Clarence George Issenmann (May 30, 1907 – July 27, 1982) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the " United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, ...

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 'pref ...

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 an auxiliary bishop of the

Archdiocese of Cincinnati The Archdiocese of Cincinnati ( la, Archidiœcesis Cincinnatensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or archdiocese that covers the southwest region of the U.S. state of Ohio, including the greater Cincinnati and Dayton metropoli ...

in Ohio from 1954 to 1957 as bishop of the

Diocese of Columbus The Diocese of Columbus ( la, Dioecesis Columbensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church covering 23 counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. The episcopal see of the diocese is situated at Columbus. The dioc ...

in Ohio from 1957 to 1964, and as bishop of the

Diocese of Cleveland The Diocese of Cleveland ( la, Dioecesis Clevelandensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the northeastern portion of the U.S. state of Ohio. Pope Pius IX erected the diocese April 23, 1847, in ter ...

in Ohio from 1966 to 1974.

Biography

Early life

Clarence Issenmann was born on May 30, 1907, in Hamilton,

Ohio Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...

, the only child of Innocent J. Issenmann (a grocer) and Amelia L. (née Stricker) Issenmann. Clarence Issenmann worked as

delivery boy Delivery is the process of transporting goods from a source location to a predefined destination. Cargo (physical goods) is primarily delivered via roads and railroads on land, shipping lanes on the sea, and airline networks in the air. Cer ...

and

meat cutter A meat cutter prepares primal cuts into a variety of smaller cuts intended for sale in a retail environment. The duties of a meat cutter largely overlap those of the butcher, but butchers tend to specialize in pre-sale processing (reducing carcas ...

for his father as young man. He attended St. Ann's School and then

Hamilton Catholic High School Hamilton Catholic High School opened up in 1909 on Dayton Street in Hamilton, Ohio. The school originally served the young Catholic men of the area. The school closed in 1966, and its students were moved to the newly opened Father Stephen T. Badin ...

, both in Hamilton. After graduating from high school, Issenmann entered St. Joseph's College in Rensselaer, Indiana. He then returned to Cincinnati to study at St. Gregory's and Mount St. Mary of the West

seminaries A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy, ...

Priesthood

Issenmann 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 var ...

to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati by Archbishop John McNicholas on June 29, 1932. After his ordination, Issenmann continued his studies at the

University of Fribourg The University of Fribourg (french: Université de Fribourg; german: Universität Freiburg) is a public university located in Fribourg, Switzerland. The roots of the university can be traced back to 1580, when the notable Jesuit Peter Canisi ...

in Fribourg, Switzerland, obtaining his Licentiate of Philosophy. He then entered the

Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas A pontifical ( la, pontificale) is a Christian liturgical book containing the Christian liturgy, liturgies that only a bishop may perform. Among the liturgies are those of the ordinal (liturgy), ordinal for the ordination and consecration of dea ...

in Rome, Receiving a

Doctor of Theology Doctor of Theology ( la, Doctor Theologiae, abbreviated DTh, ThD, DTheol, or Dr. theol.) is a terminal degree in the academic discipline of theology. The ThD, like the ecclesiastical Doctor of Sacred Theology, is an advanced research degree equiva ...

degree. After returning to the United States, Issenmann entered

Regis University Regis University is a private Jesuit university in Denver, Colorado. Founded in 1877 by the Society of Jesus, the university offers more than 120 degrees through 5 colleges in a variety of subjects, including education, liberal arts, business, ...

in Denver, Colorado, where he received a Doctor of Journalism degree. While in Denver, Issenmann also worked on the staff of the ''Denver Register''. In 1938, Issenmann was appointed editor of the archdiocesan

newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as politics, business, sport ...

of Cincinnati, the ''Catholic Telegraph Register''. He was named as a professor of theology in 1942 at Mt. St. Mary Seminary. Issenmann was raised to the rank of

monsignor Monsignor (; it, monsignore ) is an honorific form of address or title for certain male clergy members, usually members of the Roman Catholic Church. Monsignor is the apocopic form of the Italian ''monsignore'', meaning "my lord". "Monsignor" ca ...

in 1943 and became

chancellor Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...

and

vicar general A vicar general (previously, archdeacon) is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority and possesses the title of local ordinary. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar general exercises the bishop's ...

in 1945.

Auxiliary Bishop of Cincinnati

On March 24, 1954, Issenmann was appointed auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati and

titular bishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox a ...

of ''Phytea'' by Pope Pius XII. He 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 May 25, 1954, from Archbishop Karl Alter, with Archbishop Urban Vehr and Bishop George Rehring 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 Churches ...

Bishop of Columbus

Pope Pius XII appointed Issenmann as the sixth bishop of the Diocese of Columbus on December 5, 1957. During his tenure in

Columbus Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to: * Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer * Columbus, Ohio, capital of the U.S. state of Ohio Columbus may also refer to: Places ...

, Issenmann established the Diocesan Development Fund so as to supply for the expansion of the diocese, which added eight

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 m ...

and six high schools under Issenmann. He also found a new building to house diocesan offices, and offered a televised

Mass Mass is an intrinsic property of a body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the quantity of matter in a physical body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physics. It was found that different atoms and different element ...

every week. Attending the

Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st Catholic ecumenical councils, ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions) ...

in Rome from 1962 to 1965, he also served as the assistant episcopal chair of lay organizations for the

National Catholic Welfare Conference The National Catholic Welfare Council (NCWC) was the annual meeting of the American Catholic hierarchy and its standing secretariat; it was established in 1919 as the successor to the emergency organization, the National Catholic War Council. It c ...

Coadjutor Bishop and Bishop of Cleveland

Pope Paul VI Pope Paul VI ( la, Paulus VI; it, Paolo VI; born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini, ; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 to his death in Augus ...

appointed Issenmann as

coadjutor bishop A coadjutor bishop (or bishop coadjutor) is a bishop in the Catholic, Anglican, and (historically) Eastern Orthodox churches whose main role is to assist the diocesan bishop in the administration of the diocese. The coadjutor (literally, "c ...

of the Diocese of Cleveland and titular bishop of ''Filaca'' on October 7, 1964. He was installed on February 2, 1965 at St. John's Cathedral in Cleveland. Issenmann automatically succeeded Bishop Edward Hoban as the seventh bishop of Cleveland on September 22, 1966. As bishop, he constructed the following schools in the diocese: *

Villa Angela Academy Villa Angela-St. Joseph High School is a private Roman Catholic college-preparatory high school located in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. The school's name is commonly abbreviated VASJ. It was formed by the 1990 merger of Villa Angela Academy (all ...

in Cleveland, *

Lake Catholic High School Lake Catholic High School is a private Roman Catholic secondary school in Mentor, Ohio, United States. It is affiliated with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cleveland. Demographics The demographic breakdown of the 506 students enrolled for 2019-20 ...

in Mentor *

Lorain Catholic High School Lorain Catholic High School was a private Catholic high school located in Lorain, Ohio, 30 miles west of Cleveland. It was run by the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland until 2001. Lorain Catholic then was governed by an independent board of directors ...

in Lorain *

St. Vincent-St. Mary High School ST, St, or St. may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Stanza, in poetry * Suicidal Tendencies, an American heavy metal/hardcore punk band * Star Trek, a science-fiction media franchise * Summa Theologica, a compendium of Catholic philosophy a ...

in Akron In November 1968, Issenmann asked all adults attending mass in the diocese to sign petitions of support for ''

Humanae vitae ''Humanae vitae'' (Latin: ''Of Human Life'') is an encyclical written by Pope Paul VI and dated 25 July 1968. The text was issued at a Vatican press conference on 29 July. Subtitled ''On the Regulation of Birth'', it re-affirmed the teaching o ...

,'' Pope Paul VI's 1969 encyclical against

artificial birth control Birth control, also known as contraception, anticonception, and fertility control, is the use of methods or devices to prevent unwanted pregnancy. Birth control has been used since ancient times, but effective and safe methods of birth contr ...

. Issenmann was the only bishop in the country to make that request of parishioners.

Retirement and legacy

After suffering several

strokes Stroke (also known as a cerebrovascular accident (CVA) or brain attack) is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, ...

, Issenmann requested early retirement from the pope. His resignation as bishop of the Diocese of Cleveland was accepted by

on June 5, 1974. After his retirement, Issenmann continued to live in Cleveland. Clarence Issenmann died in Cleveland on July 27, 1982, at age 75. He was interred in the Resurrection

Chapel A chapel is a Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. Firstly, smaller spaces inside a church that have their own altar are often called chapels; the Lady chapel is a common typ ...

in St. John's Cathedral.

References

External links

Catholic-HierarchyDiocese of Columbus
{{DEFAULTSORT:Issenmann, Clarence George 1907 births 1982 deaths Saint Joseph's College (Indiana) alumni Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas alumni Regis University alumni Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati Roman Catholic bishops of Columbus Roman Catholic bishops of Cleveland 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States Participants in the Second Vatican Council People from Hamilton, Ohio Burials in Ohio