joseph 1927 births 2018 deaths People from Rockaway, New Jersey Catholic University of America alumni 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States Roman Catholic bishops of Paterson 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States Seton Hall Preparatory School alumni