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 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 served as bishop of the Diocese of Joliet in Illinois from 1966 to 1979. Bishop Blanchette Coat of Arms

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 2020 census, it has a population of 107,502. Its county seat is Kankakee. Kankakee County comprises the Kankakee, IL Metropolitan Statistical Area. History ...

, 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 Single-sex education, young men considering the Priesthood (Catholic Church), priesthood. It closed ...

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

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 university, private Roman Catholic seminary in Mundelein, Illinois. It is the principal seminary and theology, school of theology for the formation of priests in the Roman Catholic A ...

in Mundelein, Illinois, receiving a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

degree in 1934.

Priesthood

Blanchette 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 for the

Archdiocese of Chicago The Archdiocese of Chicago () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction, an archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Church located in Northeastern Illinois, in the United States. The Vatican erected it as a diocese in 1843 and elevated it to an ar ...

by Cardinal

George Mundelein George William Mundelein (July 2, 1872 – October 2, 1939) was an Catholic Church in the United States, American Catholic who served as Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago, Archbishop of Chicago from 1915 until his death in 1939. He was elevat ...

on April 3, 1937, upon the recommendation of rector

Reynold Henry Hillenbrand Reynold Henry Hillenbrand (July 19, 1904 – May 22, 1979) was an American Catholic priest and leader in the Liturgical Movement, Robert L. Tuzik, "The contribution of Msgr. Reynold Hillenbrand (1904–1979) to the Liturgical Movement in the U ...

. He continued his studies in Rome at the

Pontifical Gregorian University Pontifical Gregorian University (; also known as the Gregorian or Gregoriana), is a private university, private pontifical university in Rome, Italy. The Gregorian originated as a part of the Roman College, founded in 1551 by Ignatius of Loyo ...

, earning a

Licentiate of Canon Law Licentiate of Canon Law (; 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. Licentiate is the title of a person who ...

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 () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...

there. In 1950, Blanchette 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 diocese and a

domestic prelate Domestic may refer to: In the home * Anything relating to the human home or family ** A domestic animal, one that has undergone domestication ** A domestic appliance, or home appliance ** A domestic partnership ** Domestic science, sometimes cal ...

Auxiliary Bishop and Bishop of Joliet

On February 8, 1965, Blanchette was appointed as an

auxiliary bishop An auxiliary bishop is a bishop assigned to assist the diocesan bishop in meeting the pastoral and administrative needs of the diocese. Auxiliary bishops can also be titular bishops of sees that no longer exist as territorial jurisdictions. ...

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 an ...

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 Al-Asnam region of Algeria. It is an ancient C ...

'' by

Pope Paul VI Pope Paul 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 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding John XXII ...

. 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 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 ...

, with Bishops William Aloysius O'Connor and Ernest John Primeau 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 ...

. 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 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 ...

. 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—in the United States—Lou Gehrig's disease (LGD), is a rare, terminal neurodegenerative disorder that results in the progressive loss of both upper and lo ...

. 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 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 ...

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. OFMCap) is a religious order of Franciscan friars within the Catholic Church, one of three " First Orders" that reformed from the Franciscan Friars Minor Observant (OFMObs, now OFM), the o ...

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 from sexual activity that is considered immoral or from any sexual activity, according to their state of life. In some contexts, for example ...

. 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 Deaths from motor neuron disease in Illinois