Eugene John Gerber

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Eugene John Gerber (April 30, 1931 – September 29, 2018) was an American

Gerber was raised on a farm in Waterloo, Kansas, and entered Immaculate Conception Seminary in Conception, Missouri, in 1945. Two years later, he transferred to Kingman High School, where he was known as a Frank Sinatra look-alike and graduated in 1949.^[1]

Gerber studied accounting at

In May 1963, Gerber was named assistant chancellor for the diocese and associate pastor of Holy Savior Parish. He also earned a Bachelor of Education degree from Wichita State University in June 1963. In addition to his role as assistant chancellor, Gerber became secretary to Bishop Leo Bryne and associate pastor of St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in August 1964. He was appointed vice chancellor of the diocese (1965), business manager of the diocesan newspaper (1967), and associate pastor at St. Mary Cathedral (1968).

In 1969, Gerber was appointed to the governing board of the Holy Family Center for the mentally disabled. He became diocesan director of the Cursillo movement in 1970, and chancellor in 1973. Continuing as chancellor, Gerber served as pastor of Blessed Sacrament Parish in Wichita from 1973 to 1975.

In October 1975, Gerber was sent to

Gerber was formally installed as bishop on December 15, 1976, at the Dodge City Civic Center. He served on the National Conference of Catholic Bishops (NCCB) Ad Hoc Committee on Parish Renewal for four years.

Bishop of Wichita

Gerber was later named the sixth bishop of the Diocese of Wichita by Pope John Paul II on November 17, 1982. Within the next twenty days, both of his parents died.^[1] Gerber was installed on February 9, 1983.

During his tenure, he served on the NCCB Ad Hoc Committee for Parish Renewal; the NCCB Committee on the Permanent Diaconate; two terms on the Administrative Board of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, representing Region IX; on the NCCB Liaison Committee with the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR); the Communications Committee; the Pastoral Research and Practices Committee; the Liaison Committee with NC News; the NCCB Pro-Life Committee; Committee for Women in Society and the Church; and the Ad Hoc Committee on Stewardship.

Locally, Gerber served as a board member for the Wichita Urban League, Via Christi Health Systems, HopeNet, Kansas Foodbank Warehouse, Inc., and Wichita Grand Opera. He received

John Paul II accepted Gerber's resignation as bishop of Wichita on October 4, 2001. He then served as a chaplain to the Discalced Carmelite Sisters and as a spiritual director for priests. Eugene Gerber died at age 87 at a Wichita hospital on September 29, 2018, after suffering a heart attack while driving earlier in the day.^[2]

See also

References

External links

• Roman Catholic Diocese of Wichita Official Site

Episcopal succession