Henry Damian Juncker
The Most Reverend Henry Damian Juncker | |
---|---|
Bishop of Alton | |
See | Diocese of Alton |
Installed | April 26, 1857 |
Term ended | October 2, 1868 |
Predecessor | none |
Successor | Peter Joseph Baltes |
Orders | |
Ordination | March 16, 1834 by John Baptist Purcell |
Consecration | April 26, 1857 by John Baptist Purcell |
Personal details | |
Born | Fénétrange, Moselle, France | August 22, 1809
Died | October 2, 1868 Alton, Illinois, USA | (aged 59)
Henry Damian Juncker (August 22, 1809 – October 2, 1868) was a French-born
Biography
Early life
Henry Juncker was born in Fénétrange, Moselle in France on August 22, 1809. While studying at the Pont-à-Mousson seminary in France, he decided to devote his life to the American missions, attaching himself to the Diocese of Cincinnati in Ohio.[1][2] Juncker emigrated to the United States, completing his seminary studies in Cincinnati.[3] Contemporary accounts described him as a zealous catechism teacher to his students.[4]
Priesthood
Juncker was
Juncker then served as pastor of Holy Trinity, a German-language parish in Cincinnati. In 1836, he was appointed pastor of St. Mary's Parish in Canton, Ohio.[7] In 1846, he was named pastor of Emanuel Parish in Dayton, Ohio.[7][2] While pastor at Emanuel, he visited many neighboring communities and German settlements to minister to Catholics there.[7]
Bishop of Alton
On January 9, 1857, Juncker was appointed the first
Juncker completed the first cathedral in the diocese in 1859, and founded two men's colleges, six girls' academies, a seminary, two hospitals, and one orphanage.[1] By the time of his death, there were 125 churches, over 100 priests, and 80,000 Catholics.[2] During one stay in Randolph County, a delegation from Red Bud, Illinois, asked Juncker to visit them. The townspeople said they had never seen a priest there. During his visit to Red Bud, Juncker heard confession from 1,000 Catholics and received a donation of land from a Protestant businessman for a new church.[2]
When the
Death
In June 1868, Juncker became incapacitated by Illness. Henry Juncker died in Alton, Illinois, on October 2, 1868, at age 59. He was buried in a vault under his cathedral.[7][2]
References
- ^ a b "Alton". Catholic Encyclopedia.
- ^ a b c d e f Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society. 1917.
- ^ a b "History of the Diocese of Springfield: Bishop Henry Damian Juncker (1857-1868)". Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield in Illinois.
- ^ a b c Clarke, Richard Henry (1888). Lives of the Deceased Bishops of the Catholic Church in the United States. R. H. Clarke.
- ^ a b c "Bishop Henry Damian Juncker". Catholic-Hierarchy.org.
- ^ Hakel, Joseph A., "Holy Cross: Columbus' First Parish", Catholic Record Society, vol. IV, no. 3, March 1978
- ^ a b c d Clarke, Richard Henry (1888). "Right Rev. Henry Damian Juncker, D.D.". Lives of the Deceased Bishops of the Catholic Church in the United States.
- ^ Zurbonsen, A., "The Catholic Bishops of the Diocese of Alton, Illinois", Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society (1908-1984) Vol. 10, No. 1 (Apr., 1917), pp. 127-137