John Francis Doerfler (born November 2, 1964) is 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

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 ...

who has been serving as

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

of the Diocese of Marquette in Michigan since 2014.

Biography

Early life and education

John Doerfler was born on November 2, 1964, to Henry and Germaine Mancl Doerfler in Appleton, Wisconsin. He attended

Appleton West High School Appleton West High School (or AWHS, formerly known as Appleton Senior High School or Appleton High School) is a comprehensive public secondary school located in Appleton, Wisconsin that serves students in the ninth through twelfth grades. The ...

and graduated in 1983. He earned a Bachelor of Philosophy degree and Bachelor of Classics degree at the

College of St. Thomas A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a University system, constituent part of one. A college may be a academic degree, degree-awarding Tertiary education, tertiary educational institution, a part of a coll ...

in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1987. Doerfler entered the seminary and was sent to 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, where he earned a Bachelor of Sacred Theology degree in 1990. In 1997, he was awarded a Licentiate in Canon Law 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. Doerfler continued his studies at the

Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family The John Paul II Pontifical Theological Institute for Marriage and Family Sciences is a Roman Catholic pontifical institute of theological studies on marriage and family with affiliated campuses around the world. History In 1981, Pope John P ...

at Catholic University receiving his Licentiate in Sacred Theology and Doctor in Sacred Theology degrees (1999 and 2008).

Ordination and ministry

On July 13, 1991, Doerfler was ordained a priest by Bishop Robert Banks for the

Diocese of Green Bay The Roman Catholic Diocese of Green Bay ( la, Diocesis Sinus Viridis) was established on March 3, 1868, by Pope Pius IX. It covers the city of Green Bay, as well as Brown, Calumet, Door, Florence, Forest, Kewaunee, Langlade, Manitowoc, Marinet ...

. His first assignment was as parochial vicar at St. John Nepomucene Parish in

Little Chute, Wisconsin Little Chute is a village in Outagamie County, Wisconsin, Outagamie County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 10,449 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. It is immediately east of the city of Appleton, Wisconsin and runs alon ...

from 1991 to 1995. He was later appointed defender of the bond for the diocesan tribunal and parochial vicar of St. Francis Xavier Cathedral Parish in Green Bay. He also worked as assistant chancellor, judge for the tribunal, chancellor, and vicar general, posts he held from 2005 to 2013. Prior to his appointment as bishop of Marquette, he served as the chaplain to Legatus, a Catholic organization of lay business people, and a member of the diocesan

College of Consultors A consultor is one who gives counsel, i.e., a counselor. In the Catholic Church, it is a specific title for various advisory positions: *in the Roman Curia, a consultor is a specially appointed expert who may be called upon for advice desired by ...

. He eventually served as the

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 2011, Doerfler stated in a lawsuit deposition that he destroyed records relating to possible sexual abuse crimes by priests in the diocese. He said that the records were destroyed in accordance to federal privacy laws and as part of an initiative by Bishop David Ricken.

Bishop of Marquette

On December 17, 2013,

Pope Francis Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...

appointed Doerfler as the bishop of the Diocese of Marquette. He was consecrated by Archbishop Allen Vigneron as diocese's thirteenth bishop on February 11, 2014.Bishop John Francis Doerfler
/ref> He succeeded Bishop Alexander Sample, who was appointed

archbishop of Portland The Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon (''Archidioecesis Portlandensis in Oregonia'') is an archdiocese of the Catholic Church in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It encompasses the western part of the state of Oregon, from the s ...

in Oregon.

References

External links

Roman Catholic Diocese Of Marquette Official Site

Episcopal succession

{{DEFAULTSORT:Doerfler, John Francis 1964 births Living people People from Appleton, Wisconsin University of St. Thomas (Minnesota) alumni Catholic University of America alumni Pontifical Gregorian University alumni Roman Catholic bishops of Marquette 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States Roman Catholic Diocese of Green Bay Catholics from Wisconsin Bishops appointed by Pope Francis