Egidius Jünger, also spelled Aegidius Jünger (April 6, 1833 – December 26, 1895), was a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

-born prelate 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 bishop of the Diocese of Nesqually in the

Washington Territory The Washington Territory was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1853, until November 11, 1889, when the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Washington. It was created from the ...

in the United States from 1879 until his death in 1895.

Biography

Early life

Egidius Jünger was born on April 6, 1833, in

Burtscheid Burtscheid () is a district of the city of Aachen, part of the Aachen-Mitte Stadtbezirk. It is a health resort. History It was inhabited since ancient times by Celts and Romans, who were attracted by the presence of hot springs. Burtscheid ...

Rhenish Prussia The Rhine Province (), also known as Rhenish Prussia () or synonymous with the Rhineland (), was the westernmost province of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Free State of Prussia, within the German Reich, from 1822 to 1946. It was created from th ...

(in what is today Germany). He received his early education at the schools of Burtscheid and made his classical studies at the '' gymnasium'' of

Aachen Aachen is the List of cities in North Rhine-Westphalia by population, 13th-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, 27th-largest city of Germany, with around 261,000 inhabitants. Aachen is locat ...

. In 1853, Jünger entered the

Catholic University of Leuven University of Leuven or University of Louvain (; ) may refer to: * Old University of Leuven (1425–1797) * State University of Leuven (1817–1835) * Catholic University of Leuven (1834–1968) * Katholieke Universiteit Leuven or KU Leuven (1968 ...

in Leuven, Belgium.

Priesthood

Jünger 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 in Mechelen, Belgium on June 27, 1862. He came to the United States as a

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group who is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thoma ...

in October of that year, being stationed at

Walla Walla, Washington Walla Walla ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Walla Walla County, Washington, United States. It had a population of 34,060 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, estimated to have decreased to 33,339 as of 2023. The combined populat ...

. He became rector of St. James Cathedral in

Vancouver, Washington Vancouver ( ) is a city on the north bank of the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington, located in Clark County, Washington, Clark County. Founded in 1825 and incorporated in 1857, Vancouver had a population of 190, ...

, in 1864.

Bishop of Nesqually

On August 6, 1879, Jünger was appointed the second Bishop of Nesqually by

Pope Leo XIII Pope Leo XIII (; born Gioacchino Vincenzo Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2March 181020July 1903) was head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 until his death in July 1903. He had the fourth-longest reign of any pope, behind those of Peter the Ap ...

. He received his

episcopal Episcopal may refer to: *Of or relating to a bishop, an overseer in the Christian church *Episcopate, the see of a bishop – a diocese *Episcopal Church (disambiguation), any church with "Episcopal" in its name ** Episcopal Church (United States ...

consecration Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects ( ...

on October 28, 1879, from Archbishop François Blanchet in

Oregon City, Oregon Oregon City is the county seat of Clackamas County, Oregon, United States, located on the Willamette River near the southern limits of the Portland metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 37,572. Established in 1829 ...

. The diocese experienced considerable growth under his administration, including an increase in the number of priests and parishes and the number of nuns in the region increased from about 60 to 286. Under Jünger's leadership, a large cathedral was built in

, in 1888 to replace the old wooden church built in 1846 by Bishops François Norbert Blanchet and

Modeste Demers Modeste Demers (11 October 1809 – 28 July 1871) was a Roman Catholic Bishop and missionary in the Oregon Country. A native of Quebec, he traveled overland to the Pacific Northwest and preached in the Willamette Valley and later in what would bec ...

, but the $50,000 financial debt the project created weighed upon him. A contemporary account described Jünger as a hard worker who lived a simple lifestyle and built good relationships with his priests and parishioners.

Death and legacy

Egidius Jünger died at Vancouver on December 26, 1895, at age 62.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Junger, Egidius 1833 births 1895 deaths People from Aachen (district) German emigrants to the United States 19th-century German Roman Catholic priests German Roman Catholic missionaries German Roman Catholic bishops in North America 19th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States Roman Catholic bishops of Nesqually Roman Catholic missionaries in the United States