John Joseph Leibrecht (born August 8, 1930) is an American

prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Christian clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which means 'carry before', 'be set above or over' or 'pre ...

of the

Roman 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 ...

. He served as bishop of the

Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau 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 associate ...

in Missouri from 1984 to 2008.

Biography

Early life

Leibrecht was born on August 8, 1930, in Overland,

Missouri Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...

, to John and Ellen (née Begley) Leibrecht. His parents were of German and Irish descent; one brother became a

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in partic ...

. John attended the St. Louis Archdiocesan Latin School, excelling at

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

. He then studied at St. Louis Preparatory Seminary and Kenrick Seminary.

Priesthood

Leibrecht 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 ...

to the priesthood for 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 ...

by Archbishop

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 ...

on March 17, 1956. After his ordination, Leibrecht served as

associate pastor A pastor (abbreviated as "Pr" or "Ptr" , or "Ps" ) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and ...

at St. Louis Cathedral Parish. He furthered his studies at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., where he earned a

Doctor of Education The Doctor of Education (Ed.D. or D.Ed.; Latin ''Educationis Doctor'' or ''Doctor Educationis'') is (depending on region and university) a research or professional doctoral degree that focuses on the field of education. It prepares the holder for a ...

degree in 1961. Leibrecht taught and served as principal at Rosati-Kain High School in St. Louis for 11 years, then served for nine years as superintendent of education for the Catholic schools. In 1981, he was appointed as

pastor A pastor (abbreviated as "Pr" or "Ptr" , or "Ps" ) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and ...

of Sacred Heart Parish in

Florissant, Missouri Florissant () is a city in St. Louis County, Missouri, within Greater St. Louis. It is a middle class, second-ring northern suburb of St. Louis. Based on the 2020 United States census, the city had a total population of 52,533, making it the ...

Bishop of Springfield-Cape Girardeau

On October 20, 1984, Leibrecht was appointed the fifth bishop of the Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau 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 ...

. Leibrecht received his

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

on December 12, 1984, from Archbishop John May, with Archbishop Bernard Law and Bishop Glennon Flavin serving as co-consecrators. In addition to his duties as diocesan bishop, Leibrecht chaired the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) Committee on Education (1986-1989) and the Ex Corde Ecclesiae Committee on U.S. Catholic Colleges and Universities (1991-2000). He was a board member of the Catholic Health Association from 1997 to 2003, and chairman of the board for the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...

(CARA). Upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 75, Leibrecht submitted his letter of resignation as bishop of the Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau to

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 ...

in August 2005. Pope Benedict accepted his resignation on January 24, 2008.

References

External links

Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield–Cape Girardeau Official Site

Episcopal succession

{{DEFAULTSORT:Leibrecht, John Joseph 1930 births Living people People from St. Louis County, Missouri Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Louis American people of German descent Kenrick–Glennon Seminary alumni Catholic University of America alumni Roman Catholic bishops of Springfield–Cape Girardeau 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States