John Nepomucene Stariha (May 12, 1845 – November 28, 1915) 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 was the first Bishop of Lead,

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state, state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Dakota people, Dakota Sioux ...

, serving from 1902 to 1909.

Biography

Early life

John Stariha was born on May 12, 1845, in

Semič Semič (; ,''Leksikon občin kraljestev in dežel zastopanih v državnem zboru,'' vol. 6: ''Kranjsko''. 1906. Vienna: C. Kr. Dvorna in Državna Tiskarna. formerly also Semenič) is a settlement in southeastern Slovenia. It is the administrative sea ...

in the

Duchy of Carniola The Duchy of Carniola (, , ) was an imperial estate of the Holy Roman Empire, established under House of Habsburg, Habsburg rule on the territory of the former East Frankish March of Carniola in 1364. A hereditary land of the Habsburg monarc ...

(present-day southeastern

Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...

), the son of John and Anna (née Judnic) Stariha. He received his early education in

Novo Mesto Novo Mesto (; ; also known by #Name, alternative names) is the List of cities and towns in Slovenia, seventh-largest city of Slovenia. It is the economic and cultural centre of the traditional region of Lower Carniola (southeastern Slovenia) and ...

but his studies were interrupted in 1866 when he was drafted into the Imperial Austrian Army. He served for seven months and took part at the Battle of Custoza on June 24, 1866. He was awarded a silver medal for bravery, but later deserted the army and fled to the United States. He arrived in New York City in May 1867 and then headed west to

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

. After briefly working as a farmhand to earn money, he was encouraged by his fellow Slovene and former schoolmate

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. ...

to enter

Saint Francis de Sales Seminary Saint Francis de Sales Seminary is a seminary for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee, located in the Milwaukee suburb of St. Francis, Wisconsin. Its main building, called Henni Hall, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places ...

near

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 completed his theological studies there, along with his brother and a cousin.

Priesthood

Stariha was ordained a priest by Bishop

Ignatius Mrak Ignatius Mrak (October 16, 1810 – January 2, 1901) was a Slovenian-born American prelate of the Catholic Church who served as Bishop of Sault Saint Marie and Marquette from 1869 to 1879. Biography Early life Mrak was born on October 16, 18 ...

on September 19, 1869, in Marquette, Michigan. His first assignment was as an assistant pastor at Saint Paul's Parish in

Negaunee, Michigan Negaunee ( or ) is a city in Marquette County, Michigan, Marquette County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 4,627 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The city is located at the southwest corner of Negaunee Township, M ...

, where he remained for two years. Stariha came to the Diocese of Saint Paul in September 1871 and served for nine months in

Marystown, Minnesota Marystown is an unincorporated community in Louisville Township, Scott County, 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 ...

. In June 1872 he became pastor of St. Joseph's Parish in Red Wing and the surrounding missions. During his tenure, Stariha built a new church and opened a parochial school to accommodate the growing parish. He received a pardon from Austro-Hungarian Emperor

Franz Joseph I Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I ( ; ; 18 August 1830 – 21 November 1916) was Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, and the ruler of the Grand title of the emperor of Austria, other states of the Habsburg monarchy from 1848 until his death ...

in 1879 for deserting the army so that he could visit Slovenia. Stariha remained in Red Wing until January 1884, when he was called to organize St. Francis de Sales Parish in

Saint Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (often abbreviated St. Paul) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County, Minnesota, Ramsey County. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, ...

for German-speaking immigrants. He built a church, rectory, parochial school, and convent during his time there. In addition to his pastoral duties, he was named

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 Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis in December 1897.

Bishop of Lead

On July 21, 1902, Stariha was appointed 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 be the first bishop of the newly created Diocese of Lead in

. The diocese covered the portion of South Dakota west of the

Missouri River The Missouri River is a river in the Central United States, Central and Mountain states, Mountain West regions of the United States. The nation's longest, it rises in the eastern Centennial Mountains of the Bitterroot Range of the Rocky Moun ...

. Upon receiving the news, he told a Saint Paul newspaper: "The news that I had been made a bishop was wholly unexpected and came as a surprise to me...I have never craved for this position and if I can help it I will not go." Nevertheless, he received his episcopal consecration on the following October 28 from 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 ...

, with Bishops Joseph Cotter and

James McGolrick James McGolrick (May 1, 1841 – January 23, 1918) was an Irish-born American prelate of the Catholic Church. He was the first bishop of the Diocese of Duluth in Minnesota, serving from 1889 until his death. Biography Early life James McGolr ...

serving as co-consecrators. During his seven years as bishop, Stariha increased the number of priests in the diocese from 17 to 25 and the number of parishes and missions from 25 to 53. Due to poor health, he moved from his official residence in

Lead Lead () is a chemical element; it has Chemical symbol, symbol Pb (from Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a Heavy metal (elements), heavy metal that is density, denser than most common materials. Lead is Mohs scale, soft and Ductility, malleabl ...

Hot Springs, South Dakota Hot Springs (Lakota: ''mni kȟáta''; "hot water") is a city in and the county seat of Fall River County, South Dakota, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 3,395. In addition, neighboring Oglala Lakota County contracts ...

in 1908.

Retirement and legacy

When his condition failed to improve, Stariha submitted his resignation as bishop of Lead on March 29, 1909, and it was accepted the following month. He was 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 ''

Antipatris Antipatris (, ) was a city built during the first century BC by Herod the Great, who named it in honour of his father, Antipater. The site, now a national park in central Israel, was inhabited from the Chalcolithic period to the Late Ro ...

'' 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 ...

. Stariha retired to his native Slovenia in May 1909, residing 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 ...

. John Stariha died from apoplexy on November 28, 1915, at age 70.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stariha, John Catholic Church in South Dakota Emigrants from Austria-Hungary to the United States 1845 births 1915 deaths Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis Slovenian expatriates in the United States Roman Catholic bishops of Lead 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States