Francis Joseph Haas (March 18, 1889 – August 29, 1953) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the sixth bishop of the

Diocese of Grand Rapids The Diocese of Grand Rapids () is a Latin Church diocese of the Roman Catholic Church, Catholic Church in West Michigan, western Michigan in the United States. It comprises 80 parishes in 11 counties. It is a suffragan see to the Archdiocese of De ...

in Michigan from 1943 until his death in 1953. An advocate for

organized labor The labour movement is the collective organisation of working people to further their shared political and economic interests. It consists of the trade union or labour union movement, as well as political parties of labour. It can be considere ...

, Haas served as a U.S. Government labor mediator for major labor strikes before being appointed bishop.

Biography

Early life

Francis Haas was born on March 18, 1889, in

Racine, Wisconsin Racine ( ) is a city in Racine County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. It is located on the shore of Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Root River (Wisconsin), Root River, south of Milwaukee and north of Chicago. It is the List ...

, to Peter Francis Haas and Mary Lucy O'Day. In 1904, he entered at St. Francis Seminary in St. Francis, Wisconsin.

Priesthood

Haas was ordained on June 11, 1913, for the

Archdiocese of Milwaukee The Archdiocese of Milwaukee () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or archdiocese, of the Catholic Church in southeast Wisconsin in the United States. The Archdiocese of Milwaukee is the Metropolis (religious jurisdiction), metropolitan s ...

by Bishop

Joseph Maria Koudelka Joseph Maria Koudelka (December 7, 1852 – June 24, 1921) was a Czech-born prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as the second bishop of the Diocese of Superior in Wisconsin from 1913 until his death in 1921. Koudelka previously serv ...

in Racine. After his ordination, Haas was assigned as an assistant pastor at Holy Rosary Parish in

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

. He also became a faculty member two years later at St. Francis Seminary. In 1919, Haas entered the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., obtaining a

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of Postgraduate education, graduate study and original resear ...

degree in 1922 with a thesis on "“Mediation in the Men’s Garment Industry.” Haas also attended

Johns Hopkins University The Johns Hopkins University (often abbreviated as Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1876 based on the European research institution model, J ...

in Baltimore, Maryland. After returning to Milwaukee in 1922, he started teaching economics at both St. Francis Seminary and

Marquette University Marquette University () is a Private university, private Jesuit research university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. It was established as Marquette College on August 28, 1881, by John Henni, the first Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Ar ...

. Haas also served as a member of the

civil service The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil service personnel hired rather than elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leadership. A civil service offic ...

examining board for

Milwaukee County Milwaukee County () is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. At the 2020 census, the population was 939,489, down from 947,735 in 2010. It is both the most populous and most densely populated county in Wisconsin, containing about 1 ...

. Haas returned to Washington in 1931 to become director of the National Catholic School of Social Service (NCSSS) at Catholic University. He was also named by

President Franklin Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...

in 1933 to the new

National Labor Board The National Labor Board (NLB) was an independent agency of the United States Government established on August 5, 1933, to handle labor disputes arising under the National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA). Establishment, structure and procedures Th ...

in Washington. On July 18, 1934, Haas travelled to

Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

to mediate a work stoppage by delivery truck drivers who belonged to the

Teamsters Union The International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) is a labor union in the United States and Canada. Formed in 1903 by the merger of the Team Drivers International Union and the Teamsters National Union, the union now represents a diverse members ...

. With the onset of

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 ...

, Haas reportedly participated in the mediation of 1500 labor disputes. Leaving Washington in 1935, Haas was appointed rector of St. Francis Seminary in Wisconsin. He received a

Doctor of Law A Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) is a doctoral degree in legal studies. The abbreviation LL.D. stands for ''Legum Doctor'', with the double “L” in the abbreviation referring to the early practice in the University of Cambridge to teach both canon law ...

degree in 1936 from the

University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Uni ...

. Haas also served as president of the Catholic Association for International Peace.

Bishop of Grand Rapids

In 1943, Hass resigned as chair of the President's Committee on Fair Employment Practice to become the bishop of

Grand Rapids, Michigan Grand Rapids is the largest city and county seat of Kent County, Michigan, United States. With a population of 198,917 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 200,117 in 2024, Grand Rapids is the List of municipalities ...

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 ...

appointed him bishop on September 26, 1943, and he was consecrated by Archbishop

Amleto Cicognani Amleto Giovanni Cicognani (24 February 1883 – 17 December 1973) was an Italian Cardinal of the Catholic Church. He served as Vatican Secretary of State from 1961 to 1969, and Dean of the College of Cardinals from 1972 until his death. Cicogn ...

on November 18, 1943. He was a member of President

Harry Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. As the 34th vice president in 1945, he assumed the presidency upon the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt that year. Subsequen ...

President's Committee on Civil Rights The President's Committee on Civil Rights was a United States Presidential Commission (United States), presidential commission established by President of the United States, President Harry Truman in 1946. The committee was created by Executive ...

from 1946 to 1947. In 1951, Haas published the book ''Man and Society''. It became a common college textbook for sociology classes. He hosted a National Liturgical Conference at the Grand Rapids Civic Auditorium in 1953

Death and legacy

Francis Hass died on August 29, 1953, of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

.Ancona, Gaspar F. ''Where the Star Came to Rest'' page 108, 2001 The Bishop Haas Council 4362 of the

Knights of Columbus The Knights of Columbus (K of C) is a global Catholic Church, Catholic Fraternal and service organizations, fraternal service order founded by Michael J. McGivney, Blessed Michael J. McGivney. Membership is limited to practicing Catholic men. ...

Wyoming, Michigan Wyoming is a city in Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 76,501 at the 2020 census. Wyoming is the second most-populated community in the Grand Rapids metropolitan area and is bordered by Grand Rapids on the northea ...

was named in his honor.

Awards

* Award for fighting intolerance from the Jewish Workmen's Circle of Detroit - 1950 * Human rights award from the Michigan

Congress of Industrial Organizations The Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) was a federation of Labor unions in the United States, unions that organized workers in industrial unionism, industrial unions in the United States and Canada from 1935 to 1955. Originally created in ...

Council - 1952

References

External links

Francis J Haas Papers

Biographical Sketch, Diocese of Grand Rapids
{{DEFAULTSORT:Haas, Francis J. People from Racine, Wisconsin History of labor relations in the United States History of civil rights in the United States Religion in Grand Rapids, Michigan St. Francis Seminary (Wisconsin) alumni Christianity in Michigan Catholic University of America alumni Religious leaders from Wisconsin National Labor Relations Board officials Johns Hopkins University alumni 1889 births 1953 deaths Roman Catholic bishops of Grand Rapids Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee Catholics from Wisconsin 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States