John Janssen (March 3, 1835 – July 2, 1913) was a German-born prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the first bishop of the new

Diocese of Belleville The Diocese of Belleville () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the Catholic Church in the Southern Illinois region of the United States. It is a suffragan see in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Roman Cath ...

in Illinois from 1888 until his death in 1913.

Biography

Early life

Janssen was born on March 3, 1835, in Keppeln, Rheinish in

Prussia Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...

(later part of Germany). He studied at the Royal Theological and Philosophical Academy in Munster, Prussia and the Collegium Augustinianum in Goch, Prussia Janssen was recruited in Munster by French Bishop Henry Juncker in 1858 to serve as a priest in the United States.

Priesthood

After immigrating to the United States, Janssen was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...

to the priesthood by Bishop Juncker for the Diocese of Alton in Illinois on November 19, 1858. After his ordination, he was appointed

pastor A pastor (abbreviated to "Ps","Pr", "Pstr.", "Ptr." or "Psa" (both singular), or "Ps" (plural)) is the leader of a Christianity, Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutherani ...

of Saints Peter and Paul Parish, a German-speaking parish in

Springfield, Illinois Springfield is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Illinois. Its population was 114,394 at the 2020 United States census, which makes it the state's List of cities in Illinois, seventh-most populous cit ...

. Jannser also ministered to German immigrants in surrounding counties. In 1863, Janssen left his parish to became

secretary A secretary, administrative assistant, executive assistant, personal secretary, or other similar titles is an individual whose work consists of supporting management, including executives, using a variety of project management, program evalu ...

to Bishop Juncker and

chancellor Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...

of the diocese. He was appointed

vicar general A vicar general (previously, archdeacon) is the principal deputy of the bishop or archbishop of a diocese or an archdiocese for the exercise of administrative authority and possesses the title of local ordinary. As vicar of the bishop, the vica ...

of the diocese in 1870, holding that position until 1886. He also served as pastor of St. Boniface Parish in

Quincy, Illinois Quincy ( ) is a city in Adams County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. Located on the Mississippi River, the population was 39,463 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, down from 40,633 in 2010. The Quincy, Illinois, mic ...

, from 1877 to 1879. Bishop Peter Joseph Baltes eventually appointed Janssen as vicar general. After Baltes' death in 1886, Janssen was named as apostolic administrator for the diocese.

Bishop of Belleville

Following the division of the Diocese of Alton into the Dioceses of Alton and Belleville, Janssen was appointed

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

of Belleville on February 28, 1888. He received his

episcopal consecration A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of dioceses. The role ...

on April 25, 1888, from Archbishop

Patrick Feehan Patrick Augustine Feehan (August 28, 1829 – July 12, 1902), was an Irish-born American Catholic prelate who served as the first Archbishop of Chicago from 1880 until his death in 1902. He previously served as Bishop of Nashville from 1865 t ...

, with Bishops John Hogan and Louis Fink 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 Churche ...

. By 1902 the diocese contained 104 churches, 94 priests, 64

parochial school A parochial school is a private school, private Primary school, primary or secondary school affiliated with a religious organization, and whose curriculum includes general religious education in addition to secular subjects, such as science, mathem ...

s and 50,000 Catholics. In 1903, at Janssen's request, the Poor Handmaids of Christ religious order set up a hospital in

East St. Louis, Illinois East St. Louis, also known as ESTL, is a city in St. Clair County, Illinois, United States. It is directly across the Mississippi River from downtown St. Louis, Missouri, and the Gateway Arch National Park. East St. Louis is in the Metro East ...

. The hospital was open to all patients, regardless of race or religion. John Janssen died on July 2, 1913, in Belleview at age 78.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Janssen, John 1835 births 1913 deaths German emigrants to the United States Clergy from the Rhine Province 19th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States Roman Catholic bishops of Belleville