Daniel James Gercke (October 9, 1874 – March 19, 1964) was an

American Catholic The Catholic Church in the United States is part of the worldwide Catholic Church in communion with the pope, who as of 2025 is Chicago, Illinois-born Leo XIV. With 23 percent of the United States' population , the Catholic Church is the cou ...

prelate who served as Bishop of Tucson from 1923 to 1960.

Biography

Early life

Daniel Gercke was born in the Holmesburg section of

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

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, to Christopher and Catherine (née Shea) Gercke. He attended St. Joseph's College in Philadelphia, from where he obtained a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

degree in 1891. He completed his

theological Theology is the study of religious belief from a religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of an ...

studies at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Overbrook.

Priesthood

Gercke 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 Archbishop Patrick Ryan on June 1, 1901. He then served as a

curate A curate () is a person who is invested with the ''care'' or ''cure'' () of souls of a parish. In this sense, ''curate'' means a parish priest; but in English-speaking countries the term ''curate'' is commonly used to describe clergy who are as ...

at St. Joseph's Parish in

Girardville, Pennsylvania Girardville (nicknamed Guntown) is a borough in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, United States, northwest of Reading. Anthracite coal deposits are in the region. Coal-mining provided employment and incomes for many of the 3,666 people who lived ...

, and afterwards at Holy Trinity Parish in Philadelphia. He briefly served at St. Mary's in Philadelphia before going to Vigan City,

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

, in 1903. He served as

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 of Nueva Cáceres in the Philippines from 1910 to 1919. Gercke was named a

domestic prelate Domestic may refer to: In the home * Anything relating to the human home or family ** A domestic animal, one that has undergone domestication ** A domestic appliance, or home appliance ** A domestic partnership ** Domestic science, sometimes cal ...

Pope Benedict XV Pope Benedict XV (; ; born Giacomo Paolo Giovanni Battista della Chiesa, ; 21 November 1854 – 22 January 1922) was head of the Catholic Church from 1914 until his death in January 1922. His pontificate was largely overshadowed by World War I a ...

in 1915, and returned to Philadelphia in 1919. He then served as rector of the Cathedral of SS. Peter and Paul.

Bishop of Tucson

On June 21, 1923, Gercke was appointed the third bishop of the Diocese of Tucson 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 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 November 6, 1923, from Cardinal Dennis Dougherty, with Bishops John MacGinley and James Paul McCloskey 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 ...

Retirement and legacy

On September 28, 1960, Pope Paul VI accepted Gercke's resignation as bishop of Tucson and named him as

titular archbishop 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 an ...

of ''Cotyaeum'' on the same date. Daniel Gercke died on March 19, 1964, at age 89.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gercke, Daniel James 1874 births 1964 deaths Saint Joseph's University alumni St. Charles Borromeo Seminary alumni Clergy from Philadelphia 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States