Hilary Baumann Hacker (January 10, 1913 – November 6, 1990) 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 bishop of the

Diocese of Bismarck The Diocese of Bismarck ( la, Dioecesis Bismarckiensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in North Dakota. The current bishop of the diocese is Bishop David Kagan. It is a suffragan diocese in the eccles ...

in North Dakota from 1957 to 1982.

Biography

Early life

Hilary Hacker was born on January 10, 1913, to Emil and Sophia (née Bauman) Hacker in New Ulm,

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 ...

. He attended Holy Trinity High School in Winsted, Minnesota, for two years before entering

Nazareth Hall Preparatory Seminary Nazareth Hall Preparatory Seminary (known also as Naz Hall) was a Minor seminary, high school seminary in Saint Paul, Minnesota serving the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. It wa ...

in St. Paul, Minnesota. Hacker studied at St. Paul Seminary in St. Paul from 1932 to 1938.

Priesthood

Hacker 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 Archdiocese of St. Paul by Archbishop John Murray on June 4, 1938. After his ordination, Hacker briefly served as an

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 ...

at Nativity Parish 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; ...

. He was then to Rome for

graduate studies Postgraduate or graduate education refers to academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate (bachelor's) degree. The organization and struc ...

at the

Pontifical Gregorian University The Pontifical Gregorian University ( it, Pontificia Università Gregoriana; also known as the Gregorian or Gregoriana,) is a higher education ecclesiastical school ( pontifical university) located in Rome, Italy. The Gregorian originated as ...

, where he received a degree in

canon law Canon law (from grc, κανών, , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its members. It is th ...

. Following his return to Minnesota, Hacker was appointed

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 archdiocese in 1941, then 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 ...

in 1945.

Bishop of Bismarck

On December 29, 1956, Hacker was appointed the fourth Bishop of Bismarck,

North Dakota North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the Native Americans in the United States, indigenous Dakota people, Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north a ...

, by

Pope Pius XII Pope Pius XII ( it, Pio XII), born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli (; 2 March 18769 October 1958), was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 2 March 1939 until his death in October 1958. Before his e ...

. He received his

episcopal consecration A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or offic ...

on February 27, 1957 from Archbishop William Brady, with Bishops Francis Schenk and James Byrne 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 St. Paul. Installed as bishop on March 14, 1957, Hacker was only 44 years old at the time of his appointment and the youngest bishop to be chosen for the church in western

. Hacker 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 from 1962 to 1965, and dedicated much of his tenure implementing the Council's reforms, especially the

Mass of Paul VI The Mass of Paul VI, also known as the Ordinary Form or Novus Ordo, is the most commonly used liturgy in the Catholic Church. It is a form of the Latin Church's Roman Rite and was promulgated by Pope Paul VI in 1969, published by him in the 1970 ...

and greater participation of the

laity In religious organizations, the laity () consists of all members who are not part of the clergy, usually including any non-ordained members of religious orders, e.g. a nun or a lay brother. In both religious and wider secular usage, a layperson ...

. His tenure was also marked by high

Catholic school Catholic schools are pre-primary, primary and secondary educational institutions administered under the aegis or in association with the Catholic Church. , the Catholic Church operates the world's largest religious, non-governmental school syste ...

enrollment, as well as the founding of

Bishop Ryan High School Bishop Ryan Catholic School is a PK–12 private, Roman Catholic, co-educational school in Minot, North Dakota, United States. It was established in 1958 and is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bismarck. It was named for Vincent James Ry ...

and

Trinity High School Trinity High School is the name of high schools: United Kingdom * Trinity High School, Renfrew, Renfrewshire, Scotland * Trinity High School, Rutherglen, Lanarkshire, Scotland * Trinity High School and Sixth Form Centre, in Redditch, England *Trini ...

. He also established an annual appeal called God's Share; between 1956 and 1963, the annual collection rose from $165,000 to $225,000.

Retirement and legacy

Pope Paul II accepted Hacker's resignation as bishop of the Diocese of Bismarck on June 28, 1982. He spent his retirement at Christ the King Parish in

Mandan, North Dakota Mandan is a city on the eastern border of Morton County and the eighth-largest city in North Dakota. Founded in 1879 on the west side of the upper Missouri River, it was designated in 1881 as the county seat of Morton County. The population was ...

and later at Emmaus Place, a retirement home for priests in Bismarck. Hilary Hacker died on November 6, 1990, at age 77 in

St. Alexius Medical Center Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI) St. Alexius Health Bismarck is a regional, acute care medical center offering inpatient and outpatient medical services, including primary and specialty physician clinics, home health and hospice services, medic ...

in Bismarck. He is buried in St. Mary's Cemetery, Bismarck.

References

Episcopal succession

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hacker, Hilary Baumann People from New Ulm, Minnesota 1913 births University of St. Thomas (Minnesota) alumni Pontifical Gregorian University alumni Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis Roman Catholic bishops of Bismarck 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States Participants in the Second Vatican Council 1990 deaths Religious leaders from Minnesota Catholics from Minnesota