Joseph Maria Koudelka (December 7, 1852 – June 24, 1921) was a Czech-born

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 ...

who served as the second

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 c ...

of the Diocese of Superior in Wisconsin from 1913 until his death in 1921. Koudelka previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the

Diocese of Cleveland The Diocese of Cleveland ( la, Dioecesis Clevelandensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the northeastern portion of the U.S. state of Ohio. Pope Pius IX erected the diocese April 23, 1847, in te ...

in Ohio from 1908 to 1911 and as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee in Wisconsin from 1911 to 1913.

Biography

Early life

Joseph Koudelka was born on December, 7, 1852 to Markus and Anna Jonoushek Koudelka at Chlistov, Bohemia in the

Austrian Empire The Austrian Empire (german: link=no, Kaiserthum Oesterreich, modern spelling , ) was a Central-Eastern European multinational great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the realms of the Habsburgs. During its existence ...

. He attended college at

Klatovy Klatovy (; german: Klattau) is a town in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 22,000 inhabitants. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone. Administrative parts Klatovy is made up of 30 ...

in Bohemia. In 1868, his family emigrated to the United States. In preparation for the priesthood, Koudelka attended St. Francis Seminary in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.''Our Journey through Faith; A History of the Diocese of Superior''. Ireland: Booklink, 2005, p. 26.

Priesthood

Koudelka was ordained to the priesthood for the

on November 29, 1875, by Bishop

Tobias Mullen Tobias Mullen (March 4, 1818 – April 22, 1900) was an Ireland, Irish-born clergyman of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Erie, Diocese of Erie in Pennsylvania from 1868 to until his death in 1899 ...

Bishop Joseph M. Koudelka biography
at catholic-hierarchy.org He was ordained under a special dispensation due to a pressing need for a Czech-speaking pastor at St. Procop's Parish in that city. In 1882, Koudelka was transferred to

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

, for one year to edit ''Klas'' (''The Voice''), a Czech-language Catholic newspaper. Koudelka returned to Cleveland in 1883 to found St. Michael the Archangel Parish in that city and serve as its pastor.

Auxiliary Bishop of Cleveland

On November 29, 1907, Pope Pius X appointed Koudelka as an auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Cleveland. He was ordained on February 25, 1908, with a special ministry to the Slavic community.Catholic Encyclopedia, Cleveland
Auxiliary Bishop of Cleveland

Auxiliary Bishop of Milwaukee

On June 24, 1911, Pius X appointed Koudelka as the first auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. He was ordained on September 4, 1911.
at catholic-hierarchy.org In a 1912 trip to Rome, Koudelka had a private meeting with the pope.

Bishop of Superior

On August 6, 1913, Pope Pius X appointed Koudelka the second bishop of the Diocese of Superior. He was installed at the

pro-cathedral A pro-cathedral or procathedral is a parish church that temporarily serves as the cathedral or co-cathedral of a diocese, or a church that has the same function in a Catholic missionary jurisdiction (such as an apostolic prefecture or apostoli ...

of Sacred Heart in Superior, Wisconsin by Archbishop

Sebastian Messmer Sebastian Gebhard Messmer (August 29, 1847 – August 4, 1930) was a Switzerland, Swiss-born prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop (Catholic Church), bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Green Bay, Diocese of Green Bay (189 ...

In 1912, Koudelka ordained Philip B. Gordon, the first Ojibwa priest and the second Native American Catholic priest in the country. Fluent in eight languages, Koudelka authored books in Czech, German and English.1920 published book 'Forty Hours Adoration, Diederich-Schaefer Co. Milwaukee
/ref> As bishop, he also learned to speak the

Ojibwe language Ojibwe , also known as Ojibwa , Ojibway, Otchipwe,R. R. Bishop Baraga, 1878''A Theoretical and Practical Grammar of the Otchipwe Language''/ref> Ojibwemowin, or Anishinaabemowin, is an indigenous language of North America of the Algonquian lan ...

. He commissioned works of art for several church properties. Koudelka created the Catholic Charities Bureau in Superior.History of Diocese of Superior, Bishop Koudelka
at www.catholicdos.org On September 12, 1917, he dedicated St. Joseph's Children's Home in Superior, an orphanage that housed up to 200 children. He conducted over 100 parish missions around the country and contributed donations to help finance the orphanage. In 1918, during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, the

US Department of Justice The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a federal executive department of the United States government tasked with the enforcement of federal law and administration of justice in the United Stat ...

(DOJ) investigated Koudelka - some priests had accused him of being pro-German. Two DOJ investigators interviewed him in Superior. After speaking with Koudelka and viewing some of his writings that supported US involvement in the war, the investigators concluded that these suspicions were groundless.

Death and legacy

Joseph Koudelka died on June 24, 1921, at his residence in Superior.''Our Journey'', p. 28. The funeral Mass was celebrated at the chapel of St. Joseph's Children's Home by his nephew Reverend Charles Koudelka of Cleveland. The next day, a solemn burial Mass was held at Sacred Heart pro-cathedral. Final services were at St. Michael Church in Cleveland where he was pastor with burial at St. Mary Cemetery.

References

External links

GCatholic Reference, Diocese of Cleveland, former prelates

GCatholic Reference, Diocese of Superior, list of Bishops
{{DEFAULTSORT:Koudelka, Joseph Maria 1852 births 1921 deaths American people of Bohemian descent Emigrants from Austria-Hungary to the United States kou Religious leaders from Cleveland 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States Religious leaders from Wisconsin Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee Catholic Church in Ohio Roman Catholic Diocese of Cleveland Roman Catholic bishops of Superior Roman Catholic Diocese of Superior St. Francis Seminary (Wisconsin) alumni American people of Czech descent