Joseph Gerard Hanefeldt (born April 25, 1958) is 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 has been serving as bishop 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, Ne ...

in the state of

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 ...

since 2015.

Early life and education

Joseph Hanefeldt was born on April 25, 1958, in

Creighton, Nebraska Creighton is a city in Knox County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 1,154 at the 2010 census. History Creighton was platted in 1874. It was named in honor of John A. Creighton. Geography Creighton is located at (42.465112, -97.90 ...

. He began his studies for the priesthood at St. John Vianney College Seminary at the

University of St. Thomas St. Thomas University or University of St. Thomas may refer to: *Saint Thomas Aquinas University, Colombia *Saint Thomas Aquinas University of the North, Tucumán province, Argentina *St. Thomas University (Canada), Fredericton, New Brunswick *St. ...

in St. Paul, Minnesota. He did his theological studies 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 ...

and studied sacramental theology at the Pontifical Atheneum of St. Anselm both in Rome, Italy.

Priesthood

Hanefeldt was ordained in Rome by Archbishop

Jean Jadot Jean Jadot (23 November 1909 – 21 January 2009) was a Belgian prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as apostolic delegate to the United States (the first non-Italian to do so) from 1973 to 1980, and President of the Secretariat for ...

a priest for the Archdiocese of Omaha on July 14, 1984. After his ordination Hanefeldt served as a curate at St. Mary's Parish 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 ...

from 1984 to 1988, and St. Joan of Arc 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 1988 to 1992. Concurrent with his parish assignments Hanefeldt served as director of the diocesan Pro-Life Office from 1991 to 2005. Hanefeldt became the

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. Joseph Parish in Omaha in 1992 and served there until 1995. At the same time, he served as the moderator of the Diocesan Council of Catholic Women. He then became pastor of St. Elizabeth Seton Parish in Omaha in 1995 and served in that position until 2007. From 2007 to 2012, Hanefeldt served on the staff of the

Pontifical North American College The Pontifical North American College (NAC) is a Catholic Church, Roman Catholic educational institution in Rome, Italy, that prepares seminarians to become priests in the United States and elsewhere. The NAC also provides a residence for Pri ...

in Rome. For the first two years, Hanefeldt was a spiritual director and from 2009 to 2012 he was the director of the spiritual formation program.

Pope Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the sovereign ...

named him a

chaplain of his holiness A Chaplain of His Holiness is a priest to whom the Pope has granted this title. They are addressed as Monsignor and have certain privileges with respect to ecclesiastical dress and vestments.monsignor Monsignor (; it, monsignore ) is an honorific form of address or title for certain male clergy members, usually members of the Roman Catholic Church. Monsignor is the apocopic form of the Italian ''monsignore'', meaning "my lord". "Monsignor" ca ...

, in December 2010. He returned to Omaha in 2012 and served as pastor of Christ the King Parish until 2015.

Bishop of Grand Island

Hanefeldt was named the eighth bishop of the Diocese of Grand Island by

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. ...

on January 14, 2015. His episcopal ordination took place on March 19, 2015, at the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in

Grand Island, Nebraska Grand Island is a city in and the county seat of Hall County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 53,131 at the 2020 census. Grand Island is the principal city of the Grand Island metropolitan area, which consists of Hall, Merrick, ...

. He was ordained by Archbishop

George Lucas George Walton Lucas Jr. (born May 14, 1944) is an American filmmaker. Lucas is best known for creating the ''Star Wars'' and ''Indiana Jones'' franchises and founding Lucasfilm, LucasArts, Industrial Light & Magic and THX. He served as chairm ...

of Omaha. Auxiliary Bishop Lee Piché and Bishop Robert Gruss were the co-consecrators. Coat of arms of Joseph Gerard Hanefeldt

References

External links

Roman Catholic Diocese of Grand Island

Episcopal succession