Gerald Thomas Bergan (January 26, 1892 – July 12, 1972) was an American clergyman 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 the Diocese of Des Moines in Iowa (1934–1948) and archbishop of the Archdiocese of Omaha in Nebraska (1948–1969).

Biography

Early life

Gerald Bergan was born on January 26, 1892, in Peoria,

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

, to William and Mary (née O'Connell) Bergan. After graduating from

Spalding Institute Academy of Our Lady and Spalding Institute were Catholic high schools across the street from each other in downtown Peoria, Illinois. The Academy (AOL), a girls' school, traced its lineage back to 1863. The Spalding Institute (SI), the boys' schoo ...

in Peoria, he attended

St. Viator College St. Viator College was a Catholic liberal arts college in Bourbonnais, Illinois. It is no longer in operation. Today, the site is home to Olivet Nazarene University. History St. Viator's grew out of the original Bourbonnais, Illinois, Bourbonna ...

in Bourbonnais, Illinois, where he excelled in athletics. Bergan continued his studies at the

Pontifical North American College The Pontifical North American College (NAC) is a Catholic Church, Roman Catholic educational institution in Rome, Italy, that prepares seminarians to become priests in the United States and elsewhere. The NAC also provides a residence for Pri ...

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

. Bergan 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 Peoria The Diocese of Peoria ( la, Diœcesis Peoriensis, Peoria, Illinois) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the central Illinois region of the United States. The Diocese of Peoria is a suffragan diocese w ...

on October 28, 1915. Upon his return to the United States, he served as

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 ...

and

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 diocese, 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. Mary of the Immaculate Conception.

Bishop of Des Moines

On March 24, 1934, Bergan was appointed the third bishop of the Diocese of Des Moines 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

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 June 13, 1934, from Cardinal

George Mundelein George William Mundelein (July 2, 1872 – October 2, 1939) was an American cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Chicago from 1915 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1924. Early life and ministry ...

, with Bishops Joseph Schlarman and

Henry Rohlman Henry Patrick Rohlman (March 17, 1876 – September 13, 1957) was a German-born prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Davenport in Iowa from 1927 to 1944 and as coadjutor archbishop and archbishop of the Archd ...

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, ...

. He established a diocesan newspaper called ''The Messenger''. At the eighth National Eucharistic Congress in 1941, he spoke on labor-management relations, asserting that the employer must permit workers to engage in collective bargaining. He also called for a single union for both labor and capital, and suggested that long-serving employees should have a share in the management of an enterprise.

Archbishop of Omaha

Bergan was named by Pius XII as the second archbishop of the Archdiocese of Omaha on February 7, 1948. During his administration, more than $80 million was spent for new Catholic schools, churches, and hospitals in the archdiocese. This caused him to become known as the "building bishop". Between 1962 and 1965, Bergan attended all four 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.

Retirement and legacy

On June 11, 1969, Pope Paul VI accepted Bergan's resignation as archbishop of Omaha and appointed him as

Titular Archbishop 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 Tacarata. He resigned his

titular see A titular see in various churches is an episcopal see of a former diocese that no longer functions, sometimes called a "dead diocese". The ordinary or hierarch of such a see may be styled a "titular metropolitan" (highest rank), "titular archbish ...

on January 28, 1971. Gerald Bergan died in Omaha on July 12, 1972, at age 80.

Bergan Mercy Medical Center Creighton University Medical Center - Bergan Mercy (formerly known as Creighton University Medical Center-Saint Joseph Hospital) is a hospital located in Central Omaha, Nebraska in the United States. On April 24, 2012, CUMC signed an agreement to b ...

in Omaha and Archbishop Bergan High School in Fremont, Nebraska, are named in his honor.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bergan, Gerald Thomas 1892 births 1972 deaths People from Peoria, Illinois Participants in the Second Vatican Council Pontifical North American College alumni Roman Catholic archbishops of Omaha American Roman Catholic clergy of Irish descent Roman Catholic bishops of Des Moines Roman Catholic Diocese of Peoria Religious leaders from Illinois Catholics from Illinois 20th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in the United States