William Xavier Kienzle (September 11, 1928 – December 28, 2001) was an American priest and later writer.

Early career

Kienzle was born in

Detroit Michigan Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

. Ordained to the priesthood 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 ...

in 1954, William X. Kienzle spent twenty years as a parish priest. From 1962-74 he was editor in chief of the archdiocese's newspaper, ''Michigan Catholic'', earning an award from Michigan's

Knights of Columbus The Knights of Columbus (K of C) is a global Catholic fraternal service order founded by Michael J. McGivney on March 29, 1882. Membership is limited to practicing Catholic men. It is led by Patrick E. Kelly, the order's 14th Supreme Knight. ...

for general excellence in journalism and a Catholic Press Association acknowledgment for editorial writing. Kienzle left the priesthood in 1974.

Career after leaving the priesthood

When in 1974, Father William X. Kienzle left the Priesthood, through a process called

laicization Laicization may refer to: * Loss of clerical state (Catholic Church) * Not to be confused with defrocking Defrocking, unfrocking, degradation, or laicization of clergy is the removal of their rights to exercise the functions of the ordained mini ...

and reportedly due to the church's refusal to remarry divorcees, he became the Editor in Chief at '' MPLS Magazine'' in

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

. Later, moving to Texas, Kienzle was Director of the Center for Contemplative Studies at the

University of Dallas The University of Dallas is a Private university, private Catholic church, Catholic university in Irving, Texas. Established in 1956, it is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. The university comprises four academi ...

. During this period Kienzle authored 24 crime fiction/mystery novels featuring Father Robert Koesler, a Catholic priest. In 1978, Kienzle published the first, and best known of the Father Robert Koesler mystery novels ''The Rosary Murders'' which was made into a movie in 1987, starring

Donald Sutherland Donald McNichol Sutherland (born 17 July 1935) is a Canadian actor whose film career spans over six decades. He has been nominated for nine Golden Globe Awards, winning two for his performances in the television films ''Citizen X'' (1995) an ...

as Father Koesler. The Screenplay was co-written by Kienzle with

Elmore Leonard Elmore John Leonard Jr. (October 11, 1925August 20, 2013) was an American novelist, short story writer, and screenwriter. His earliest novels, published in the 1950s, were Westerns, but he went on to specialize in crime fiction and suspense thri ...

and Fred Walton (who also directed the film). ''The Rosary Murders'', like most of Kienzle's mysteries, is set in Detroit, Michigan. The Cognac Festival du Film Policier in 1988 presented the Audience Award to Director Fred Walton, and a Special Mention Award to Elmore Leonard and Fred Walton for the screenplay and the Dialogs in the 1987 film. In 1980 William X. Kienzle was a National Award Fiction Finalist for ''The Rosary Murders".

Personal life

After leaving the priesthood, Kienzle married Javan Herman Andrews, a journalist from the ''

Detroit Free Press The ''Detroit Free Press'' is the largest daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, US. The Sunday edition is titled the ''Sunday Free Press''. It is sometimes referred to as the Freep (reflected in the paper's web address, www.freep.com). It primari ...

''. Kienzle died suddenly from a heart attack at age 73 on December 28, 2001 at home in West Bloomfield, Michigan, while preparing for an appointment with his cardiologist. Javan Kienzle died from metastatic breast cancer on September 30, 2015.

Books in the Father Robert Koesler Series

# ''The Rosary Murders" (1978) # ''Death Wears a Red Hat'' (1980) # ''Mind Over Murder'' (1981) # ''Assault with Intent'' (1982) # ''Shadow of Death'' (1983) # ''Kill and Tell'' (1984) # ''Sudden Death'' (1985) # ''Deathbed'' (1986) # ''Deadline for a Critic'' (1987) # ''Marked for Murder'' (1988) # ''Eminence'' (1989) # ''Masquerade'' (1990) # ''Chameleon'' (1991) # ''Body Count'' (1992) # ''Dead Wrong'' (1993) # ''Bishop As Pawn'' (1994) # ''Call No Man Father'' (1995) # ''Requiem for Moses'' (1996) # ''The Man Who Loved God'' (1997) # ''The Greatest Evil'' (1998) # ''No Greater Love'' (1999) # ''The Sacrifice'' (1999) # ''Till Death'' (2000) # ''The Gathering'' (2002)

Other Books

William X. Kienzle's Biography, ''Judged by Love'', was published after William X. Kienzle's death by Javan Herman Andrews Kienzle.

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kienzle, William X. 1928 births 2001 deaths Clergy from Detroit 20th-century American novelists 21st-century American novelists American crime fiction writers American male novelists University of Dallas faculty Writers from Detroit Place of death missing Laicized Roman Catholic priests 20th-century American male writers 21st-century American male writers Novelists from Texas Novelists from Michigan