Sylvester William Treinen (November 19, 1917 – September 30, 1996) was 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 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 the Diocese of Boise in Idaho from 1962 to 1988.

Biography

Early life

Sylvester Treinen was born in Donnelly, Minnesota, to William John and Kathryn (née Krausen) Treinen. He attended Crosier Seminary in Onamia from 1935 to 1941, and earned a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

degree from St. Paul Seminary in

Saint Paul Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...

in 1943.

Priesthood

Treinen 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 va ...

to the priesthood on June 11, 1946. As a priest of the

Diocese of Bismarck The Diocese of Bismarck ( la, Dioecesis Bismarckiensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in North Dakota. The current bishop of the diocese is Bishop David Kagan. It is a suffragan diocese in the eccles ...

North Dakota North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the Native Americans in the United States, indigenous Dakota people, Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north a ...

, Treinen was a

curate A curate () is a person who is invested with the ''care'' or ''cure'' (''cura'') ''of souls'' of a parish. In this sense, "curate" means a parish priest; but in English-speaking countries the term ''curate'' is commonly used to describe clergy w ...

in Dickinson from 1946 to 1950, and secretary to Bishop

Vincent James Ryan Vincent James Ryan (July 1, 1884 – November 10, 1951) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as bishop of the Diocese of Bismarck in North Dakota from 1940 until his death. Biography Early life The fourth of five chi ...

and his successor, Bishop

Lambert Anthony Hoch Lambert Anthony Hoch (February 6, 1903 – June 27, 1990) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Bismarck (1952–1956) and Bishop of Sioux Falls (1956–1978). Biography Early life Lambert Hoch was ...

, from 1950 to 1953. He then served as a curate at the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit (1950–1957),

chancellor Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...

of the diocese (1953–1959), and curate at St. Anne's Parish in Bismarck (1957–1959). From 1959 to 1962, he was

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 ...

of St. Joseph's Parish in

Mandan The Mandan are a Native American tribe of the Great Plains who have lived for centuries primarily in what is now North Dakota. They are enrolled in the Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Reservation. About half of the Mandan still res ...

Bishop of Boise

On May 23, 1962, Treinen was appointed the fifth Bishop of Boise in

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyom ...

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 ...

. He 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 the following July 25 from Bishop Hilary Baumann Hacker, with Bishops Peter William Bartholome and Lambert Hoch serving as

co-consecrators A consecrator is a bishop who ordains someone to the episcopacy. A co-consecrator is someone who assists the consecrator bishop in the act of ordaining a new bishop. The terms are used in the canon law of the Catholic Church, Lutheran Churches, ...

. He attended all four sessions of 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) ...

between 1962 and 1965, and worked to implement the reforms of the Council in the diocese.

Retirement and legacy

After 26 years as Bishop of Boise, Treinen retired on August 17, 1988. He was succeeded by

Tod David Brown Tod David Brown (born November 15, 1936) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Boise in Idaho from 1989 to 1998 and as bishop of the Diocese of Orange in Southern California from 1998 to ...

. He served as the parish priest for St. Ann's Parish in Arco, Idaho after his retirement. Sylvester Treinen died in Missoula, Montana, at age 78.

References

External links

Roman Catholic Diocese of Boise
{{DEFAULTSORT:Treinen, Sylvester William 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States Participants in the Second Vatican Council Saint Paul Seminary School of Divinity alumni 1917 births Roman Catholic bishops of Boise 1996 deaths People from Mandan, North Dakota Roman Catholic Diocese of Bismarck Religious leaders from North Dakota Catholics from North Dakota