Joseph Howard Hodges (October 8, 1911 – January 27, 1985) 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 Wheeling-Charleston In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...

from 1962 until his death in 1985. He previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the

Diocese of Richmond The Diocese of Richmond ( la, Diœcesis Richmondiensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or diocese of the Catholic Church in the United States. Its current territory encompasses all of central and southern Virginia, Hampton Roads ...

in Virginia from 1952 to 1961.

Biography

Early life

Joseph Hodges was born on October 8, 1911, in

Harpers Ferry, West Virginia Harpers Ferry is a historic town in Jefferson County, West Virginia. It is located in the lower Shenandoah Valley. The population was 285 at the 2020 census. Situated at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers, where the U.S. st ...

to Joseph Howard and Edna Belle (née Hendricks) Hodges. His family later moved to

Martinsburg, West Virginia Martinsburg is a city in and the seat of Berkeley County, West Virginia, in the tip of the state's Eastern Panhandle region in the lower Shenandoah Valley. Its population was 18,835 in the 2021 census estimate, making it the largest city in the E ...

, where he attended St. Joseph's High School. After graduating from St. Joseph's in 1928, Hodges studied at St. Charles College in Catonsville, Maryland (1928–1930). He was then sent to further his studies at the Pontifical North American College in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

Priesthood

Hodges 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 by Cardinal

Francesco Marchetti Selvaggiani Francesco Marchetti Selvaggiani (1 October 1871 – 13 January 1951) was an Italian cardinal of the Catholic Church who served as Secretary of the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith, Vicar General of Rome, Secretary of the Holy Of ...

for the Diocese of Richmond in Rome on December 8, 1935. Following his return to Virginia, Hodges was appointed as curate at Sacred Heart Parish in

Danville, Virginia Danville is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States, located in the Southside Virginia region and on the fall line of the Dan River. It was a center of tobacco production and was an area of Confederate activity ...

. In 1939, he was assigned to St. Andrew's Parish in

Roanoke, Virginia Roanoke ( ) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. At the 2020 census, the population was 100,011, making it the 8th most populous city in the Commonwealth of Virginia and the largest city in Virginia west of Richmond. It is ...

, then in 1945 became director of the diocesan mission band. Hodges was named

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. Peter's Parish in Richmond, Virginia, in 1955.

Auxiliary Bishop of Richmond

On August 8, 1952, Hodges was appointed as an auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Richmond 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 ''Rusadus'' by Pope Pius XII. He received his episcopal consecration on October 15, 1952, from Bishop Peter Ireton, with Bishops Vincent Waters and John Dearden serving as co-consecrators. In addition to his episcopal duties, Hodges continued to serve as pastor of St. Peter's .

Coadjutor Bishop and Bishop of Wheeling-Charleston

Hodges was named as coadjutor bishop of what was then the Diocese of Wheeling by

Pope John XXIII Pope John XXIII ( la, Ioannes XXIII; it, Giovanni XXIII; born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, ; 25 November 18813 June 1963) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 28 October 1958 until his death in June 19 ...

on May 31, 1961. Upon the death of Archbishop John Swint, Hodges automatically succeeded him as the fifth bishop of Wheeling on November 23, 1962. Hodges attended all four sessions of the

Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions), each lasting between 8 and ...

in Rome between 1962 and 1965. He dedicated much of his administration to implementing the reforms of the Council in the diocese, establishing a Liturgical Commission, Priests' Senate, Sisters' Council, and

Cursillo ''Cursillos in Christianity'' ( es, Cursillos de Cristiandad, "Short courses of Christianity") is an apostolic movement of the Catholic Church. It was conceived in Spain between 1940 and 1949 and began with the celebration of the so-called "first c ...

movement. A strong supporter of ecumenism, Hodges established a Commission for Religious Unity in 1964, co-founded the Joint Commission of Roman Catholics and Episcopalians in 1978 with the episcopal bishop of West Virginia, and joined the West Virginia Council of Churches in 1981. He mandated parish councils in 1968, introduced extraordinary ministers in 1970 and

permanent deacons A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Churc ...

in 1975, and renovated the exterior and interior of St. Joseph's Cathedral in Wheeling in 1973. The Vatican renamed the Diocese of Wheeling as the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston on August 21, 1974. In 1976, Hodges established the diocesan

Pro-Life Anti-abortion movements, also self-styled as pro-life or abolitionist movements, are involved in the abortion debate advocating against the practice of abortion and its legality. Many anti-abortion movements began as countermovements in respon ...

Office and led a public protest against the opening of a health clinic in Wheeling that provided abortion services to women. Hodges was also known as a social reformer, using his office to challenge the social, economic, and political injustice in Appalachia. He publicly supported the

civil rights movement The civil rights movement was a nonviolent social and political movement and campaign from 1954 to 1968 in the United States to abolish legalized institutional racial segregation, discrimination, and disenfranchisement throughout the Unite ...

, urged local parishes to begin social outreach programs, and established such social ministry programs as kitchens to serve the hungry and elderly-assistance programs. He served as chairman of the

USCCB 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 ...

''Ad Hoc'' Committee for the Campaign for Human Development.

Death

Joseph Hodges died on January 17, 1985, from

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from transformed, malign ...

Wheeling Hospital Wheeling Hospital is a 223 bed hospital in Wheeling, West Virginia. Originally founded in 1850, it is one of the oldest hospitals in the United States in continuous operation as an institution. It was founded by visitation nuns and later became af ...

in Wheeling at age 73. He is buried at Mount Calvary Chape in Wheeling.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hodges, Joseph Howard 1911 births 1985 deaths Roman Catholic bishops of Wheeling–Charleston Roman Catholic Diocese of Richmond 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States Deaths from lung cancer Deaths from cancer in West Virginia Participants in the Second Vatican Council Religious leaders from Martinsburg, West Virginia St. Charles College alumni