Edward Joseph Hunkeler (January 1, 1894 – October 1, 1970) 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 ...

who served as

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

of the Diocese of Grand Island,

Nebraska Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...

(1945–1951), and Bishop and

Archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...

of the

Archdiocese of Kansas City The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical province, or archdiocese, of the Catholic Church in eastern Kansas in the United States. The archbishop's episcopal seat is located at the Cathedral Chur ...

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

(1951–1969).

Biography

Early life

Edward Hunkeler was born in Medicine Lodge,

, to Anton and Philomena (née Durst) Hunkeler. He and his parents later moved to

Dayton Dayton () is a city in Montgomery County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of cities in Ohio, sixth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 137,644 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Dayton metro ...

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

, where he attended the

parochial school A parochial school is a private school, private Primary school, primary or secondary school affiliated with a religious organization, and whose curriculum includes general religious education in addition to secular subjects, such as science, mathem ...

of Holy Trinity Parish. He later enrolled at the

University of Dayton The University of Dayton (UD) is a Private university, private, Catholic research university in Dayton, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1850 by the Society of Mary (Marianists), Society of Mary, it is one of three Marianist universities in the U ...

. Hunkeler completed his studies for the priesthood at the

Pontifical College Josephinum The Pontifical College Josephinum is a Roman Catholic seminary and private university in Columbus, Ohio. It was founded by Joseph Jessing in 1888 to prepare seminarians for the many German-speaking communities in the United States at that time. ...

in Worthington.

Priesthood

Hunkeler 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 Bishop James Hartley on June 14, 1919, for the Diocese of Omaha."Bishops"
.
Diocese of Grand Island
. Obituary of Hunkeler reproduced from ''Nebraska Register'', vol. 46, no. 41, October 9, 1970. Retrieved June 12, 2017.
Archived November 15, 2016
Hunkeler served as

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 Saints Philip and James Parish in Wynot, Nebraska until 1927, when he was transferred to Blessed Sacrament Parish in

Omaha Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...

. In 1936, Hunkeler was appointed rector of St. Cecilia Cathedral in Omaha. He 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 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 ...

in 1937, and became

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 in 1944.

Bishop of Grand Island

On March 19, 1945, Hunkeler was appointed the third bishop of the Diocese of Grand Island by

Pope Pius XII Pope Pius XII (; born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli; 2 March 18769 October 1958) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 2 March 1939 until his death on 9 October 1958. He is the most recent p ...

. 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 May 1, 1945, from Archbishop Amleto Cicognani, with Bishops James Ryan and

Stanislaus Bona Stanislaus Vincent Bona (October 1, 1888 – December 1, 1967) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the bishop of the Diocese of Grand Island in Nebraska (1932–1944) and bishop of the Diocese of Green Bay in ...

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 ...

, at St. Cecilia Cathedral. During his tenure in Grand Island, Hunkeler ordained 16 priests, and oversaw a large increase in the construction of new churches and other religious institutions in the post-

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 ...

era.

Bishop and Archbishop of Kansas City

Hunkeler was named Bishop of Kansas City by Pius XII on March 28, 1951. When the Diocese of Kansas City was elevated to the rank of an

archdiocese 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 ...

on August 9, 1952, Hunkeler became its first

archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...

. He attended all four sessions in Rome of the

Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the or , was the 21st and most recent ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. The council met each autumn from 1962 to 1965 in St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City for session ...

."Archbishop Edward J. Hunkeler".Catholic Diocese of Dodge City.
Retrieved June 12, 2017."A Brief History".Archidiocese of Kansas City in Kansas.
Retrieved June 12, 2017.

Retirement and legacy

On September 10, 1969, Pope Paul VI accepted Hunkeler's resignation as archbishop due to health problems. In 1970, while returning from the installation of Bishop Kenneth Povish, Hunkeler's car was involved in an automobile accident near

Crookston, Minnesota Crookston is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It is the county seat of Polk County. The population was 7,482 at the 2020 census. It is part of the " Grand Forks, ND- MN Metropolitan Statistical Area" or "Greater Grand Forks". Crookst ...

. Edward Hunkeler died two days later, on October 1, at age 76; his death was ascribed to a cardiovascular respiratory condition rather than to injuries sustained in the accident.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hunkeler, Edward Joseph 1894 births 1970 deaths 20th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in the United States Participants in the Second Vatican Council People from Medicine Lodge, Kansas Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Omaha Roman Catholic bishops of Grand Island Roman Catholic bishops of Kansas City in Kansas Roman Catholic archbishops of Kansas City in Kansas