Philip George Scher (February 22, 1880 – January 3, 1953) was an American clergyman 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 ...

. He served as Bishop of Monterey-Fresno from 1933 until his death in 1953.

Biography

Philip Scher was born in Belleville,

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...

, to Philip Joseph and Catherine (née Wagner) Scher, who 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. He received his early education at the parochial school o
St. Peter's Church
in his native city. He then attended the Pontifical College Josephinum in

Columbus Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to: * Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer * Columbus, Ohio, capital of the U.S. state of Ohio Columbus may also refer to: Places ...

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

, from 1893 to 1896. He continued his studies at the

Propaganda College Propaganda is communication that is primarily used to influence or persuade an audience to further an agenda, which may not be objective and may be selectively presenting facts to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loaded ...

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 ...

, where he 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 by Cardinal

Pietro Respighi Pietro Respighi S.T.D. JUD (22 September 1843 – 22 March 1913) was an Italian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church and Archpriest of the Basilica of St. John Lateran. He was born in Bologna , the son of a mathematics professor at the ...

on June 6, 1903. Upon his return to the United States in 1903, he served as a teacher at the Josephinum for a year. Scher then went to

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

due to ill health and was

incardinated Incardination is the formal term in the Catholic Church for a clergyman being under a bishop or other ecclesiastical superior. It is also sometimes used to refer to laity who may transfer to another part of the church. Examples include transfers ...

into the Diocese of Monterey-Los Angeles in October 1904. He served as a curate at St. Vibiana's Cathedral in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

(1904–05) and a
Our Lady of Sorrows Church
in Santa Barbara (1905–08) before receiving his 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 ...

ate a
Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church
in Montecito in 1908. He then served a
St. Brigid Church
in Hanford (1911–18) an
St. Francis Church
in Bakersfield (1918–24), and was transferred t
St. Joseph Church
in Capitola after requesting a small parish due to a return to ill health. In 1930, he became a pastor in

Monterey Monterey (; es, Monterrey; Ohlone: ) is a city located in Monterey County on the southern edge of Monterey Bay on the U.S. state of California's Central Coast. Founded on June 3, 1770, it functioned as the capital of Alta California under bot ...

and

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' ...

of the diocese. On April 28, 1933, Scher was appointed Bishop of Monterey-Fresno by Pope Pius XI. He received his episcopal consecration on the following June 29 from Archbishop

Edward Joseph Hanna Edward Joseph Hanna (July 21, 1860 – July 10, 1944) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as archbishop of San Francisco from 1915 to 1935. Early life and education Edward Hanna was born in Rochester, New York, to ...

, with Bishops

John Joseph Cantwell John Joseph Cantwell (December 1, 1874 – October 30, 1947) was an Irish-born American prelate of the Catholic Church. He led the Archdiocese of Los Angeles from 1917 until his death in 1947, becoming its first archbishop in 1936. Cantwell wa ...

and

Thomas Kiely Gorman Thomas Kiely Gorman (August 30, 1892 – August 16, 1980) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the first bishop of the new Diocese of Reno in Nevada from 1931 to 1952 and as the fourth bishop of the Diocese of ...

serving as co-consecrators. After suffering a stroke in 1946, he was confined to a hospital in Fresno, and received

Aloysius Joseph Willinger Aloysius Joseph Willinger (1886–1973) was an American member of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, commonly known as the Redemptorist Fathers, and a prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Ponce from 1929 to 1946, ...

as his coadjutor bishop. He later died at age 72.

References

Burial at Holy Cross Cemetery, Fresno, CA.; Great Mausoleum, Central Alcove at the foot of the altar. {{DEFAULTSORT:Scher, Philip George 1880 births 1953 deaths People from Belleville, Illinois Pontifical College Josephinum alumni Catholics from Illinois 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States