Romeo Roy Blanchette (January 6, 1913 – January 10, 1982) was an American prelate of the
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
. He served as bishop of the
Diocese of Joliet in Illinois from 1966 to 1979.
Biography
Early life
Romeo Blanchette was born on January 6, 1913, in
Kankakee County, Illinois
Kankakee County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 113,449. Its county seat is Kankakee. Kankakee County comprises the Kankakee, IL Metropolitan Statistical Area.
History
S ...
, to Oscar and Josephine (née Langlois) Blanchette.
After attending
Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary
Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary was an American seminary preparatory school administered by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago for young men considering the priesthood. Located in downtown Chicago at 103 East Chestnut Street, a ...
in
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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from 1928 to 1931, he studied at
St. Mary of the Lake Seminary
The University of Saint Mary of the Lake (USML) is a private Roman Catholic seminary in Mundelein, Illinois. It is the principal seminary and school of theology for the formation of priests in the Archdiocese of Chicago in Illinois. It was ...
in Mundelein, Illinois, receiving a
Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...
degree in 1934.
Priesthood
Blanchette was
ordained
Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform var ...
to the priesthood for the
Archdiocese of Chicago
The Archdiocese of Chicago ( la, Archidiœcesis Chicagiensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or archdiocese of the Catholic Church located in Northeastern Illinois, in the United States. It was established as a diocese in 1843 and ...
by Cardinal
George Mundelein
George William Mundelein (July 2, 1872 – October 2, 1939) was an American cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Chicago from 1915 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1924.
Early life and ministr ...
on April 3, 1937, upon the recommendation of rector
Reynold Henry Hillenbrand
Reynold Henry Hillenbrand (July 19, 1904 – May 22, 1979) was a seminal American Roman Catholic Church leader in the Liturgical Movement, Robert L. Tuzik, "The contribution of Msgr. Reynold Hillenbrand (1904–1979) to the Liturgical Movemen ...
.
He continued his studies in Rome at the
Pontifical Gregorian University
The Pontifical Gregorian University ( it, Pontificia Università Gregoriana; also known as the Gregorian or Gregoriana,) is a higher education ecclesiastical school (pontifical university) located in Rome, Italy.
The Gregorian originated as ...
, earning a
Licentiate of Canon Law
Licentiate of Canon Law ( la, Juris Canonici Licentiatus; JCL) is the title of an advanced graduate degree with canonical effects in the Roman Catholic Church offered by pontifical universities and ecclesiastical faculties of canon law. Licentiat ...
in 1939.
Blanchette served as a notary of the
matrimonial court for the archdiocese. (1938-1949). When the Diocese of Joliet was erected in 1949, Bishop
Martin McNamara made him
chancellor
Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...
there.
In 1950, Blanchette was named
vicar general
A vicar general (previously, archdeacon) is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority and possesses the title of local ordinary. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar general exercises the bishop's ...
of the diocese and a
domestic prelate
Monsignor (; it, monsignore ) is an honorific form of address or title for certain male clergy members, usually members of the Roman Catholic Church. Monsignor is the apocopic form of the Italian ''monsignore'', meaning "my lord". "Monsignor" c ...
.
Auxiliary Bishop and Bishop of Joliet
On February 8, 1965, Blanchette was appointed as an
auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Joliet and
titular bishop
A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese.
By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox a ...
of ''
Maxita
The Diocese of Maxita (Massita in curiate Italian) is a bishopric in Algeria. It was a Roman Catholic Church diocese in the Roman province of Africa Proconsulare.
History
Maxita is located in the region of Al-Asnam, Algeria. It is an anci ...
'' by
Pope Paul VI
Pope Paul VI ( la, Paulus VI; it, Paolo VI; born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini, ; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 to his death in Augus ...
.
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 State ...
consecration on April 3, 1965, from Archbishop
Egidio Vagnozzi
Egidio Vagnozzi (26 February 1906 – 26 December 1980) was an Italian cardinal of the Catholic Church. He served as the second president of the Prefecture for the Economic Affairs of the Holy See from 1968 until his death, and was elevated to ...
, with Bishops
William Aloysius O'Connor
William Aloysius O'Connor (December 27, 1903 – November 14, 1983) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois from 1949 to 1975.
Biography
Early life
William O'Connor ...
and
Ernest John Primeau
Ernest John Primeau (September 17, 1909 – June 6, 1989) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Manchester in New Hampshire from 1960 to 1974.
Biography
Early life
Ernest Primeau was ...
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 Churches ...
.
Blanchette attended the fourth session of the
Second Vatican Council
The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st Catholic ecumenical councils, ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions) ...
.
Following the death of Bishop McNamara, Blanchette was named by Pope Paul as the second bishop of Joliet on July 19, 1966.
Retirement and legacy
On January 30, 1979, Pope John Paul II accepted Blanchette's resignation as Bishop of Joliet after he was diagnosed with
Lou Gehrig's disease
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease (MND) or Lou Gehrig's disease, is a neurodegenerative disease that results in the progressive loss of motor neurons that control voluntary muscles. ALS is the most co ...
.
Romeo Blanchette died of that disease at St. Joseph's Hospital in Joliet on January 10, 1982, at age 69.
In a 2015 lawsuit brought against the diocese by
sexual abuse
Sexual abuse or sex abuse, also referred to as molestation, is abusive sexual behavior by one person upon another. It is often perpetrated using force or by taking advantage of another. Molestation often refers to an instance of sexual assa ...
victims, it was revealed that Blanchette ignored warnings about the behavior of certain seminarians. The diocese settled with the victims for over $4 million.
* He allowed the ordination of Lawrence Gibbs in 1973, despite complaints about his behavior from administrators at Saint Mary of the Lake Seminary. Gibbs eventually molested 14 boys.
* Blanchette allowed James Nowak to be ordained, despite knowing that the
Capuchin Order
The Order of Friars Minor Capuchin (; postnominal abbr. O.F.M. Cap.) is a religious order of Franciscan friars within the Catholic Church, one of Three " First Orders" that reformed from the Franciscan Friars Minor Observant (OFM Obs., now OFM ...
had dismissed him due to his failure to keep his
vow of chastity
Chastity, also known as purity, is a virtue related to temperance. Someone who is ''chaste'' refrains either from sexual activity considered immoral or any sexual activity, according to their state of life. In some contexts, for example when ma ...
. Nowak eventually abused eight children.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blanchette, Romeo Roy
1913 births
1982 deaths
People from Kankakee County, Illinois
Roman Catholic bishops of Joliet in Illinois
20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States
Participants in the Second Vatican Council
University of Saint Mary of the Lake alumni
Neurological disease deaths in Illinois
Deaths from motor neuron disease