Henry Joseph Soenneker (May 27, 1907—September 24, 1987) was an American prelate 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 the second bishop of the

Diocese of Owensboro The Diocese of Owensboro ( la, Dioecesis Owensburgensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Kentucky. , the diocese contained of 78 parishes and two Newman Centers in 32 counties of western Kentucky. ...

in Kentucky from 1961 to 1982.

Biography

Early life

Henry Soenneker was born in

Melrose, Minnesota Melrose is a city in Stearns County, Minnesota, Stearns County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 3,598 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. It is part of the St. Cloud, Minnesota, St. Cloud St. Cloud metropolitan area, Metrop ...

, to Henry and Mary (née Wessel) Soenneker. He studied at the

Pontifical College Josephinum The Pontifical College Josephinum is a private Roman Catholic seminary and university in Columbus, Ohio. It was founded by Joseph Jessing in 1888 and was granted the status of a Pontifical College in 1892 by Pope Leo XIII, making it the only pont ...

in Columbus, Ohio, obtaining a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

degree in 1930.

Priesthood

Soenneker 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 James Hartley for the

Diocese 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, Sherb ...

on May 26, 1934. After his ordination, Soenneker was appointed as

curate A curate () is a person who is invested with the ''care'' or ''cure'' (''cura'') ''of souls'' of a parish. In this sense, "curate" means a parish priest; but in English-speaking countries the term ''curate'' is commonly used to describe clergy w ...

at St. Anthony Parish in

St. Cloud, Minnesota St. Cloud is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the largest population center in the state's central region. The population was 68,881 at the 2020 census, making it Minnesota's 12th-largest city. St. Cloud is the county seat of Stear ...

,. He also served as a high school teacher and

chaplain A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a Minister (Christianity), minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a laity, lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secularity, secular institution (such as a hosp ...

at a

Veterans Administration hospital Veterans' health care in the United States is separated geographically into 19 regions (numbered 1, 2, 4-10, 12 and 15–23) In January 2002, the Veterans Health Administration announced the merger of VISNs 13 and 14 to create a new, combined netw ...

. In 1940, Soenneker left his current positions to become chaplain to the Sisters of St. Francis at Little Falls, Minnesota. He travelled in 1948 to Washington D.C. to attend 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. ...

, earning a

Licentiate of Canon Law Licentiate of Canon Law ( la, Juris Canonici Licentiatus; JCL) is the title of an advanced graduate degree with canonical effects in the Roman Catholic Church offered by pontifical universities and ecclesiastical faculties of canon law. Licentiate ...

in 1950. After returning to Minnesota, he was named

spiritual director Spiritual direction is the practice of being with people as they attempt to deepen their relationship with the divine, or to learn and grow in their personal spirituality. The person seeking direction shares stories of their encounters of the di ...

of St. John's Seminary in Collegeville.

Bishop of Owensboro

On March 10, 1961, Soenneker was appointed the second bishop of the Diocese of Owensboro 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 April 26, 1961, from Bishop Peter Bartholome, with Bishops Francis Schenk and Joseph Mueller 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, ...

. Soenneker 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 between 1962 and 1965.

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 Soenneker's resignation as bishop of the Diocese of Owensboro on June 30, 1982. Henry Soenneker died in Owensboro on September 24, 1987, at age 80. The Bishop Soenneker Home, an

assisted living An assisted living residence or assisted living facility (ALF) is a housing facility for people with disabilities or for adults who cannot or who choose not to live independently. The term is popular in the United States, but the setting is s ...

facility in

Knottsville, Kentucky Knottsville is a small unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in eastern Daviess County, Kentucky. The population was 183 as of the 2020 census. The first house was built by Leonard Knott in the fall of 1827, for which the to ...

, was named after him.

References

Episcopal succession

{{DEFAULTSORT:Soenneker, Henry Joseph 1907 births 1987 deaths Participants in the Second Vatican Council People from Melrose, Minnesota Pontifical College Josephinum alumni Roman Catholic Diocese of Owensboro Catholic University of America alumni 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States Religious leaders from Kentucky Catholics from Minnesota