John Linus Paschang (October 5, 1895 – March 21, 1999) 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 in Nebraska from 1951 to 1972.

Biography

Early life

One of nine children, John Paschang was born on October 5, 1895, in Hemingford,

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 ...

, to Casper and Gertrude (née Fisher) Paschang. Drawn to the

religious life Consecrated life (also known as religious life) is a state of life in the Catholic Church lived by those faithful who are called to follow Jesus Christ in a more exacting way. It includes those in institutes of consecrated life (religious and sec ...

from high school, he studied at

Conception Seminary College Conception Abbey is a monastery of the Swiss-American Congregation of the Benedictine Confederation, located in Conception, Missouri. Founded by the Swiss Engelberg Abbey in 1873, it was raised to a conventual priory in 1876 and elevated to an ...

in Conception, Missouri, and at St. John's Seminary in Collegeville, Minnesota.

Priesthood

Paschang 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 Joseph Francis Busch for the Diocese of Omaha on June 12, 1921. After serving 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 St. Rose of Lima Parish in

Hooper, Nebraska Hooper is a city in Dodge County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 857 at the 2020 census. History Hooper was established in 1871, following construction of the Fremont, Elkhorn and Missouri Valley Railroad through the territory. It ...

(1921–1923), he furthered his studies at the

Catholic University of America The Catholic University of America (CUA) is a private Catholic research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It is one of two pontifical universities of the Catholic Church in the United States – the only one that is not primarily a ...

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, from where he earned a

doctorate in canon law Doctor of Canon Law (, JCD) is the doctoral-level terminal degree in the studies of canon law of the Roman Catholic Church. It can also be an honorary degree awarded by Anglican colleges. It may also be abbreviated ICD or dr.iur.can. (''Iuris Can ...

. Paschang then served as

of Holy Cross 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 ...

from 1927 to 1951.

Bishop of Grand Island

On July 28, 1951, Paschang was appointed the fourth 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 Episcopal may refer to: *Of or relating to a bishop, an overseer in the Christian church *Episcopate, the see of a bishop – a diocese *Episcopal Church (disambiguation), any church with "Episcopal" in its name ** Episcopal Church (United States ...

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 October 9, 1951, from Archbishop Gerald Bergan, with Bishops Louis Kucera and Edward Hunkeler 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 ...

. During his tenure, Paschang ordained 55 priests and established 33 churches, 15 parish houses, 13 schools, 11 parish centers, six convents, several rectories, and four hospital additions. He attended all four sessions 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 ...

in Rome(1962–1965), but was privately opposed to some of the council's more

liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * Generally, a supporter of the political philosophy liberalism. Liberals may be politically left or right but tend to be centrist. * An adherent of a Liberal Party (See also Liberal parties by country ...

reforms. He also earned a

stockbroker A stockbroker is an individual or company that buys and sells stocks and other investments for a financial market participant in return for a commission, markup, or fee. In most countries they are regulated as a broker or broker-dealer and ...

's license to better his knowledge of financial investments for the church.

Retirement and legacy

On July 25, 1972, Pope Paul VI accepted Paschang's resignation as bishop of the Diocese of Grand Island. Paschang founded the Damian Leper Relief Society in 1976. He moved to St. Joseph's Retirement Home in

West Point, Nebraska West Point is a city in and the county seat of Cuming County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 3,504 at the 2020 census. History West Point was founded in the spring of 1857, when Omaha businessmen formed the Nebraska Settlement Asso ...

, in 1993, and said

Mass Mass is an Intrinsic and extrinsic properties, intrinsic property of a physical body, body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the physical quantity, quantity of matter in a body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physi ...

every day in his room until he was hospitalized at St. Francis Memorial Hospital in 1999. At the time of his death in West Point, on March 21, 1999, at age 103, John Paschang was the world's oldest living Catholic bishop.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Paschang, John Linus 1895 births 1999 deaths Catholic University of America alumni Conception Seminary College alumni College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University alumni People from Box Butte County, Nebraska Participants in the Second Vatican Council 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Omaha Roman Catholic bishops of Grand Island Clergy from Omaha, Nebraska American men centenarians