Joseph Léo Charron C.PP.S. is an American prelate 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 ...

. Charron served as bishop of the

Diocese of Des Moines The Diocese of Des Moines () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the Catholic Church in southwestern Iowa in the United States. It is a suffragan see in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Dubuque. ...

in Iowa from 1994 to 2007 and as an auxiliary bishop of the

Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis 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 ...

in Minnesota from 1990 to 1994.

Biography

Early life

Joseph Charron was born in

Redfield, South Dakota Redfield is a city in and the county seat of Spink County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 2,214 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. The city was named for J. B. Redfield, a railroad official. Geography According to th ...

, on December 30, 1939. He is one of eight children. Charron made his religious profession as a member of the

Missionaries of the Precious Blood The Missionaries of the Precious Blood () is a Catholic community of priests and brothers. The society was founded by Saint Gaspar del Bufalo in 1815. The name "Missionaries of the Precious Blood" is a shortened English translation of the La ...

on August 15, 1961. Charron received his

Bachelor of Theology The Bachelor of Theology degree (BTh, ThB, or BTheol) is a two- to five-year undergraduate degree or graduate degree in theological disciplines and is typically (but not exclusively) pursued by those seeking ordination for ministry in a church, de ...

degree in 1963 and his Master of Theology degree in 1966 from 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 ...

. He earned a Licentiate in Sacred Theology at

Lateran University The Pontifical Lateran University (; ), also known as Lateranum, is a pontifical university based in Rome. The university also hosts the central session of the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family. The university ...

in Rome in 1968, and a doctorate at the Academia Alfonsiana in Rome in 1970.

Priesthood

On June 3, 1967, Charron was ordained to the priesthood for the Missionaries of the Sacred Blood by Bishop

Edward A. McCarthy Edward Anthony McCarthy (April 10, 1918 – June 7, 2005) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the second archbishop of the Archdiocese of Miami in Florida from 1977 to 1994. He previously served as bishop of the ...

in Carthagena, Ohio. In 1970, Charron served as an assistant professor of theology at St. John's University in St. Joseph, Minnesota. In 1976, he became assistant general secretary and associate general secretary of the

United States Catholic Conference The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is the episcopal conference of the Catholic Church in the United States. Founded in 2001 after the merger of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops (NCCB) and United States Catholic Co ...

and the

National Conference of Catholic Bishops The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is the episcopal conference of the Catholic Church in the United States. Founded in 2001 after the merger of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops (NCCB) and United States Catholic Co ...

. In 1979, Charron was appointed provincial director of the Kansas City Province of the Missionaries of the Precious Blood. Charron returned to St. John's University in 1987, becoming an adjunct professor of

theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

Auxiliary Bishop of Saint Paul and Minneapolis

On November 12, 1989,

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

appointed Charron as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis and titular bishop of Bencenna. He was consecrated on January 25, 1990, by Archbishop John Roach.

Bishop of Des Moines

On January 21, 1994, John Paul II appointed Charron 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 Des Moines. On September 19, 2003, Charron permanently suspended three diocese priests from ministry due to

sexual abuse Sexual abuse or sex abuse is abusive sexual behavior by one person upon another. It is often perpetrated using physical force, or by taking advantage of another. It often consists of a persistent pattern of sexual assaults. The offender is re ...

allegations: Reverends Albert Wilwerding, John Ryan, and Richard Wagner. Charron was following the recommendations of an internal committee that had recommended their dismissal and ultimate laicization. On April 10, 2007,

Pope Benedict XVI Pope BenedictXVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until his resignation on 28 February 2013. Benedict's election as p ...

accepted Charron's resignation due to poor health as bishop of Des Moines. Charron had been diagnosed with

polymyalgia rheumatica Polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) is a systemic inflammatory disease characterized by pain or stiffness, usually in the neck, shoulders, upper arms, and hips, but which may occur all over the body. Almost all cases occur in people age 50 or older. ...

, a chronic medical condition.

References