Kenneth Donald Steiner (born November 25, 1936) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon from 1978 to 2011.

Biography

Early life

Kenneth Steiner was born in David City, Nebraska, one of five children of Lawrence and Florine Steiner. Kenneth Steiner barely survived a bout of pneumonia when he was one month old. Lawrence Steiner died when Kenneth was very young, and the family then moved to Oregon, where he attended St. Rose Grade School in

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

. While studying at Mount Angel Seminary High School and College in Saint Benedict, Oregon, Kenneth Steiner worked at Blanchet House, a residence for homeless men in Portland, and at a farm in Yamhill County. After finishing at Mount Angel in 1958, Steiner entered St. Thomas the Apostle Seminary in Kenmore, Washington. He graduated from St. Thomas in 1962.

Priesthood

Steiner was ordained into the priesthood by Archbishop Edward Howard on May 19, 1962. After his ordination, Steiner was assigned as an associate pastor at St. Monica Parish in Coos Bay, Oregon, where he remained until 1967. He then served at St. Mary's Cathedral Parish (1967–1970) and at St. Stephen Parish (1970–1972), both in Portland. In Portland, Steiner also began a marriage preparation program and a ministry to divorced and separated Catholics. At one of his parishes, he allowed the

homeless Homelessness or houselessness – also known as a state of being unhoused or unsheltered – is the condition of lacking stable, safe, and adequate housing. People can be categorized as homeless if they are: * living on the streets, also kn ...

to camp outside his residence. In 1972, Steiner was named pastor of Holy Name Parish in Coquille,Oregon, with its missions in Myrtle Point, Oregon and Powers, Oregon. He then served as pastor of St. Francis of Assisi Parish in

Roy, Oregon Roy is an unincorporated historical community in Washington County, Oregon, United States. It is located south of the Sunset Highway (U.S. 26) and southeast of the city of Banks. Circa 1905, representatives of the Pacific Railway and Navigat ...

(1976–1978) and chairman of the Priests' Personnel Committee (1976–1977).

Auxiliary Bishop of Portland

On November 28, 1977, Steiner was appointed as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Portland and titular bishop of ''Avensa'' by Pope Paul VI. Steiner 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 March 2, 1978 from Archbishop Cornelius Power, with Bishops Elden Curtiss and

Alfredo Méndez-Gonzalez Alfredo José Isaac Cecilio Francesco Méndez-Gonzalez (June 3, 1907 – January 28, 1995) was an American Catholic bishop who served in Puerto Rico and who later became involved with sedevacantists. Biography Early life Alfredo Méndez-Gon ...

as co-consecrators,, at the Portland Civic Auditorium. In addition to his episcopal duties, Steiner served as pastor of St. Mary Parish in

Corvallis, Oregon Corvallis ( ) is a city and the county seat of Benton County in central western Oregon, United States. It is the principal city of the Corvallis, Oregon Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Benton County. As of the 2020 United ...

(until 2000), vicar for clergy and clergy personnel director (1978–1980), vicar for worship and ministry (1979–1981), and chairman of the Priests' Retirement Facility Committee (1986–1993). Steiner served as archdiocesan administrator before the appointments of Archbishops Francis George (1996) and John Vlazny (1997). He served as pastor of St. John the Baptist Parish in Milwaukie, Oregon (2000–2002) before being named to St. Edward Parish in

North Plains, Oregon North Plains is a city in Washington County, Oregon, United States, off U.S. 26 on the northwest outskirts of the Portland metropolitan area. The population was 3,441 at the 2020 census. History Pioneer settlers first arrived in the North Plai ...

. He also served as vicar for senior and infirm priests and a member of the Resource Development Office. As bishop, Steiner was a frequent visitor to

death row Death row, also known as condemned row, is a place in a prison that houses inmates awaiting Capital punishment, execution after being convicted of a capital crime and sentenced to death. The term is also used figuratively to describe the state of ...

inmates in Oregon prisons.

Retirement

Having reached his 75th birthday, the mandatory retirement age for bishops, Steiner sent his letter of resignation as auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Portland in 2011 to Pope Benedict XVI. The pope accepted it on November 25, 2011.

References

External links

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Portland Official Site

Episcopal succession

{{DEFAULTSORT:Steiner, Kenneth 1936 births Living people People from David City, Nebraska Clergy from Portland, Oregon Mount Angel Seminary Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States Catholics from Nebraska