Joseph Francis Busch (April 18, 1866—May 31, 1953) 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

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 in South Dakota from 1910 to 1915 and bishop of the Diocese of Saint Cloud in Minnesota from 1915 until his death in 1953.

Biography

Early life

Joseph Busch was born on April 18, 1866, in Red Wing,

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 ...

, the eldest of twelve children of Frederick and Anna M. (née Weimar) Busch. His parents were

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

immigrants; his father served for many years as president of the Goodhue County National Bank and was also president of the La Grange mills. Joseph Busch received his early education at the public and parochial schools of Red Wing, and afterwards attended parochial schools in

Mankato Mankato ( ) is a city in Blue Earth, Nicollet, and Le Sueur counties in the state of Minnesota. The population was 44,488 according to the 2020 census, making it the 21st-largest city in Minnesota, and the 5th-largest outside of the Minnea ...

. He then attended Canisius College in Buffalo, New York, before entering

Campion College Campion College Australia is a Roman Catholic tertiary educational liberal arts college located at Austin Woodbury Place, Toongabbie in the western suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Named in honour of Saint Edmund Campion, Campi ...

Prairie du Chien Prairie du Chien () is a city in and the county seat of Crawford County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 5,506 at the 2020 census. Its ZIP Code is 53821. Often referred to as Wisconsin's second oldest city, Prairie du Chien was esta ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

, where he completed his classical studies. Busch studied philosophy and theology at the

University of Innsbruck The University of Innsbruck (german: Leopold-Franzens-Universität Innsbruck; la, Universitas Leopoldino Franciscea) is a public research university in Innsbruck, the capital of the Austrian federal state of Tyrol, founded on October 15, 1669. ...

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

Priesthood

Busch 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 for the Archdiocese of Saint Paul on July 28, 1889. He furthered his studies at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., for one year. Busch then returned to Minnesota and served as secretary of 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 ...

for two years. He also served as a curate at St. Mary's Parish and St. Paul's Cathedral Parish, both 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 founded St. Augustine's Parish of St. Paul in 1896, serving as its first

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 ...

. Busch later served at St. Lawrence Parish in

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

and St. Anne Parish in

Le Sueur, Minnesota Le Sueur is a city in Le Sueur County, Minnesota, Le Sueur County in the U.S. state of Minnesota, between Mankato, Minnesota, Mankato and the Minneapolis-St. Paul, Twin Cities. It lies along the Minnesota River and U.S. Highway 169. Le Sueur was ...

. In 1902, he established the diocesan missionary band of the archdiocese, serving as its director until 1910.

Bishop of Lead

On April 9, 1910, Busch was appointed the second bishop of the Diocese of Lead by Pope Pius X. He received his episcopal consecration on May 19, 1910, from Archbishop Ireland, 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. During his tenure, he called for the abolition of work on Sundays and subsequently received so much criticism that he was forced to relocate to

Rapid City Rapid City ( lkt, link=no, Mni Lúzahaŋ Otȟúŋwahe; "Swift Water City") is the second most populous city in South Dakota and the county seat of Pennington County. Named after Rapid Creek, where the settlement developed, it is in western So ...

Bishop of Saint Cloud

On January 19, 1915, Busch was appointed the fourth Bishop of Saint Cloud in Minnesota 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 ...

. In 1917, he became the first chairman of the Stearns County chapter of the American Red Cross. He was named an

assistant at the pontifical throne The Bishops-Assistant at the Pontifical Throne were ecclesiastical titles in the Roman Catholic Church. It designated prelates belonging to the Papal Chapel, who stood near the throne of the Pope at solemn functions. They ranked immediately belo ...

in 1923. Joseph Busch died on May 31, 1953 at age 87.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Busch, Joseph Francis 1866 births 1953 deaths People from Red Wing, Minnesota American people of German descent Catholic University of America alumni 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States Roman Catholic bishops of Saint Cloud Roman Catholic bishops of Lead