Robert Joseph Hermann (born August 12, 1934) is an American prelate of the

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

Church. He served as an auxiliary bishop of the

Archdiocese of St. Louis The Archdiocese of St. Louis ( la, Archidiœcesis Sancti Ludovici) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church that covers the City of St. Louis and the Missouri counties of Franklin, Jefferson, Lincoln, Perr ...

in Missouri from 2002 to 2010.

Biography

Early life

Robert Hermann was born on August 12, 1934, in Weingarten, Missouri. As a child, he was a member of Our Lady Help of Christians Parish in Weingarten. He entered St. Preparatory Seminary in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

, in 1955, followed by Kenrick Seminary in St. Louis in 1963. Hermann graduated with a

Bachelor of Philosophy Bachelor of Philosophy (BPhil, BPh, or PhB; la, Baccalaureus Philosophiae or ) is the title of an academic degree that usually involves considerable research, either through a thesis or supervised research projects. Unlike many other bachelor's d ...

degree from Cardinal Glennon College in St. Louis.

Priesthood

Hermann was ordained into the priesthood by Cardinal

Joseph Ritter Joseph Elmer Ritter (July 20, 1892 – June 10, 1967) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as archbishop of the Archdiocese of St. Louis in Missouri from 1946 until his death in 1967, and was created a cardinal in 1 ...

for the Archdiocese of Saint Louis on March 30, 1963. After his ordination, Hermann had the following part time assignments in parishes in Eastern Missouri while teaching in church schools: * Assistant pastor, Our Lady Help of Christians Parish in Bonnots Mill, Missouri, in 1963 * Assistant pastor, St. Catherine of Siena Parish in

Pagedale, Missouri Pagedale is a city in St. Louis County, Missouri, St. Louis County, Missouri, United States. The population was 3,310 at the 2010 census. History The area originally was farmland, but it did have an interesting history with several pockets of s ...

from 1963 to 1964 * Assistant pastor, St. Cronan Parish in St. Louis from 1964 to 1968 (during this period, he studied at St. Louis University, receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in English in 1966) * Associate pastor, Holy Ghost Parish in

Berkeley, Missouri Berkeley is an inner-ring suburb of St. Louis, located in St. Louis County, Missouri, United States. The population was 8,228 at the 2020 census. Portions of St. Louis Lambert International Airport are within the city limits.Catholic Charismatic Renewal The Catholic Charismatic Renewal is a movement within the Catholic Church that is part of the wider charismatic movement across historic Christian churches. The Renewal has been described as a "current of grace". It began in 1967 when Cath ...

for the archdiocese, serving in that role until 1982. During the same period, he served as associate pastor of St. Pius X Parish in

Glasgow Village, Missouri Glasgow Village is a census-designated place (CDP) in St. Louis County, Missouri, United States. The population was 5,429 at the 2010 census. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of , all land. Demo ...

. In 1982, Hermann was named supervisor of the Acolyte Internship Program for Kenrick Seminary and as pastor of St. Andrew Parish in

Lemay, Missouri Lemay is a census-designated place (CDP) in south St. Louis County, Missouri, United States. The population was 16,645 at the 2010 census. History Lemay was named after Francois Lemai, who operated a ferry boat across the Meramec River in the e ...

. Hermann left St. Andrew in 1988 to become pastor of Incarnate Word Parish in

Chesterfield, Missouri Chesterfield is a city in St. Louis County, Missouri, United States. It is a western suburb of St. Louis. As of the 2020 census, the population was 49,999, . The broader valley of Chesterfield was originally referred to as "Gumbo Flats", deriv ...

, serving there until 2002. In 1996, Hermann was named as dean of the Northwest Deanery in the archdiocese. He became chair of the Agency Review Task Force in 2000. He was appointed as vicar general in 2002.

Auxiliary Bishop of St. Louis

Hermann was appointed by

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 ...

on October 16, 2002, as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Saint Louis. He was consecrated on December 12, 2002, by Archbishop

Justin Rigali Justin Francis Rigali (born April 19, 1935) is an American cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He was the eighth Archbishop of Philadelphia, having previously served as Archbishop of St. Louis from 1994 to 2003, and was elevated to the ca ...

. The archdiocesan consultors elected Hermann as archdiocesan administrator until April 21, 2009, when Bishop Robert Carlson was named archbishop and led the archdiocese as apostolic administrator in concert with Archbishop-elect Carlson until his installation on June 10, 2009. Hermann supervised the parishes in five deaneries: Northeast St. Louis County, Northwest St. Louis County, Festus,

St. Charles County St. Charles County is in the central eastern part of the U.S. state of Missouri. As of the 2020 census, the population was 405,262, making it Missouri's third-most populous county. Its county seat is St. Charles. The county was organized Oct ...

and

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

. His responsibilities also included Catholic education, stewardship and development, and several other agencies and ministries.

Retirement

On December 1, 2010,

Pope Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the soverei ...

accepted Hermann's letter of resignation as auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of St. Louis.

References

External links

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Louis Official Site

Bishop Hermann's Archdiocesan Profile

USCCB Bishops Directory
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hermann, Robert Joseph 21st-century American Roman Catholic titular bishops Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Louis Living people Saint Louis University alumni Kenrick–Glennon Seminary alumni 1934 births Religious leaders from Missouri