Lawrence Donald Soens (August 26, 1926 – November 1, 2021) was 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 ...

. In 2008, the Diocese of Davenport in Iowa announced multiple credible accusations that Soens had sexually abused children as a priest. He served as bishop of the

Diocese of Sioux City The Roman Catholic Diocese of Sioux City ( la, Diœcesis Siopolitanensis) is the Roman Catholic diocese for the northwestern quarter of the state of Iowa in the United States. It is a suffragan see of the Archdiocese of Dubuque. The cathedral p ...

in Iowa from 1983 to 1998.

Life and career

Early life

Lawrence Soens was born in

Iowa City Iowa City, offically the City of Iowa City is a city in Johnson County, Iowa, United States. It is the home of the University of Iowa and county seat of Johnson County, at the center of the Iowa City Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the time ...

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...

, on August 26, 1926. He was educated at Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa, Saint Ambrose College in Davenport, Iowa, and studied for the priesthood at Kenrick Seminary in Shrewsbury, Missouri. He also completed graduate studies at the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is org ...

in Iowa City, Iowa.

Priesthood

Soens was ordained a priest by Bishop

Ralph Leo Hayes Ralph Leo Hayes S.T.D. (September 21, 1884 – July 5, 1970) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the fourth bishop of the Diocese of Helena in Montana from 1933 to 1935, and as the fifth bishop of the Diocese of Da ...

on May 6, 1950, for the Diocese of Davenport. Soens' first assignment was as an assistant pastor at St. Paul's Parish in

Burlington, Iowa Burlington is a city in, and the county seat of, Des Moines County, Iowa, United States. The population was 23,982 in the 2020 census, a decline from the 26,839 population in 2000. Burlington is the center of a micropolitan area, which includes ...

. He then joined the faculty of St. Ambrose Academy in

Davenport, Iowa Davenport is a city in and the county seat of Scott County, Iowa, United States. Located along the Mississippi River on the eastern border of the state, it is the largest of the Quad Cities, a metropolitan area with a population of 384,324 and a ...

and then became the assistant pastor at St. Bridget's Parish in

Victor, Iowa Victor is a town in Poweshiek and Iowa counties in the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 875 in the 2020 census, a decline from the population of 952 in 2000. History Victor was laid out in the 1860s. The town was originally called Wilso ...

. Soens' next assignment was as director of Regina High School in Iowa City. He went on to become the rector of St. Ambrose Seminary and served on the faculty of St. Ambrose College. His next assignment was as pastor at Assumption Parish in

Charlotte, Iowa Charlotte ( ) is a city in Clinton County, Iowa, United States. The population was 389 at the 2020 census. History Charlotte was platted in 1871; a post office already been established there in 1853. The town was named for the first postmaster's ...

, and St. Patrick Parish in Villa Nova, Iowa. He was pastor at St. Mary's Parish in Clinton, Iowa, when

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

named him a

prelate of honor A Prelate of Honour of His Holiness is a Catholic prelate to whom the Pope has granted this title of honour. They are addressed as Monsignor and have certain privileges as regards clerical clothing.

Bishop of Sioux City

On June 15, 1983, John Paul II named Soens as the fifth bishop of the Diocese of Sioux City. He was consecrated on August 17, 1983, at the Cathedral of the Ephiphany in Sioux City by Archbishop James Byrne. Bishops Gerald O'Keefe and Frank Greteman were the principal co-consecrators. In February 1986, Soens received a letter detailing allegations against Jerome Coyle, a diocese priest. The diocese had sent Coyle to

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 ...

to train as a hospital chaplain. A supervisor in that program wrote Soens that Coyle was exhibiting inappropriate behavior around young boys. Soens then dispatched Coyle to the

Servants of the Paraclete The Congregation of the Servants of the Paraclete is a Latin Church, Catholic religious congregation of men dedicated to ministry to priests and Brothers with personal difficulties. The congregation was founded in 1947 by Father Gerald Fitzgerald ...

foundation house in Jemez Springs, New Mexico for evaluation and treatment. On May 15, 1986, the Foundation informed Soens that Coyle had admitted to fondling up to 50 teenagers. Soens suspended Coyle from parish assignments, but did not report any of his crimes to authorities. While Soens was bishop, many programs were established or expanded, including: Ministry 2000, the Priests Retirement Fund, youth ministry programs and the diocese mandated parish pastoral and finance commissions. In 1997, Soens requested a

coadjutor bishop A coadjutor bishop (or bishop coadjutor) is a bishop in the Catholic, Anglican, and (historically) Eastern Orthodox churches whose main role is to assist the diocesan bishop in the administration of the diocese. The coadjutor (literally, "co ...

to assist him with his duties. On August 19, 1997, Pope John Paul II named Msgr.

Daniel DiNardo Daniel Nicholas DiNardo (born May 23, 1949) is an American Cardinal (Catholicism), cardinal of the Catholic Church. He is the second and current archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston ...

from the Diocese of Pittsburgh.

Resignation and legacy

Soens's resignation as bishop of the Diocese of Sioux City was accepted by John Paul II on November 28, 1998. On June 8, 2005, Soens and the diocese were sued by a man who accused Soens of fondling him starting in 1963 when Soens was director at Regina Catholic High School in Iowa City. On November 6, 2008, the diocesan review board for the Diocese of Sioux City reported that there were credible accusations that Soens had sexually abused minors. Thirty-one men had accused him of abusing them between 1950 and 1983. His case was referred to the Vatican for further action. Lawrence Soens died in

Sioux City, Iowa Sioux City () is a city in Woodbury and Plymouth counties in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 85,797 in the 2020 census, making it the fourth-largest city in Iowa. The bulk of the city is in Woodbury County, ...

, on November 1, 2021, at age 95.

References

External links

Roman Catholic Diocese of Sioux City Official Site

Episcopal succession

{{DEFAULTSORT:Soens, Lawrence Donald 1926 births 2021 deaths 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States Catholic Church sexual abuse scandals in the United States Kenrick–Glennon Seminary alumni Loras College alumni People from Iowa City, Iowa Roman Catholic Diocese of Davenport Roman Catholic bishops of Sioux City St. Ambrose University alumni University of Iowa alumni