Joseph Gregory Dwenger C.P.P.S (April 7, 1837 – January 22, 1893) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Fort Wayne in Indiana from 1872 to 1893.

Biography

Early life

Joseph Dwenger was born near Minster,

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 ...

, on April 7, 1837. His parents were Johann Gerhard Heinrich "Henry" Dwenger and Maria Catherine Wirdt. Dying of cholera, his widowed mother entrusted the boy to Fr. Andrew Kunkler. Joseph was raised by the

Missionaries of the Precious Blood The Missionaries of the Precious Blood ( la, Congregatio Missionariorum Pretiosissimi Sanguinis) is a Catholic community of priests and brothers. The society was founded by Saint Gaspar del Bufalo in 1815. The Missionaries of the Precious Bl ...

and educated at Holy Trinity School in CincinnatiHammer, Bonaventure. "Fort Wayne." The Catholic Encyclopedia
Vol. 6. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1909. 10 October 2022 He later joined the community, and was sent to Mount St. Mary's Seminary in Cincinnati.

Priesthood

Dwenger 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 ...

a priest for the Missionaries of the Precious Blood by Archbishop

John Baptist Purcell John Baptist Purcell (February 26, 1800 – July 4, 1883) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Cincinnati from 1833 to his death in 1883, and he was elevated to the rank of archbishop in 1850. He formed the b ...

on September 4, 1859. He had received a papal dispensation to received ordination at age 22. In 1861, he arranged for the purchase of the property where St. Charles Seminary would eventually be located and was its founding rector. In 1862, he was assigned to parochial work. From 1867 to 1872, he was occupied in preaching missions in

, Indiana and

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

. In 1872, Dwenger accompanied Purcell as his theologian to the Second Plenary Council of American bishops in

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Bishop of Fort Wayne

On February 15, 1872, Pope Pius IX appointed Dwenger as bishop of the Diocese of Fort Wayne. He was consecrated by Purcell on April 14, 1872, in Cincinnati. In 1874, Dwenger joined other American bishops in a

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...

to Europe. During his time in office he supported the congregation of the

Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ The Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ (PHJC) is a female congregation of the Catholic Church. It originated in Dernbach (Westerwald), where the generalate is still located. Their organization for ''associates'' (like Fiat Spiritus) is also open to m ...

, as had his predecessor Bishop

John Henry Luers John Henry Luers (September 29, 1819 – June 29, 1871) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the first bishop of the new Roman Catholic Diocese of Fort Wayne–South Bend, Diocese of Fort Wayne in Indiana from 18 ...

. He allowed Father Edward Koenig – who had served as advisor to the sisters since their arrival – to remain in office in their Motherhouse in Fort Wayne. The good relationship continued, and in due course the congregation opened many schools, orphanages and hospitals in his and the neighbouring dioceses. Especially the establishment of orphanages were at his core interest. He served such parishes as Holy Rosary in St. Marys and St. Joseph's in Wapakoneta, both in Auglaize County, and he aided in establishing Immaculate Conception parish in Celina in Mercer County. In 1875, he erected an

orphan asylum An orphanage is a residential institution, total institution or group home, devoted to the care of orphans and children who, for various reasons, cannot be cared for by their biological families. The parents may be deceased, absent, or a ...

and a trade school for boys at

Lafayette Lafayette or La Fayette may refer to: People * Lafayette (name), a list of people with the surname Lafayette or La Fayette or the given name Lafayette * House of La Fayette, a French noble family ** Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette (1757� ...

. He was a zealous promoter of the parochial school system. In 1884 he attended the Third Plenary Council at Baltimore. The following March he was deputed, with Bishops John Moore and Richard Gilmour, to present the decrees of the council to

Pope Leo XIII Pope Leo XIII ( it, Leone XIII; born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2 March 1810 – 20 July 1903) was the head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 to his death in July 1903. Living until the age of 93, he was the second-old ...

. In 1886, he erected an asylum for orphan girls at Fort Wayne. In 1888 when he was on his way to Rome he visited the German Motherhouse of the congregation of the

in Dernbach Westerwald from where their community took its beginnings. He stated his intention as to express personally his gratitude for the many services which had been done for the development of his diocese and the many sisters which had been sent to serve in the US. As in 1888, in 1891 he again went to Rome, the last time in the interest of the Pontifical North American College.

Death and legacy

Joseph Dwenger died on January 22, 1893, in Fort Wayne. He was buried at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Fort Wayne. Bishop Dwenger High School in Fort Wayne is named for him.

References

---- ''This article incorporates text from the 1909 ''

Catholic Encyclopedia The ''Catholic Encyclopedia: An International Work of Reference on the Constitution, Doctrine, Discipline, and History of the Catholic Church'' (also referred to as the ''Old Catholic Encyclopedia'' and the ''Original Catholic Encyclopedia'') i ...

'' article
Fort Wayne
by Bonaventure Hammer, a publication now in the

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.'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Dwenger, Joseph Gregory 1837 births 1893 deaths People from Mercer County, Ohio Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati 19th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States Roman Catholic bishops of Fort Wayne People from Auglaize County, Ohio Catholics from Ohio Catholics from Indiana