Frederick Katzer
Encyclopedia
Archbishop
An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...
. Katzer was the third Bishop of Diocese of Green Bay
Roman Catholic Diocese of Green Bay
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Green Bay was established on March 3, 1868 by Pope Pius IX. It covers the city of Green Bay as well as Brown, Calumet, Door, Florence, Forest, Kewaunee, Langlade, Manitowoc, Marinette, Menominee, Oconto, Outagamie, Shawano, Waupaca, Waushara, and Winnebago counties,...
and the third Archbishop
Archbishop
An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...
of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee
The Archdiocese of Milwaukee is a Roman Catholic archdiocese headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in the United States. It encompasses the City of Milwaukee, as well as the counties of Dodge, Fond du Lac, Kenosha, Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Racine, Sheboygan, Walworth, Washington and Waukesha, all...
in Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
.
Born in Ebensee
Ebensee
Ebensee is a market town in the Traunviertel region of the Austrian state of Upper Austria, located within the Salzkammergut Mountains at the southern end of the Traunsee. The regional capital Linz lies approximately to the north, nearest towns are Gmunden and Bad Ischl...
in Upper Austria
Upper Austria
Upper Austria is one of the nine states or Bundesländer of Austria. Its capital is Linz. Upper Austria borders on Germany and the Czech Republic, as well as on the other Austrian states of Lower Austria, Styria, and Salzburg...
(then part of the vast Central European Austrian Empire
Austrian Empire
The Austrian Empire was a modern era successor empire, which was centered on what is today's Austria and which officially lasted from 1804 to 1867. It was followed by the Empire of Austria-Hungary, whose proclamation was a diplomatic move that elevated Hungary's status within the Austrian Empire...
), Katzer immigrated to Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
in 1864. He soon moved to Milwaukee
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...
where he studied at St. Francis Seminary and was ordained to the priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
hood on December 21, 1866. He joined the seminary faculty and taught a variety of subjects, until transferring to Green Bay in 1875.
Frederick Katzer was appointed Bishop of Green Bay on July 13, 1886 after Bishop Francis Krautbauer's
Francis Xavier Krautbauer
Francis Xavier Krautbauer was the second Roman Catholic bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Green Bay, in Green Bay, Wisconsin....
death and served as Bishop until his appointment as the third archbishop of Milwaukee on January 30, 1891. His nomination was opposed by some Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
Catholics, who felt a policy of "Germanization" of the archdiocese set in place by his predecessors should not be continued. This is reflected in the architecture of many of the city's early churches, including the historic Old St. Mary's Church and the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist
Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist
The Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist is the episcopal see of the Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated a Milwaukee Landmark. It is located just east of Cathedral Square Park.- Description :Archbishop...
.
During his tenure, Katzer was a strong supporter of Catholic schools. He successfully lobbied for the repeal of the Bennett Law
Bennett Law
The Bennett Law was a very controversial state law passed in Wisconsin in 1889, that required the use of English to teach major subjects in all public and private elementary and high schools. It affected the state's many German-language private schools , and was bitterly resented by German-American...
in 1890, which would have required all public schools to teach in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and was perceived as an attack on immigrants and parochial schools. The Sisters of the Divine Savior
Sisters of the Divine Savior
The Sisters of the Divine Savior is an order of Roman Catholic nuns co-founded on December 8, 1888 in Tivoli, by the Blessed Mary of the Apostles , , , and Father Francis Mary of the Cross Jordan, who had also founded the Salvatorian Fathers and Brothers in 1881...
also made their home in Milwaukee at the urging of Katzer, during a visit to Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII , born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci to an Italian comital family, was the 256th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, reigning from 1878 to 1903...
in 1895.
Archbishop Frederick Xavier Katzer died in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin
Fond du Lac, Wisconsin
Fond du Lac is a city in Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, United States. The name is French for bottom of the lake, for it is located at the bottom of Lake Winnebago. The population was 42,203 at the 2000 census...
on July 23, 1903 at the age of 59. He is buried in a small cemetery on the grounds of St. Francis Seminary.