Raymond Emil Goedert (born October 15, 1927) is 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 'pref ...

of the Roman Catholic Church. Goedert served as an auxiliary bishop of the

Archdiocese of Chicago The Archdiocese of Chicago ( la, Archidiœcesis Chicagiensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or archdiocese of the Catholic Church located in Northeastern Illinois, in the United States. It was established as a diocese in 1843 and ...

in Illinois from 1991 to 2003.

Biography

Early years

Goedert was born on October 15, 1927, in

Oak Park, Illinois Oak Park is a village in Cook County, Illinois, adjacent to Chicago. It is the 29th-most populous municipality in Illinois with a population of 54,583 as of the 2020 U.S. Census estimate. Oak Park was first settled in 1835 and later incorporated in ...

. He attended St. Giles Elementary School in Oak Park and

Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary was an American seminary preparatory school administered by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago for young men considering the priesthood. Located in downtown Chicago at 103 East Chestnut Street, a ...

in Chicago. Goedert attended

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 ...

in Rome, where he obtain a

Licentiate of Canon Law Licentiate of Canon Law ( la, Juris Canonici Licentiatus; JCL) is the title of an advanced graduate degree with canonical effects in the Roman Catholic Church offered by pontifical universities and ecclesiastical faculties of canon law. Licentiate ...

. He also went to University of St. Mary of the Lake Seminary in Mundelein, Illinois, where he was awarded a

Licentiate in Sacred Theology Licentiate in Sacred Theology ( la, Sacrae Theologiae Licentiatus; abbreviated STL) is the second of three ecclesiastical degrees in theology (the first being the Baccalaureate in Sacred Theology and the third being the Doctorate in Sacred Theol ...

Priesthood

On May 1, 1952, Goedert was ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Chicago by Cardinal

Samuel Stritch Samuel Alphonsius Stritch (August 17, 1887 – May 27, 1958) was an American Cardinal prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Chicago from 1940 to 1958 and as pro-prefect of the Sacred Congregation for Pro ...

.Arter his ordination, Goedert served as associate pastor for St. Gabriel and Blessed Sacrament Parishes in Chicago, and Mater Christi Parish in

North Riverside, Illinois North Riverside is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 7,426. Geography North Riverside is located at (41.846222, -87.829585). According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, North R ...

. He was also a notary, vice officialis, judge of the

Tribunal A tribunal, generally, is any person or institution with authority to judge, adjudicate on, or determine claims or disputes—whether or not it is called a tribunal in its title. For example, an advocate who appears before a court with a single ...

, archdiocesan consultor, vicar for priests, archdiocesan director of NAIM, and pastor of St. Barnabas Parish in Chicago. Goedert served as

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 ...

of the archdiocese from 1995 to 2003 and again briefly from August 2004 to November 2004.

Auxiliary Bishop of Chicago

On July 8, 1991,

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 ...

appointed Goedert as auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Chicago and titular bishop of Tamazeni. He was consecrated by then Archbishop

Joseph Bernardin Joseph Louis Bernardin (April 2, 1928 – November 14, 1996) was an American Cardinal of the Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Cincinnati from 1972 until 1982, and as Archbishop of Chicago from 1982 until his death in 1996 from ...

on August 29, 1991. In 1998, Goedert was one of 75 U.S. Catholic bishops to condemn the U.S. policy on

strategic nuclear weapon A strategic nuclear weapon (SNW) refers to a nuclear weapon that is designed to be used on targets often in settled territory far from the battlefield as part of a strategic plan, such as military bases, military command centers, arms industries, ...

Retirement and legacy

Goedert sent his letter of retirement as auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Chicago to Pope John Paul II on January 24, 2003. In 2008. as part of a legal settlement between the Archdiocese of Chicago and sexual abuse victims, Goedert answered questions in a deposition. Goedert admitted that when he was vicar general of the archdiocese, he knew of

sexual abuse Sexual abuse or sex abuse, also referred to as molestation, is abusive sexual behavior by one person upon another. It is often perpetrated using force or by taking advantage of another. Molestation often refers to an instance of sexual assa ...

allegations against 25 priests. However, he did not report any of them to police because the standard practice then was to forward the matter to the diocese attorneys. The attorneys would tell him if a

police report In legal terminology, a complaint is any formal legal document that sets out the facts and legal reasons (see: cause of action) that the filing party or parties (the plaintiff(s)) believes are sufficient to support a claim against the party ...

was necessary, but they never did. Goedert served as vicar general under Cardinal Bernardin, and lived with Cardinal Francis George in the archbishop's Mansion during his entire ministry. Goedert was with both men when they died, and gave

last rites The last rites, also known as the Commendation of the Dying, are the last prayers and ministrations given to an individual of Christian faith, when possible, shortly before death. They may be administered to those awaiting execution, mortall ...

to Cardinal George.

References

External links

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago

Episcopal succession

1927 births Living people Clergy from Chicago People from Oak Park, Illinois Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago 20th-century American Roman Catholic titular bishops 21st-century American Roman Catholic titular bishops Religious leaders from Illinois Catholics from Illinois {{US-RC-bishop-stub