John Jeremiah Lawler (August 4, 1862 – March 11, 1948) was 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 'pre ...

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 Lead (later changed to Diocese of Rapid City) in South Dakota from 1916 until his death in 1948. He previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul in Minnesota from 1910 to 1916.

Biography

Early life

John Lawler was born on August 4, 1862, in

Rochester Rochester may refer to: Places Australia * Rochester, Victoria Canada * Rochester, Alberta United Kingdom *Rochester, Kent ** City of Rochester-upon-Medway (1982–1998), district council area ** History of Rochester, Kent ** HM Prison ...

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 ...

, and attended St. Francis Seminary in

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at th ...

. He continued his studies in

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

, studying philosophy at the College of St. Nicholas in

Flanders Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to cultu ...

and theology at the University of Louvain.

Priesthood

Lawler 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 ...

to the priesthood at Louvain on December 19, 1885. Following his return to Minnesota, Lawler served as professor of

Scripture Religious texts, including scripture, are texts which various religions consider to be of central importance to their religious tradition. They differ from literature by being a compilation or discussion of beliefs, mythologies, ritual pra ...

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 ...

and later

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 ...

of St. Luke's 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 also served as

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. Paul. As rector, he was instrumental in the erection of the cathedral at a cost of $5 million.

Auxiliary Bishop of Saint Paul

On February 8, 1910, Lawler was appointed auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and

titular bishop 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 ...

of '' Hermopolis Maior'' by Pope Pius X. He received his episcopal consecration on the following May 19 from Archbishop

John Ireland John Benjamin Ireland (January 30, 1914 – March 21, 1992) was a Canadian actor. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his performance in ''All the King's Men'' (1949), making him the first Vancouver-born actor to receive an Oscar nomin ...

, with Bishops

James McGolrick James McGolrick (May 1, 1841 – January 23, 1918) was an Irish-born American prelate of the Catholic Church. He was the first bishop of the Diocese of Duluth in Minnesota, serving from 1889 until his death. Biography Early life James McGolr ...

and James Trobec serving as co-consecrators. As an auxiliary bishop, he assisted Archbishop Ireland for six years.

Bishop of Lead/Rapid City

Lawler was appointed the third Bishop of Lead by

Pope Benedict XV Pope Benedict XV (Latin: ''Benedictus XV''; it, Benedetto XV), born Giacomo Paolo Giovanni Battista della Chiesa, name=, group= (; 21 November 185422 January 1922), was head of the Catholic Church from 1914 until his death in January 1922. His ...

on January 29, 1916. On August 1, 1930, the episcopal see of the diocese was changed from

Lead Lead is a chemical element with the symbol Pb (from the Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a heavy metal that is denser than most common materials. Lead is soft and malleable, and also has a relatively low melting point. When freshly cu ...

to Rapid City, and the name of the diocese was changed accordingly. In 1947, Lawler, who had been in failing health, received Bishop William McCarty as his coadjutor bishop.

Death and legacy

John Lawler died following a stroke on March 11, 1948, at age 85. At the time of his death, he was the oldest Catholic bishop in the United States and, after Bishop Alexander Joseph McGavick, was the second most senior in years of service.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lawler, John Jeremiah 1862 births 1948 deaths University of St. Thomas (Minnesota) faculty St. Francis Seminary (Wisconsin) alumni People from Rochester, Minnesota 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States Roman Catholic bishops of Lead Roman Catholic bishops of Rapid City Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis Religious leaders from Minnesota Catholics from Minnesota Catholics from South Dakota