John Linus Paschang (October 5, 1895 – March 21, 1999) 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 '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 served 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 Grand Island The Diocese of Grand Island ( la, Dioecesis Insulae Grandis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in northwestern and central Nebraska. The ''cathedra'' of the Bishop of Grand Island is in Grand Island, Nebr ...

in Nebraska from 1951 to 1972.

Biography

Early life

One of nine children, John Paschang was born on October 5, 1895, in Hemingford,

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...

, to Casper and Gertrude (née Fisher) Paschang. Drawn to the

religious life Consecrated life (also known as religious life) is a state of life in the Catholic Church lived by those faithful who are called to follow Jesus Christ in a more exacting way. It includes those in institutes of consecrated life (religious and se ...

from high school, he studied at

Conception Seminary College Conception Abbey, site of the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, is a monastery of the Swiss-American Congregation of the Benedictine Confederation. The monastery, founded by the Swiss Engelberg Abbey in 1873 in northwest Missouri's Nodaway ...

in Conception, Missouri, and at St. John's Seminary in Collegeville, Minnesota.

Priesthood

Paschang 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

Joseph Francis Busch Joseph Francis Busch (April 18, 1866—May 31, 1953) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Lead in South Dakota from 1910 to 1915 and bishop of the Diocese of Saint Cloud in Minnesota from 1915 ...

for the Diocese of Omaha on June 12, 1921. After serving as

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. Rose of Lima Parish in

Hooper, Nebraska Hooper is a city in Dodge County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 830 at the 2010 census. History Hooper got its start in the year 1871, following construction of the Fremont, Elkhorn and Missouri Valley Railroad through the territo ...

(1921–1923), he furthered his studies at 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. ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, from where he earned a

doctorate in canon law Doctor of Canon Law ( la, Juris Canonici Doctor, JCD) is the doctoral-level terminal degree in the studies of canon law of the Roman Catholic Church. It can also be an honorary degree awarded by Anglican colleges. It may also be abbreviated ICD ...

. Paschang then served as

of Holy Cross Parish in

Omaha Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest city ...

from 1927 to 1951.

Bishop of Grand Island

On July 28, 1951, Paschang was appointed the fourth bishop of the Diocese of Grand Island 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 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 October 9, 1951, from Archbishop Gerald Bergan, with Bishops Louis Kucera and Edward Hunkeler 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, ...

. During his tenure, Paschang ordained 55 priests and established 33 churches, 15 parish houses, 13 schools, 11 parish centers, six convents, several rectories, and four hospital additions. He 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(1962–1965), but was privately opposed to some of the Council's more

liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

reforms. He also earned a

stockbroker A stockbroker is a regulated broker, broker-dealer, or registered investment adviser (in the United States) who may provide financial advisory and investment management services and execute transactions such as the purchase or sale of stocks an ...

's license to better his knowledge of financial investments for the church.

Retirement and legacy

On July 25, 1972, Pope Paul VI accepted Paschang's resignation as bishop of the Diocese of Grand Island. Paschang founded the Damian Leper Relief Society in 1976. He moved to St. Joseph's Retirement Home in

West Point, Nebraska West Point is a city in and the county seat of Cuming County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 3,504 at the 2020 census. History West Point was first founded in the spring of 1857, when Omaha businessmen formed the Nebraska Settlement ...

, in 1993, and said

Mass Mass is an intrinsic property of a body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the quantity of matter in a physical body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physics. It was found that different atoms and different elementar ...

every day in his room until he was hospitalized at St. Francis Memorial Hospital in 1999. At the time of his death in West Point, on March 21, 1999, at age 103, John Paschang was the world's oldest living Catholic bishop.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Paschang, John Linus 1895 births 1999 deaths Catholic University of America alumni Conception Seminary College alumni College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University alumni People from Box Butte County, Nebraska Participants in the Second Vatican Council 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Omaha Roman Catholic bishops of Grand Island Clergy from Omaha, Nebraska American centenarians Men centenarians