Loras Joseph Watters (October 14, 1915 – March 30, 2009) was an American

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 ca ...

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 an auxiliary bishop in the

Archdiocese of Dubuque The Archdiocese of Dubuque ( la, Archidiœcesis Dubuquensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in the northeastern quarter of the state of Iowa in the United States. It includes all the Iowa counti ...

from 1965 to 1969, and as the fifth Bishop of Winona from 1969 to 1986.

Biography

Early life

Loras Watters was born in

Dubuque, Iowa Dubuque (, ) is the county seat of Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, located along the Mississippi River. At the time of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population of Dubuque was 59,667. The city lies at the junction of Iowa, Il ...

, the son of Martin and Carolyn (Sisler) Watters. He was a sick child at birth and he and his mother spent an extended period of time in the hospital. He received his first name from the sister who baptized him in the hospital, Sr. Loras, "much to his mother's chagrin." Watters received his early education at St. Raphael’s Cathedral School in Dubuque and Loras Academy before completing his undergraduate degree at Columbia College in Dubuque. Watters studied for the priesthood at the

Pontifical North American College The Pontifical North American College (NAC) is a Catholic Church, Roman Catholic educational institution in Rome, Italy, that prepares seminarians to become priests in the United States and elsewhere. The NAC also provides a residence for Pri ...

and the

Pontifical Gregorian University The Pontifical Gregorian University ( it, Pontificia Università Gregoriana; also known as the Gregorian or Gregoriana,) is a higher education ecclesiastical school ( pontifical university) located in Rome, Italy. The Gregorian originated as ...

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 ...

before

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

closed the school. He completed his studies at

Theological College A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy, ...

The Catholic University of America The Catholic University of America (CUA) is a private university, private Catholic church, Roman Catholic research university in Washington, D.C. It is a pontifical university of the Catholic Church in the United States and the only institution ...

in Washington, D.C.

Priesthood

Watters was ordained a priest in the Archdiocese of Dubuque on June 7, 1941, by Archbishop

Francis Beckman Francis Joseph Beckman (October 25, 1875 – October 17, 1948) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Lincoln in Nebraska (1924–1930) and as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Dubuque in Iowa ( ...

in St. Raphael's Cathedral. He served as the assistant pastor at St. Martin's Parish in

Cascade, Iowa Cascade is a city in Dubuque and Jones counties, Iowa, United States. The Dubuque County portion is part of Dubuque Metropolitan Statistical Area, while the Jones County section is part of Cedar Rapids Metropolitan Statistical Area. The populatio ...

, from 1941 to 1944. He then served on the faculty of Loras Academy in Dubuque from 1944 to 1946. Watters returned to Catholic University for post-graduate work before returning to Loras Academy briefly as principal. He then returned to Catholic University where he earned a

doctorate in education The Doctor of Education (Ed.D. or D.Ed.; Latin ''Educationis Doctor'' or ''Doctor Educationis'') is (depending on region and university) a research or professional doctoral degree that focuses on the field of education. It prepares the holder for a ...

. Upon returning to Dubuque he served on the faculty of Loras College in the Education Department from 1954 to 1956. Watters returned to Rome in 1956 where he served as

spiritual director Spiritual direction is the practice of being with people as they attempt to deepen their relationship with the divine, or to learn and grow in their personal spirituality. The person seeking direction shares stories of their encounters of the di ...

at the Pontifical North American College until 1960. He was named a

papal chamberlain A Papal Gentleman, also called a Gentleman of His Holiness, is a lay attendant of the pope and his papal household in Vatican City. Papal gentlemen serve in the Apostolic Palace near St. Peter's Basilica in ceremonial positions, such as escorting d ...

Pope Pius XII Pope Pius XII ( it, Pio XII), born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli (; 2 March 18769 October 1958), was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 2 March 1939 until his death in October 1958. Before his e ...

and then a

domestic prelate Monsignor (; it, monsignore ) is an honorific form of address or title for certain male clergy members, usually members of the Roman Catholic Church. Monsignor is the apocopic form of the Italian ''monsignore'', meaning "my lord". "Monsignor" ca ...

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 ...

during these years. After he returned to Iowa, Watters became the director of the North American Martyrs Retreat House in Cedar Falls.

Auxiliary Bishop of Dubuque

Watters was appointed

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 an ...

of ''Fidoloma'' and auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Dubuque by

Pope Paul VI Pope Paul VI ( la, Paulus VI; it, Paolo VI; born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini, ; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City, Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 to his ...

on June 21, 1965. He was consecrated a bishop by Archbishop

Egidio Vagnozzi Egidio Vagnozzi (26 February 1906 – 26 December 1980) was an Italian cardinal of the Catholic Church. He served as the second president of the Prefecture for the Economic Affairs of the Holy See from 1968 until his death, and was elevated to ...

on August 26, 1965, in St. Raphael's Cathedral. Archbishop James Byrne and Bishop James Casey were the co-consecrators. Watters attended the fourth session on the

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

(Vatican II) in Rome. During the time he served as auxiliary bishop, Waters also served as the

vicar general A vicar general (previously, archdeacon) is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority and possesses the title of local ordinary. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar general exercises the bishop's ...

and

superintendent of schools In the American education system, a superintendent or superintendent of schools is an administrator or manager in charge of a number of public schools or a school district, a local government body overseeing public schools. All school principa ...

for the archdiocese and as the pastor of Nativity Parish in Dubuque.

Bishop of Winona

On January 8, 1969, Paul VI appointed Watters as the fifth bishop of the Diocese of Winona; he was installed on March 13, 1969. Watters led the diocese in the years after Vatican II. He promulgated the document, "The Church in the Diocese of Winona," which described the local Church and the roles of the clergy, religious, and the

laity In religious organizations, the laity () consists of all members who are not part of the clergy, usually including any non-ordained members of religious orders, e.g. a nun or a lay brother. In both religious and wider secular usage, a layperson ...

. He initiated the Diocesan Pastoral Council, which provided a pastoral leadership role for the laity in the Church. From 1972 to 1974, Watters served as the Chairman of the Bishops' Committee on Priestly Formation for the

National Conference of Catholic Bishops 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 ...

. Watters led the diocese in a spiritual renewal program called RENEW beginning in 1984, which encouraged the

to participate in the life of their parish. This emphasis on the role of lay people helped in the years Watters was the bishop and after he resigned as the number of priests in diocese declined. He also established the Diocesan Tribunal, the Diocesan Finance Office, and reorganized the diocese of Winona into

deaneries A deanery (or decanate) is an ecclesiastical entity in the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Anglican Communion, the Evangelical Church in Germany, and the Church of Norway. A deanery is either the jurisdiction or residence ...

. During his years as bishop, he resided in a three-room apartment at the Diocesan Pastoral Center.

Retirement and legacy

Watters remained as the Bishop of Winona until his retirement on his 71st birthday in 1986. He initially moved to St. Mary's College in Winona where he taught part-time and served as chaplain to the Brothers. He moved briefly to

Pacific Grove, California Pacific Grove is a coastal city in Monterey County, California, in the United States. The population at the 2020 census was 15,090. Pacific Grove is located between Point Pinos and Monterey. Pacific Grove has numerous Victorian-era houses, so ...

, to be near his sisters before returning to Winona in 2003 and resided at Callista Court at St. Anne's Extended Healthcare. Loras Watters died in Winona on March 30, 2009, at age 93. His funeral was held in the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart and he was buried in St. Mary's Cemetery in Winona.

References

External links

Dubuque DioceseWinona Diocese
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Episcopal succession

{{DEFAULTSORT:Watters, Loras Joseph 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States Roman Catholic bishops of Winona Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dubuque Participants in the Second Vatican Council People from Dubuque, Iowa 1915 births 2009 deaths Religious leaders from Iowa Catholics from Iowa Loras College alumni Catholic University of America alumni Loras College faculty