Victor Herman Balke (September 29, 1931) is a prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as bishop of the

Diocese of Crookston The Diocese of Crookston ( la, Diœcesis Crookstoniensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church that covers the northwest section of the state of Minnesota in the United States of America. The Diocese of Cro ...

in Minnesota from 1976 to 2007.

Biography

Early life

Born on September 29, 1931, in

Meppen, Illinois Meppen is an unincorporated community in Calhoun County, Illinois, United States. Meppen is north of Brussels. St. Joseph's Cemetery is located in Meppen. History The community was named after the city of Meppen in the Northwest of Germany. ...

(in Calhoun County), Victor Balke's parents were Elizabeth Knese and Bernard Balke, Sr. He attended St. Joseph Grade School in Meppen as well as the Monterey Grade School. Balke graduated from Hardin County High School in 1949 and entered seminary in September 1949.

Priesthood

Balke was ordained into the priesthood on May 24, 1958, by Bishop William A. O’Connor for the Diocese of Springfield. Following his ordination,, Balke served as assistant pastor at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception Parish for four years and was

chaplain A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a Minister (Christianity), minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a laity, lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secularity, secular institution (such as a hosp ...

at St. Joseph Home for the Aged. Later, he was named procurator, and then

rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

of the diocesan Seminary of the Immaculate Conception in

Springfield, Illinois Springfield is the capital of the U.S. state of Illinois and the county seat and largest city of Sangamon County. The city's population was 114,394 at the 2020 census, which makes it the state's seventh most-populous city, the second largest o ...

. He served on the Matrimonial Tribunal as synodal judge and defender of the bond. He was also the chairman of the diocesan Commission on Ecumenism and secretary-treasurer of the Priests’ Council.

Bishop of Crookston

Balke was appointed as the sixth bishop of the Diocese of Crookston by Pope Paul VI on July 3, 1976. He was consecrated by Archbishop

John Roach John Roach may refer to any of the following: *John Roach (shipbuilder) (1816–1887), United States shipbuilder *John Roach (bishop) (1921–2003), bishop of the Catholic Church * John Roach (baseball) (1867–1934), former Major League Baseball pi ...

on September 2, 1976. After reaching his 75th birthday, the mandatory retirement age for bishops, Balke submitted his letter of resignation as bishop of the Diocese of Crookston to Pope Benedict XVI. The pope accepted Balke's resignation on September 28, 2007. Balke remained as apostolic administrator of the diocese until Father Michael Hoeppner was installed as its new bishop on November 30, 2007.

References

External links

Roman Catholic Diocese of Crookston Official Site

Episcopal succession

{{DEFAULTSORT:Balke, Victor Herman 1931 births Living people Roman Catholic bishops of Crookston 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States People from Calhoun County, Illinois American tax resisters Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield in Illinois Religious leaders from Illinois Catholics from Illinois