George Henry Speltz (May 29, 1912 – February 1, 2004) 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

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 an auxiliary bishop of the

Diocese of Winona In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...

in Minnesota (1963–1966) and as bishop of the Diocese of St. Cloud in Minnesota (1968–1987).

Biography

Early life

George Speltz was born in Altura,

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

, one of seven children of Henry and Josephine (née Jung) Speltz. He attended Holy Trinity High School in

Rollingstone, Minnesota Rollingstone is a city in Winona County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 664 at the 2010 census. History Rollingstone was founded by immigrants from Luxembourg. The city was named after nearby Rollingstone Creek. Two properties ...

, and then studied at St. Mary's College in Winona, Minnesota, where he earned a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

degree in 1932. Speltz continued his studies at St. Paul Seminary in

St. Paul Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...

Priesthood

Speltz 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 Francis Kelly on June 2, 1940. He then served as assistant

pastor A pastor (abbreviated as "Pr" or "Ptr" , or "Ps" ) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and ...

of St. John's Parish and

superintendent Superintendent may refer to: *Superintendent (police), Superintendent of Police (SP), or Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), a police rank *Prison warden or Superintendent, a prison administrator *Superintendent (ecclesiastical), a church exec ...

of Loretto High School in

Caledonia, Minnesota Caledonia is a city and the county seat of Houston County, Minnesota, United States and is part of the La Crosse, Wisconsin Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,847 at the 2020 census. History Caledonia was platted in 1854–185 ...

, until 1941. In 1944, he earned a

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common Academic degree, degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields ...

degree in economics from 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. His

thesis A thesis ( : theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144: ...

was entitled: ''"Decentralization and the Social Obligations of the Land"''. Returning to Minnesota, Speltz served as vice-

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

(1944–47) and superintendent of diocesan schools (1945–49). In 1946, he was named pastor of St. Mary's Church in Minneiska and a professor at St. Mary's College in Winona. He served as the first

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 ...

Immaculate Heart of Mary Seminary The Immaculate Heart of Mary Seminary or IHMS, located at Pacifico Cabalit St., Taloto, Tagbilaran City, Bohol, Philippines, is a diocesan college seminary established in 1950 by Julio Rosales, Bishop of Tagbilaran, in implementation of Canon 1 ...

in Winona from 1948 to 1963.

Auxiliary Bishop of Winona

On February 12, 1963, Speltz was appointed auxiliary bishop of Winona 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 ''Claneus'' by

Pope John XXIII Pope John XXIII ( la, Ioannes XXIII; it, Giovanni XXIII; born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, ; 25 November 18813 June 1963) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 28 October 1958 until his death in June 19 ...

. 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 March 25, 1963, from Bishop Edward Fitzgerald, with Bishops Peter Bartholome and Frederick Freking 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, ...

, at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart. In addition to his episcopal duties, he served as pastor of St. Mary's Parish in Winona from 1963 to 1966. He also attended the last three 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) ...

in Rome (1963–65).

Coadjutor Bishop and Bishop of Saint Cloud

On April 6, 1966, Speltz 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 the Diocese of St. Cloud by

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 ...

. His installation took place on the following June 7. He succeeded Bishop Peter Bartholome as the sixth

Bishop of St. Cloud The Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint Cloud ( la, Dioecesis Sancti Clodoaldi) is a Roman Catholic diocese in Minnesota, United States. This diocese covers Benton, Douglas, Grant, Isanti, Kanabec, Mille Lacs, Morrison, Otter Tail, Pope, Sher ...

on January 31, 1968. Speltz was president of the National Catholic Rural Life Conference from 1970 to 1972. In 1984, he initiated a ban to deny church weddings to couples who live together before they marry, unless they agreed to live apart before their wedding; he said

cohabitation Cohabitation is an arrangement where people who are not married, usually couples, live together. They are often involved in a romantic or sexually intimate relationship on a long-term or permanent basis. Such arrangements have become increas ...

"...calls into question fundamental moral values that have long been central to the Christian tradition: the sacred character of sex and of the Christian family."

Retirement and legacy

On January 13, 1987,

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

accepted Speltz's resignation due to health reasons as bishop of the Diocese of Saint Cloud.George Speltz died at St. Benedict Senior Community in St. Cloud on February 1, 2004, at age 91. He is buried at Assumption Cemetery in St. Cloud.

References

Episcopal succession

{{DEFAULTSORT:Speltz, George Henry 1912 births 2004 deaths People from Winona, Minnesota American people of German descent Roman Catholic Diocese of Winona-Rochester 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States Roman Catholic bishops of Saint Cloud Catholic University of America alumni