John Jeremiah Lawler
Encyclopedia
John Jeremiah Lawler was an American
prelate
of the Roman Catholic Church
. He served as Bishop of Rapid City
from 1916 until his death in 1948.
, Minnesota
, and attended St. Francis Seminary in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
. He continued his studies in Belgium
, studying philosophy
at the College of St. Nicholas in Flanders
and theology
at the University of Louvain
. He was ordained
to the priesthood
at Louvain on December 19, 1885.
Following his return to Minnesota, Lawler served as professor of Scripture
at the College of St. Thomas
and later pastor
of St. Luke's Church in St. Paul
. He also served as rector
of the Cathedral of St. Paul. As rector, he was instrumental in the erection of the cathedral at a cost of $5 million.
On February 8, 1910, Lawler was appointed auxiliary bishop
of the Archdiocese of St. Paul
and titular bishop
of Hermopolis Maior
by Pope Pius X
. He received his episcopal
consecration
on the following May 19 from Archbishop John Ireland
, with Bishops James McGolrick
and James Trobec
serving as co-consecrators
. As an auxiliary bishop, he assisted Archbishop Ireland for six years.
Lawler was appointed the third Bishop of Lead
, South Dakota
, by Pope Benedict XV
on January 29, 1916. On August 1, 1930, the episcopal see
of the diocese was changed from Lead
to Rapid City
, and the name of the diocese was changed accordingly. In 1947, Lawler, who had been in failing health, received Bishop William Tibertus McCarty
as his coadjutor bishop
.
Lawler died following a stroke
at age 85. At the time of his death, he was the oldest Catholic bishop in the United States and, after Bishop Alexander Joseph McGavick
, was the second most senior in years of service.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
prelate
Prelate
A prelate is a high-ranking member of the clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin prælatus, the past participle of præferre, which means "carry before", "be set above or over" or "prefer"; hence, a prelate is one set over others.-Related...
of the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
. He served as Bishop of Rapid City
Roman Catholic Diocese of Rapid City
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Rapid City is a Roman Catholic diocese in South Dakota. It was founded on August 6, 1902 as the Diocese of Lead, and was renamed on August 1, 1930.-Bishops:The past bishops of the diocese are:Bishops of Lead...
from 1916 until his death in 1948.
Biography
Lawler was born in RochesterRochester, Minnesota
Rochester is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the county seat of Olmsted County. Located on both banks of the Zumbro River, The city has a population of 106,769 according to the 2010 United States Census, making it Minnesota's third-largest city and the largest outside of the...
, 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...
, and attended St. Francis Seminary in Milwaukee, 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...
. He continued his studies in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, studying philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
at the College of St. Nicholas in Flanders
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
and theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
at the University of Louvain
Catholic University of Leuven
The Catholic University of Leuven, or of Louvain, was the largest, oldest and most prominent university in Belgium. The university was founded in 1425 as the University of Leuven by John IV, Duke of Brabant and approved by a Papal bull by Pope Martin V.During France's occupation of Belgium in the...
. He was ordained
Holy Orders
The term Holy Orders is used by many Christian churches to refer to ordination or to those individuals ordained for a special role or ministry....
to the priesthood
Priesthood (Catholic Church)
The ministerial orders of the Catholic Church include the orders of bishops, deacons and presbyters, which in Latin is sacerdos. The ordained priesthood and common priesthood are different in function and essence....
at Louvain on December 19, 1885.
Following his return to Minnesota, Lawler served as professor of Scripture
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
at the College of St. Thomas
University of St. Thomas (Minnesota)
The University of St. Thomas is a private, Catholic, liberal arts, and archdiocesan university located in St. Paul and Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States...
and later pastor
Pastor
The word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....
of St. Luke's Church in St. Paul
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul is the capital and second-most populous city of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city lies mostly on the east bank of the Mississippi River in the area surrounding its point of confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Minneapolis, the state's largest city...
. He also served as rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
of the Cathedral of St. Paul. As rector, he was instrumental in the erection of the cathedral at a cost of $5 million.
On February 8, 1910, Lawler was appointed auxiliary bishop
Auxiliary bishop
An auxiliary bishop, in the Roman Catholic Church, is an additional bishop assigned to a diocese because the diocesan bishop is unable to perform his functions, the diocese is so extensive that it requires more than one bishop to administer, or the diocese is attached to a royal or imperial office...
of the Archdiocese of St. Paul
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the United States. It is led by the prelature of an archbishop which administers the archdiocese from the cities of Saint Paul and Minneapolis...
and titular bishop
Titular bishop
A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese.By definition a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop the tradition of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches is that he be ordained for a specific place...
of Hermopolis Maior
Hermopolis
Hermopolis Magna or simply Hermopolis or Hermopolis Megale or Hermupolis is the site of ancient Khmun, and is located near the modern Egyptian town of El Ashmunein in Al Minya governorate.-Etymology:Khmun, the Ancient Egyptian name of the city, means "eight-town", after the Ogdoad, a group of...
by Pope Pius X
Pope Pius X
Pope Saint Pius X , born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto, was the 257th Pope of the Catholic Church, serving from 1903 to 1914. He was the first pope since Pope Pius V to be canonized. Pius X rejected modernist interpretations of Catholic doctrine, promoting traditional devotional practices and orthodox...
. He received his episcopal
Bishop (Catholic Church)
In the Catholic Church, a bishop is an ordained minister who holds the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders and is responsible for teaching the Catholic faith and ruling the Church....
consecration
Consecration
Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service, usually religious. The word "consecration" literally means "to associate with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different groups...
on the following May 19 from Archbishop John Ireland
John Ireland (archbishop)
John Ireland was the third bishop and first archbishop of Saint Paul, Minnesota . He became both a religious as well as civic leader in Saint Paul during the turn of the century...
, with Bishops James McGolrick
James McGolrick
James McGolrick was a U.S. bishop. He was the first Roman Catholic Bishop of Duluth, between the foundation of the diocese in 1889 until his death in 1918....
and James Trobec
James Trobec
James Trobec was the third Roman Catholic bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint Cloud, in Saint Cloud, Minnesota.Born in Slovenia, Trobec was ordained a priest on September 8, 1865...
serving as co-consecrators
Consecrator
Consecrator is a term used in the Roman Catholic Church to designate a bishop who ordains a priest to the episcopal state. The term is often used in Eastern Rite Churches and in Anglican communities. The term "Principal Consecrator" is used to designate the primary bishop who ordains a new bishop...
. As an auxiliary bishop, he assisted Archbishop Ireland for six years.
Lawler was appointed the third Bishop of Lead
Roman Catholic Diocese of Rapid City
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Rapid City is a Roman Catholic diocese in South Dakota. It was founded on August 6, 1902 as the Diocese of Lead, and was renamed on August 1, 1930.-Bishops:The past bishops of the diocese are:Bishops of Lead...
, South Dakota
South Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
, by Pope Benedict XV
Pope Benedict XV
Pope Benedict XV , born Giacomo Paolo Giovanni Battista della Chiesa, reigned as Pope from 3 September 1914 to 22 January 1922...
on January 29, 1916. On August 1, 1930, the episcopal see
Episcopal See
An episcopal see is, in the original sense, the official seat of a bishop. This seat, which is also referred to as the bishop's cathedra, is placed in the bishop's principal church, which is therefore called the bishop's cathedral...
of the diocese was changed from Lead
Lead, South Dakota
Lead is a city in Lawrence County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 3,124 at the 2010 census. Lead is located in western South Dakota, in the Black Hills near the Wyoming state line.-History:...
to Rapid City
Rapid City, South Dakota
Rapid City is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of South Dakota, and the county seat of Pennington County. Named after Rapid Creek on which the city is established, it is set against the eastern slope of the Black Hills mountain range. The population was 67,956 as of the 2010 Census. Rapid...
, and the name of the diocese was changed accordingly. In 1947, Lawler, who had been in failing health, received Bishop William Tibertus McCarty
William Tibertus McCarty
William Tibertus McCarty, C.SS.R. was an American clergyman of the Roman Catholic Church. A Redemptorist, he served as Bishop of Rapid City from 1948 to 1969.-Biography:...
as his coadjutor bishop
Coadjutor bishop
A coadjutor bishop is a bishop in the Roman Catholic or Anglican churches who is designated to assist the diocesan bishop in the administration of the diocese, almost as co-bishop of the diocese...
.
Lawler died following a stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
at age 85. At the time of his death, he was the oldest Catholic bishop in the United States and, after Bishop Alexander Joseph McGavick
Alexander Joseph McGavick
Alexander Joseph McGavick was an American clergyman of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of La Crosse from 1921 until his death in 1948.-Biography:...
, was the second most senior in years of service.