Rudolph Aloysius Gerken (March 7, 1887 – March 2, 1943) was an American

prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Minister (Christianity), Christian clergy who is an Ordinary (church officer), ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which me ...

of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

. He served as archbishop of the

Archdiocese of Santa Fe In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associated ...

in New Mexico from 1933 until his death in 1943. He previously served as bishop of the Diocese of Amarillo in Texas from 1926 to 1933.

Biography

Early life

Rudolph Gerken was born on March 7, 1887, in

Dyersville, Iowa Dyersville is a city in eastern Delaware County and western Dubuque County in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is part of the Dubuque, Iowa, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 4,477 at the time of the 2020 census, up from 4,035 in 2 ...

, the sixth of seven children of William and Elizabeth (née Sudmeier) Gerken. After Elizabeth died 1889, William married Carolina Wuebbelt, with whom he had six more children. Raised on a family farm, Gerken studied at Pio Nono College in St. Francis, Wisconsin, and St. Joseph's College in Rensselaer, Indiana. After graduating from college, Gerken moved to

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

, where he taught in the public schools for

Scotland, Texas Scotland is a city in Archer County in the U.S. state of Texas. It is part of the Wichita Falls, Texas Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 413 at the 2020 census. The town is named for its founder, Henry J. Scott. Geography Scot ...

, from 1910 to 1912. He later joined the faculty at the

University of Dallas The University of Dallas is a Private university, private Catholic church, Catholic university in Irving, Texas, United States. Established in 1956, it is Higher education accreditation in the United States, accredited by the Southern Associat ...

. After discussions with Bishop Joseph Lynch, Gerken decided to become a priest. He travelled to

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...

, to study

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at Kenrick Seminary, where he also taught languages.

Priesthood

Gerken 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 for the Diocese of Dallas by Bishop Lynch on June 10, 1917. After his ordination, Gerken 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 Sacred Heart Parish in

Abilene, Texas Abilene ( ) is a city in Taylor County, Texas, Taylor and Jones County, Texas, Jones counties, Texas, United States. Its population was 125,182 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Abilene metropolitan ar ...

. He was transferred in 1919 to be pastor of St. Rita's Parish in

Ranger, Texas Ranger is a city in Eastland County, Texas, United States. Its population was 2,300 at the 2020 census. Ranger College, a community college, is the second-largest employer in the community. During the 1920s, Ranger, like nearby Cisco, Eastland ...

. In 1924, Gerken was named e

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and

consultor A consultor is one who gives counsel, i.e., a counselor. In the Catholic Church, it is a specific title for various advisory positions: *in the Roman Curia, a consultor is a specially appointed expert who may be called upon for advice desired by ...

of the diocese.

Bishop of Amarillo

On August 25, 1926, Gerken was appointed the first bishop of the Diocese of Amarillo by

Pope Pius XI Pope Pius XI (; born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti, ; 31 May 1857 – 10 February 1939) was head of the Catholic Church from 6 February 1922 until his death in February 1939. He was also the first sovereign of the Vatican City State u ...

. 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 26, 1927, from Bishop Lynch, with Bishops Christopher Byrne and Francis Kelley 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 ...

, in Sacred Heart Cathedral. Gerken chose as his episcopal

motto A motto (derived from the Latin language, Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian language, Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a Sentence (linguistics), sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of a ...

, "Not me but you, O Lord." During his tenure in Amarillo, Gerken oversaw the construction of thirty-five churches. He also founded Price Memorial College in Amarillo and served as its first president.

Archbishop of Santa Fe

Pius XI named Gerken as the seventh archbishop of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe on June 2, 1933. He was installed on August 23, 1933. As archbishop, Gerken established another

diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, prov ...

and several

parishes A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or ...

, sought to provide relief to American

prisoners of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, and presided over the marriage of actress

Jane Wyatt Jane Waddington Wyatt ( ; August 12, 1910 – October 20, 2006) was an American actress. She starred in a number of Hollywood films, such as Frank Capra's '' Lost Horizon'', but is likely best known for her role as homemaker and mother Margaret ...

and Edgar Ward in 1935. He was a

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and was known to quote

Aristotle Aristotle (; 384–322 BC) was an Ancient Greek philosophy, Ancient Greek philosopher and polymath. His writings cover a broad range of subjects spanning the natural sciences, philosophy, linguistics, economics, politics, psychology, a ...

and St. Francis of Assisi. In December 1937, Gerken called on Catholics in the archdiocese to not attend a Christmas ball sponsored by the Santa Fe Maternal Health Center, terming the organization a "birth control clinic."

Death and legacy

After suffering a

stroke Stroke is a medical condition in which poor cerebral circulation, blood flow to a part of the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: brain ischemia, ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and intracranial hemorrhage, hemor ...

that left his right side

paralyzed Paralysis (: paralyses; also known as plegia) is a loss of motor function in one or more muscles. Paralysis can also be accompanied by a loss of feeling (sensory loss) in the affected area if there is sensory damage. In the United States, r ...

, Rudolph Gerken died on March 2, 1943, at St. Vincent's Hospital in

Santa Fe, New Mexico Santa Fe ( ; , literal translation, lit. "Holy Faith") is the capital city, capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico, and the county seat of Santa Fe County. With over 89,000 residents, Santa Fe is the List of municipalities in New Mexico, fourt ...

References

External links

Catholic-Hierarchy
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gerken, Rudolph 1887 births 1943 deaths People from Dyersville, Iowa University of Dallas faculty Kenrick–Glennon Seminary alumni Saint Joseph's College (Indiana) alumni 20th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in the United States Roman Catholic bishops of Amarillo Roman Catholic archbishops of Santa Fe Catholics from Iowa