James Trobec (July 10, 1838 – December 14, 1921) was a Slovenian-born American prelate of the

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 the third Bishop of Saint Cloud from 1897 to 1914.

Biography

Early life

Trobec was baptized Jakob Trobez on July 10, 1838, in Log pri Polhovem Gradcu, then part of the

Austrian Empire The Austrian Empire, officially known as the Empire of Austria, was a Multinational state, multinational European Great Powers, great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the Habsburg monarchy, realms of the Habsburgs. Duri ...

. His parents were listed as Matthæus Trobez, a farmer, and Helena Pezhovnik. Three of his nephews also became priests in

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

: John Trobec, Joseph Trobec, and John Seliškar. Trobec received his early education at the parochial school of

Polhov Gradec Polhov Gradec (; ''Leksikon občin kraljestev in dežel zastopanih v državnem zboru,'' vol. 6: ''Kranjsko''. 1906. Vienna: C. Kr. Dvorna in Državna Tiskarna, p. 118.) is a settlement in the Municipality of Dobrova–Polhov Gradec in the Upper Car ...

and continued his studies at the Bežigrad Gymnasium in

Ljubljana {{Infobox settlement , name = Ljubljana , official_name = , settlement_type = Capital city , image_skyline = {{multiple image , border = infobox , perrow = 1/2/2/1 , total_widt ...

. He began his studies for the priesthood in Ljubljana, but in 1864 he and fifteen other seminarians were recruited by Rev.

Francis Xavier Pierz Francis Xavier Pierz ( or ''Franc Pirec''; ) (November 20, 1785 – January 22, 1880) was a Slovenian-American Roman Catholic priest and missionary to the Ottawa (tribe), Ottawa and Ojibwe Indians in present-day Michigan, Wisconsin, Ontario, and ...

to serve as missionaries in the United States. After his arrival in the spring of 1864, he finished his theological studies at

Saint Vincent Seminary Saint Vincent Seminary is a Catholic seminary in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. It was founded by Boniface Wimmer in 1846, who came from Saint Michael's Abbey in Metten, Bavaria, to establish Saint Vincent Archabbey as the first Benedictine monastery ...

in Latrobe,

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

Polhov Gradec - James Trobec Arts Center

Priesthood

Trobec then went to Minnesota and was ordained a priest on September 8, 1865, by Bishop

Thomas Grace Thomas Grace may refer to: * Thomas Grace (Archdeacon of Ardfert) (1770–1848), Irish priest * Thomas Grace (Archdeacon of Marlborough) (fl. 1873–1890), Anglican priest in New Zealand, son of the above * Thomas Grace (bishop of Sacramento) (1 ...

Saint Paul Paul, also named Saul of Tarsus, commonly known as Paul the Apostle and Saint Paul, was a Christian apostle ( AD) who spread the teachings of Jesus in the first-century world. For his contributions towards the New Testament, he is generally ...

. After his ordination, he served as an assistant pastor in Belle Prairie, MInnesota. In October 1866, he was appointed pastor of Saint Felix Parish in

Wabasha, Minnesota Wabasha is a city and the county seat of Wabasha County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 2,559 at the time of the 2020 census. It is on the Mississippi River, near its confluence with the Zumbro River. Name Wabasha is named afte ...

and the surrounding missions. At Wabasha, he established a new parochial school that was staffed by the

School Sisters of Notre Dame School Sisters of Notre Dame is a worldwide religious institute of Roman Catholic sisters founded in Bavaria in 1833 and devoted to primary, secondary, and post-secondary education. Their life in mission centers on prayer, community life and min ...

and completed construction on a new church in 1874. In October 1887, Trobec was assigned to organize and lead a new parish, the Church of St. Agnes, for German-speaking immigrants in Saint Paul. This required building a new church, school, convent, and rectory. Trobec laid the cornerstone for the church in November 1887 and it was dedicated by Archbishop

John Ireland John Benjamin Ireland (January 30, 1914 – March 21, 1992) was a Canadian-American actor and film director. Born in Vancouver, British Columbia and raised in New York City, he came to prominence with film audiences for his supporting roles i ...

in September 1888. The parochial school also opened its doors in 1888, under the direction of the School Sisters of Notre Dame. By 1897, the parish's continued growth required a larger church. Construction on a new building began in April 1897 but Trobec received a new appointment before he could see it completed.

Bishop of Saint Cloud

On July 5, 1897, Trobec was named 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 ...

to succeed the late

Martin Marty Martin Emil Marty (February 5, 1928 – February 25, 2025) was an American Lutheran religious scholar who wrote extensively on religion in the United States. Biography Early life Marty was born on February 5, 1928, in West Point, Nebraska, ...

as bishop of the Diocese of Saint Cloud. He received his episcopal consecration on September 21, 1897, from Archbishop Ireland, with Archbishop

Frederick Katzer Frederick Xavier Katzer (February 7, 1844 – July 20, 1903) was an Austrians, Austrian-born Catholic Church in the United States, American Catholic prelate who served as Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee, Archbishop of Milwaukee from 1891 t ...

and Bishop

John Vertin John Vertin (July 17, 1844 – February 26, 1899) was a Slovenian-born American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the third bishop of the Diocese of Sault Sainte Marie and Marquette in Michigan from 1879 until his death in 1899. ...

serving as co-consecrators, at the Cathedral of Saint Paul. Trobec led the diocese through a time of growth, with a particular focus on priestly vocations and Catholic education. By 1911, the Catholic population grew by 25,000, the number of priests and parishes both increased by 35, and there were two more hospitals.

Retirement and legacy

Due to ill health, Trobec submitted his resignation to the Vatican as bishop of Saint Cloud on April 15, 1914, and it was accepted by

Pope Pius X Pope Pius X (; born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto; 2 June 1835 – 20 August 1914) was head of the Catholic Church from 4 August 1903 to his death in August 1914. Pius X is known for vigorously opposing Modernism in the Catholic Church, modern ...

the following June. He was then given the

titular see A titular see in various churches is an episcopal see of a former diocese that no longer functions, sometimes called a "dead diocese". The ordinary or hierarch of such a see may be styled a "titular metropolitan" (highest rank), "titular archbi ...

of ''Lycopolis''. Trobec spent his retirement living with his sisters at the rectory of the Church of St. Stephen Parish in St. Stephen, Minnesota, where his nephew was pastor. James Trobec died there on December 14, 1921, at age 83. The James Trobec Arts Center () in

, Slovenia is named for him.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Trobec, James 1838 births 1921 deaths Slovenian emigrants to the United States Roman Catholic bishops of Saint Cloud 19th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States People from the Municipality of Dobrova-Polhov Gradec