Frederick Rese (or Résé) (February 6, 1791 – December 29, 1871) 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
**Ge ...
-born
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 ...
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
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 ca ...
who served as the first Catholic bishop of the
Diocese of Detroit from 1833 until his death.
Life
Rese was born in
Vienenburg
Vienenburg is a borough of Goslar, capital of the Goslar (district), Goslar district, in Lower Saxony, Germany. The former independent municipality was incorporated in Goslar on 1 January 2014.
Geography
It is situated in the north of the Harz mou ...
, a small town in the German
Electorate of Hanover
The Electorate of Hanover (german: Kurfürstentum Hannover or simply ''Kurhannover'') was an electorate of the Holy Roman Empire, located in northwestern Germany and taking its name from the capital city of Hanover. It was formally known as ...
. Orphaned at a young age, he grew up in poverty. He was apprenticed to a tailor and worked as a journeyman before joining the
Hanoverian cavalry in 1813 to fight against
Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
in the
German Campaign and took part in the 1815
Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815, near Waterloo, Belgium, Waterloo (at that time in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, now in Belgium). A French army under the command of Napoleon was defeated by two of the armie ...
under command of Field Marshal
Blücher.
[Meehan, Thomas. "Detroit." The Catholic Encyclopedia]
Vol. 4. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1908. 20 August 2019
After the Napoleonic Wars, Rese adopted a clerical career. He went to Rome with the impression that his lack of education might be balanced by a willingness to work in foreign missions. He received
Holy Orders from Cardinal Vicar
Placido Zurla
Placido Zurla, O.S.B. Cam., (April 2, 1769 – 29 October 1834) was an Italian Camaldolese monk and prelate, who was Cardinal Vicar of Rome and a writer on medieval geography.
Biography
Zurla was born at Legnago, Veneto, of noble parents and ...
on 15 March 1823. Rese served in the
Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples
A congregation is a large gathering of people, often for the purpose of worship.
Congregation may also refer to:
* Church (congregation), a Christian organization meeting in a particular place for worship
*Congregation (Roman Curia), an administr ...
and in 1824 met with
Edward Fenwick
Edward Dominic Fenwick, (August 19, 1768 – September 26, 1832) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church, a Dominican Order, Dominican friar and the first Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Bishop of Cincinnati.
Early life
Edward F ...
, first
Bishop of Cincinnati, who had travelled to Rome to ask
Pope Leo XII
Pope Leo XII ( it, Leone XII; born Annibale Francesco Clemente Melchiorre Girolamo Nicola della Genga (; 2 August 1760 – 10 February 1829), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 28 September 1823 to his death ...
for support. The Pope engaged Rese to assist him; once arrived in the United States, he became
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's ...
of the Cincinnati diocese, which included Detroit. In 1828 he was sent to Europe to gain support for the Catholic missions in the U.S. He visited the
Austrian
Austrian may refer to:
* Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent
** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen, see Austrian nationality law
* Austrian German dialect
* Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ...
capital
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
, where he helped to found the missionary
Leopoldine Society
The Leopoldine Society was an organization established in Vienna for the purpose of aiding Catholic missions in North America. Based on the French model of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, the Leopoldine Society was founded in 1829 i ...
, as well as
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
Regensburg
Regensburg or is a city in eastern Bavaria, at the confluence of the Danube, Naab and Regen rivers. It is capital of the Upper Palatinate subregion of the state in the south of Germany. With more than 150,000 inhabitants, Regensburg is the f ...
in
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 ...
,
Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
and other parts of Europe until 1831, convincing many to immigrate to the U.S. and found Catholic communities.
Redemptorist North American Historical Bulletin
, issue 18, December 2002.
Detroit
On March 8, 1833, Father Rese was named to be the first bishop of Detroit with a papal bull in which Pope Gregory XVI
Pope Gregory XVI ( la, Gregorius XVI; it, Gregorio XVI; born Bartolomeo Alberto Cappellari; 18 September 1765 – 1 June 1846) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 2 February 1831 to his death in 1 June 1846. He h ...
declared as he erected the Diocese of Detroit. Father Rese would be the first German-born bishop in the United States. Ten months elapsed, however, before Detroit welcomed its own bishop. Father Rese desired to be consecrated by Bishop Joseph Rosati
Joseph Rosati (30 January 1789 – 25 September 1843) was an Italian-born Catholic missionary to the United States who served as the first bishop of the Diocese of Saint Louis between 1826 and 1843. A member of the Congregation of the Mission, ...
of St. Louis
St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...
, and he deferred the event until Bishop Rosati should pass through Cincinnati on his way to the Second Provincial Council of Baltimore. The consecration took place on October 6, 1833, in the cathedral at Cincinnati. Following the ceremony, the two bishops set out to attend the deliberations at the council. They returned to Cincinnati at the end of November, and Bishop Rese tarried there, winding up affairs, until the end of the year. On January 7, 1834, Bishop Rese made his entry into Detroit to take possession of his see at Ste. Anne Cathedral.
The parish of Most Holy Trinity was established by 1835. German immigrants established a small settlement named Connor's Creek[Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Roman Catholic Church Complex](_blank)
from Detroit1701.org and built a log church which they called ''Kirchen Wald'' (Church in the Woods) and where Redemptionists missionaries offered services. The name was later changed to "Chapel of the Assumption" and later "St. Mary's in the Woods" before being designated the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church
The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church is a Catholic Church, Catholic church of the Archdiocese of Detroit located at 13770 Gratiot Avenue in Detroit, Michigan. It is commonly known as the Assumption Grotto Church. The church community ...
.
In 1838 he again travelled to Europe, where in Munich he reconciled the establishment of a Bavarian missionary association (''Ludwig-Missionsverein'') with King Louis I Louis I may refer to:
* Louis the Pious, Louis I of France, "the Pious" (778–840), king of France and Holy Roman Emperor
* Louis I, Landgrave of Thuringia (ruled 1123–1140)
* Ludwig I, Count of Württemberg (c. 1098–1158)
* Louis I of Blois ...
.
About 1840 Rese became demented; uncapable to fulfil his office, he was recalled to Rome.[Caspar Henry Borgess]
the ''Catholic Encyclopedia'' He finally retired to a nursery home of the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul
The Company of the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul ( la, Societas Filiarum Caritatis a Sancto Vincentio de Paulo), commonly called the Daughters of Charity or Sisters of Charity of Saint Vincent De Paul, is a Society of Apostoli ...
in Hildesheim
Hildesheim (; nds, Hilmessen, Hilmssen; la, Hildesia) is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany with 101,693 inhabitants. It is in the district of Hildesheim, about southeast of Hanover on the banks of the Innerste River, a small tributary of the Lei ...
. In accordance with the practice of the time, he remained nominally the Bishop of Detroit for another 30 years until his death in 1871,[ his diocese administrated by coadjutor bishops. He was succeeded by his compatriot ]Caspar Henry Borgess
Caspar Henry Borgess (August 1, 1826 – May 3, 1890) was a German-born American prelate of the Catholic Church. He was the second Bishop of Detroit, serving from 1871 to 1887.
Biography Early life
Borgess was born on August 1, 1826, in the villa ...
.
References
External links
Entry
on Catholic-Hierarchy.org
''Catholic-Hierarchy.org'' is an online database of bishops and dioceses of the Roman Catholic Church and Eastern Catholic Churches. The website is not officially sanctioned by the Church. It is run as a private project by David M. Cheney in ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rese, Frederick
1791 births
1871 deaths
Roman Catholic bishops of Detroit
19th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States