James Steven Rausch (September 4, 1928 – May 18, 1981) 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 Phoenix The Diocese of Phoenix ( la, Dioecesis Phoenicensis; es, Diócesis de Phoenix) is a Roman Catholic ecclesiastical territory or diocese in the state of Arizona in the United States. It was established on December 2, 1969, when it was split off ...

in Arizona from 1977 until his death in 1981. He previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of St. Cloud in Minnesota from 1973 to 1977.

Biography

Early life

James Rausch was born in

Albany, Minnesota Albany is a city in Stearns County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 2,561 at the 2010 census. It is part of the St. Cloud Metropolitan Statistical Area. History File:Albany Minn Oct 8 1911.jpg, A real photo postcard captured a s ...

on September 4, 1928. He attended Catholic schools in both Indiana and Minnesota. After studying economics at the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Tw ...

, Rausch received a

Master of Education The Master of Education (MEd or M.Ed. or Ed.M.; Latin ''Magister Educationis'' or ''Educationis Magister'') is a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. This degree in education often includes the following majors: curriculum a ...

degree from St. Thomas College in St. Paul, Minnesota, He later earned a Doctor of Pastoral Psychology degree from 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 ...

in Rome.

Priesthood

Rausch was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Saint Cloud on June 2, 1956. In 1970, he became assistant general secretary of the

United States Catholic Conference The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is the episcopal conference of the Catholic Church in the United States. Founded in 1966 as the joint National Conference of Catholic Bishops (NCCB) and United States Catholic Conference (US ...

USCC) the service arm of the

National Conference of Catholic Bishops The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is the episcopal conference of the Catholic Church in the United States. Founded in 1966 as the joint National Conference of Catholic Bishops (NCCB) and United States Catholic Conference (US ...

(NCCB). He became general secretary of both groups in 1972.

Auxiliary Bishop of St. Cloud

On March 5, 1973,

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 ...

appointed Rausch auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of St. Cloud; he was consecrated by Cardinal

John Krol John Joseph Krol (October 26, 1910 – March 3, 1996) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He was Archbishop of Philadelphia from 1961 to 1988, having previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Cleveland (1953� ...

on April 16, 1973.

Bishop of Phoenix

On June 17, 1977, Rausch was appointed bishop of the Phoenix Diocese serving until his death. He was known for his advocacy of

ecumenicism Ecumenism (), also spelled oecumenism, is the concept and principle that Christians who belong to different Christian denominations should work together to develop closer relationships among their churches and promote Christian unity. The adjec ...

and for speaking out against

abortion rights Abortion-rights movements, also referred to as pro-choice movements, advocate for the right to have legal access to induced abortion services including elective abortion. They seek to represent and support women who wish to terminate their pre ...

for women. On occasion, he would celebrate mass in orange groves to accommodate undocumented migrants who were afraid to go into a city. James Rausch died in Phoenix of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

on May 18, 1981, at age 52.

References

1928 births 1981 deaths People from Albany, Minnesota Roman Catholic bishops of Phoenix Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint Cloud 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States Religious leaders from Minnesota Catholics from Minnesota {{US-RC-bishop-stub