Carl A. Kemme
Kenrick Seminary | |
---|---|
Motto | Humilitas (Humility) |
Styles of Carl Alan Kemme | ||
---|---|---|
Reference style | ||
Spoken style | Your Excellency | |
Religious style | Bishop |
Carl Alan Kemme (born August 14, 1960) is an American prelate of the
Biography
Early life
Carl Kemme was born on August 14, 1960, in Effingham, Illinois to Donald and Marita (Kortte) Kemme, who ran a farm near Shumway, Illinois. Carl Kemme has four brothers and one sister. Kemme attended Shumway Elementary School in Shumway and then Beecher High School in Beecher, Illinois. After deciding to study for the priesthood, Kemme transferred to St. Henry's Preparatory Seminary in Belleville, Illinois, where he finished high school.[1]
After high school, Kemme enrolled at Immaculate Conception Seminary in Springfield, Illinois. He later graduated from Cardinal Glennon College in St. Louis and Kenrick Seminary in St. Louis with a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Master of Divinity degree.[1]
Priesthood
Kemme was ordained a priest for the
- St. Patrick in Decatur from 1986 to 1989
- Saints Peter and Paul in Collinsville from 1989 to 1990
- Blessed Sacrament in Springfield from 1990 to 1992[1]
From 1992 to 1996, Kemme was named pastor of three parishes in Illinois:
Kemme served as the diocesan administrator of Our Lady of the Holy Spirit Parish in
In 2002, Bishop
In 2009, Kemme resigned as vicar general and moderator to become diocesan administrator sede vacante after the departure of Bishop George Lucas. With the installation of a new bishop in Springfield, Kemme returned to being vicar general and moderator, remaining in both roles until 2014.[2][1]
Bishop of Wichita
On February 20, 2014, Pope Francis appointed Kemme as the eleventh bishop of Wichita. He was consecrated by Archbishop Joseph Naumann on May 1, 2014, in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Wichita. Lucas and Bishop Thomas Paprocki were the principal co-consecrators.[3][1]
On September 20, 2019, Kemme published a list of 15 priests that faced credible accusations of
Owning our past is the first step in building a new future, one in which we will continue to diligently work hard as we have been for many years now, so that these violations to human dignity will never happen again. Many of the faithful will no doubt experience great anger in receiving this information. I share that anger.[5]
On November 1, 2021, Kemme placed Reverend Michael Schemm from Resurrection Parish in Bel Aire, Kansas, on suspension pending investigation. The diocese had received sexual abuse allegations again Schemm dating back to the 1990's. The diocese also forwarded the allegations to local police.[6] Due to insufficient evidence of any crime, Schemm was not indicted and returned to ministry in March 2022.[7]
See also
- Catholic Church hierarchy
- Catholic Church in the United States
- Historical list of the Catholic bishops of the United States
- List of Catholic bishops of the United States
- Lists of patriarchs, archbishops, and bishops
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "About Bishop Kemme". Catholic Diocese of Wichita. Retrieved 2024-02-11.
- ^ a b "Pope Names Springfield, Illinois Priest as Bishop of Wichita, Kansas and Newark Priest as Auxiliary Bishop of Miami". United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved 2014-02-28.
- ^ "Bishop Carl Alan Kemme". Catholic-Hierarchy. Retrieved 2014-02-28.
- ^ "Wichita diocese names 15 priests accused of child sex abuse". AP NEWS. 2021-04-30. Retrieved 2022-01-12.
- ^ Kemme, Carl (September 19, 2019). "Letter from Bishop in Regards to Clergy Disclosures". Catholic Diocese of Wichita. Retrieved 2024-02-11.
- ^ KWCH Staff (November 2021). "Wichita-area priest placed on leave, accused of sexually abusing minor". www.kwch.com. Retrieved 2022-01-12.
- ^ "Wichita priest returns to public ministry after allegations of child exploitation". www.kake.com. Retrieved 2024-02-11.