Henry Richter (bishop)
The Most Reverend Henry Joseph Richter | |
---|---|
Bishop of Grand Rapids | |
Church | Roman Catholic |
See | Diocese of Grand Rapids |
In office | April 22, 1883 December 26, 1916 |
Successor | Michael Gallagher |
Orders | |
Ordination | June 10, 1865 by Costantino Patrizi Naro |
Consecration | April 22, 1883 by William Henry Elder |
Personal details | |
Born | |
Died | December 26, 1916 Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA | (aged 78)
Nationality | German |
Education | St. Joseph's College Pontifical North American College |
Henry Joseph Richter (April 9, 1838 – December 26, 1916) was a German-born prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the first bishop of the new Diocese of Grand Rapids in Michigan from 1883 until his death in 1916.
Biography
[edit]Early life
[edit]Henry Richter was born on April 9, 1838, in Neuenkirchen in the Grand Duchy of Oldenburg (later part of Germany) to Johann and Anna (née Albers) Richter.[1] After studying at local schools and under a private teacher, Henry Richter immigrated to the United States in 1854, settling in Cincinnati, Ohio. He then enrolled at St. Xavier's College in Cincinnati.[2] Richter then studied at St. Joseph's College in Bardstown, Kentucky, before returning to Cincinnati to attend Mount St. Mary's Seminary.[2] In 1860, he was sent to the Pontifical North American College in Rome, obtaining a Doctor of Sacred Theology degree in 1865.[1]
Priesthood
[edit]While in Rome, he was ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati by Cardinal Costantino Patrizi Naro on June 10, 1865.[3] Upon his return to Cincinnati in October 1865, Richter was named professor of dogmatic theology, philosophy, and liturgy at Mount St. Mary's Seminary.[2] He also served as chaplain to the Sisters of Charity at Cedar Grove, and became vice-president of Mount St. Mary's in 1866.[1] In 1870, he was appointed as the founding pastor of St. Lawrence Parish in the Price Hill neighborhood of Cincinnati.[1]
Bishop of Grand Rapids
[edit]On January 30, 1883, Richter was appointed the first bishop of the newly erected Diocese of Grand Rapids by Pope Leo XIII.[3] He received his episcopal consecration on April 22, 1883, from Archbishop William Elder, with Bishops Caspar Borgess and William McCloskey serving as co-consecrators, at St. Andrew's Cathedral in Grand Rapids[3]
When Richter was appointed bishop, the diocese had 36 priests, 33 churches, 17 parochial schools, and 50,000 Catholics; by the time of his death, there were 75 priests, 56 churches, 38 parochial schools, and over 150,000 Catholics.[2] He also attended the Second (1882) and Fifth (1889) Provincial Councils of Cincinnati and the Third Plenary Council of Baltimore (1884).[2]
Death and legacy
[edit]Henry Richter died on December 26, 1916, after three days of illness at St. Mary's Hospital in Grand Rapids; he was age 78.[1]
References
[edit]- 1838 births
- 1916 deaths
- German emigrants to the United States
- The Athenaeum of Ohio alumni
- Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati
- People from Oldenburg (city)
- 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States
- St. Xavier High School (Ohio) alumni
- American chaplains
- Roman Catholic bishops of Grand Rapids
- 19th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States