Joseph Gregory Dwenger, C.P.P.S (April 7, 1837 – January 22, 1893) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Fort Wayne from 1872 to 1893.

Biography

Early life

Joseph Dwenger was born near Minster,

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

, on April 7, 1837. His parents were Johann Gerhard Heinrich "Henry" Dwenger and Maria Catherine Wirdt. Dying of

cholera Cholera () is an infection of the small intestine by some Strain (biology), strains of the Bacteria, bacterium ''Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea last ...

, his widowed mother entrusted the boy to Fr. Andrew Kunkler. Joseph was raised by 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 ...

and educated at Holy Trinity School in CincinnatiHammer, Bonaventure. "Fort Wayne." The Catholic Encyclopedia
Vol. 6. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1909. 10 October 2022 He later joined the community, and was sent to Mount St. Mary's Seminary in Cincinnati.

Priesthood

Dwenger 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 ...

a priest for the Missionaries of the Precious Blood by Archbishop

John Baptist Purcell John Baptist Purcell (February 26, 1800 – July 4, 1883) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Cincinnati from 1833 to his death in 1883, and he was elevated to the rank of archbishop in 1850. He formed the b ...

on September 4, 1859. He had received a papal dispensation to receive ordination at age 22. In 1861, he arranged for the purchase of the property where St. Charles Seminary would eventually be located and was its founding rector. In 1862, he was assigned to parochial work. From 1867 to 1872, he was occupied in preaching missions in

, Indiana and

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

. In 1872, Dwenger accompanied Purcell as his theologian to the Second Plenary Council of American bishops in

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the List of United States ...

Bishop of Fort Wayne

On February 15, 1872,

Pope Pius IX Pope Pius IX (; born Giovanni Maria Battista Pietro Pellegrino Isidoro Mastai-Ferretti; 13 May 1792 – 7 February 1878) was head of the Catholic Church from 1846 to 1878. His reign of nearly 32 years is the longest verified of any pope in hist ...

appointed Dwenger as bishop of the Diocese of Fort Wayne. He was consecrated by Purcell on April 14, 1872, in Cincinnati. In 1874, Dwenger joined other American bishops in a

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a travel, journey to a holy place, which can lead to a personal transformation, after which the pilgrim returns to their daily life. A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) w ...

to Europe. During his time in office he supported the congregation of the

Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ The Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ (PHJC) is a female Religious congregation, congregation of the Catholic Church. It originated in Dernbach (Westerwald), Germany, where the generalate is still located. Their organization for ''associates'' (like ...

, as had his predecessor Bishop John Henry Luers. He allowed Father Edward Koenig – who had served as advisor to the sisters since their arrival – to remain in office in their Motherhouse in Fort Wayne. The good relationship continued, and in due course the congregation opened many schools, orphanages and hospitals in his and the neighbouring dioceses. Especially the establishment of orphanages were at his core interest. He served such parishes as

Holy Rosary Holy Rosary may refer to: *Rosary The Rosary (; , in the sense of "crown of roses" or "garland of roses"), formally known as the Psalter of Jesus and Mary (Latin: Psalterium Jesu et Mariae), also known as the Dominican Rosary (as distinct fro ...

in St. Marys and St. Joseph's in Wapakoneta, both in

Auglaize County Auglaize County () is a county in Northwestern Ohio, United States of America . As of the 2020 census, the population was 46,442. Its county seat and largest city is Wapakoneta. Auglaize County comprises the Wapakoneta Micropolitan Statisti ...

, and he aided in establishing Immaculate Conception parish in Celina in Mercer County. In 1875, he erected an

orphan asylum An orphanage is a residential institution, total institution or group home, devoted to the care of orphans and children who, for various reasons, cannot be cared by their biological families. The parents may be deceased, absent, or abusive. ...

and a trade school for boys at Lafayette. He was a zealous promoter of the

parochial school A parochial school is a private school, private Primary school, primary or secondary school affiliated with a religious organization, and whose curriculum includes general religious education in addition to secular subjects, such as science, mathem ...

system. In 1884 he attended the Third Plenary Council at Baltimore. The following March he was deputed, with Bishops John Moore and

Richard Gilmour Richard Gilmour (September 28, 1824 – April 13, 1891) was a Scottish-born Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Cleveland from 1872 until his death in 1891. Biography Early life Gilmour was born in Dumbarton, Scotland to John and Maria ...

, to present the decrees of the council to

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 ...

. In 1886, he erected an asylum for orphan girls at

Fort Wayne Fort Wayne is a city in Allen County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. Located in northeastern Indiana, the city is west of the Ohio border and south of the Michigan border. The city's population was 263,886 at the 2020 United S ...

. In 1888 when he was on his way to Rome he visited the German Motherhouse of the congregation of the

in Dernbach Westerwald from where their community took its beginnings. He stated his intention as to express personally his gratitude for the many services which had been done for the development of his diocese and the many sisters which had been sent to serve in the US. As in 1888, in 1891 he again went to Rome, the last time in the interest of the

Pontifical North American College The Pontifical North American College (NAC) is a Catholic Church, Roman Catholic educational institution in Rome, Italy, that prepares seminarians to become priests in the United States and elsewhere. The NAC also provides a residence for Prie ...

Death and legacy

Joseph Dwenger died on January 22, 1893, in Fort Wayne. He was buried at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Fort Wayne.

Bishop Dwenger High School Bishop Dwenger High School is a co-educational college preparatory high school in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fort Wayne–South Bend in Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States. Dwenger is named after Joseph Gregory Dwenger, the second Bishop of ...

in Fort Wayne is named for him.

References

---- ''This article incorporates text from the 1909 ''

Catholic Encyclopedia ''The'' ''Catholic Encyclopedia: An International Work of Reference on the Constitution, Doctrine, Discipline, and History of the Catholic Church'', also referred to as the ''Old Catholic Encyclopedia'' and the ''Original Catholic Encyclopedi ...

'' article
Fort Wayne
by Bonaventure Hammer, a publication now in the

public domain The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work to which no Exclusive exclusive intellectual property rights apply. Those rights may have expired, been forfeited, expressly Waiver, waived, or may be inapplicable. Because no one holds ...

.'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Dwenger, Joseph Gregory 1837 births 1893 deaths People from Mercer County, Ohio Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati 19th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States Roman Catholic bishops of Fort Wayne People from Auglaize County, Ohio Catholics from Ohio Catholics from Indiana