John Linus Paschang
Encyclopedia
John Linus Paschang was an American
clergyman of the Roman Catholic Church
. He served as Bishop of Grand Island
from 1951 to 1972.
, Nebraska
, to Casper and Gertrude (née Fisher) Paschang. Drawn to the religious life
from high school, he studied at Conception Seminary College
in Conception
, Missouri
, and at St. John's Seminary in Collegeville, Minnesota
.
He was ordained
to the priesthood
on June 12, 1921. After serving as pastor
of St. Rose of Lima Church in Hooper
(1921-1923), he furthered his studies at the Catholic University of America
in Washington, D.C.
, from where he earned a doctorate in canon law
. He then served as pastor
of Holy Cross Church in Omaha
from 1927 to 1951.
On July 28, 1951, Paschang was appointed the fourth Bishop of Grand Island
by Pope Pius XII
. He received his episcopal
consecration
on the following October 9 from Archbishop Gerald Thomas Bergan
, with Bishops Louis Benedict Kucera
and Edward Joseph Hunkeler
serving as co-consecrators
. During his tenure, he ordained 55 priests and established 33 churches, 15 parish houses, 13 schools, 11 parish centers, six convents, several rectories, and four hospital additions. He attended all four sessions of the Second Vatican Council
(1962-1965), but was privately opposed to some of the Council's more liberal
reforms. He also earned a stock broker
's license to better his knowledge of financial investments for the church.
After twenty-one years as bishop, Paschang retired on July 25, 1972. He founded the Damian Leper Relief Society in 1976. He moved to St. Joseph's Retirement Home in West Point
in 1993, and said Mass
every day in his room until he was hospitalized at St. Francis Memorial Hospital in 1999. At the time of his death, at age 103, he was the world's oldest living Catholic bishop.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
clergyman 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 Grand Island
Roman Catholic Diocese of Grand Island
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Grand Island is a Roman Catholic diocese in Grand Island, Nebraska. It is suffragan to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Omaha. It was founded on April 11, 1917, after a decree from Pius X in 1912 with the first bishop appointed in 1913...
from 1951 to 1972.
Biography
One of nine children, John Paschang was born in HemingfordHemingford, Nebraska
Hemingford is a village in Box Butte County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 993 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Hemingford is located at ....
, Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
, to Casper and Gertrude (née Fisher) Paschang. Drawn to the religious life
Consecrated life (Catholic Church)
In the Roman Catholic Church, the term "consecrated life" denotes a stable form of Christian living by those faithful who feel called to follow Jesus Christ in a more exacting way recognized by the Church...
from high school, he studied at Conception Seminary College
Conception Abbey
Conception Abbey is a monastery of the Swiss-American Congregation of the Benedictine Confederation. The monastery, founded by the Swiss Engelberg Abbey in 1873 in northwest Missouri's Nodaway County, was raised to a conventual priory in 1876 and elevated to an abbey in 1881...
in Conception
Conception, Missouri
Conception is an unincorporated community in eastern Nodaway County, Missouri, United States. It is located about eleven miles southeast of Maryville on U.S. Route 136. It is very near Conception Junction, Missouri . Conception is home to Conception Abbey....
, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
, and at St. John's Seminary in Collegeville, 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...
.
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....
on June 12, 1921. After serving as 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. Rose of Lima Church in Hooper
Hooper, Nebraska
Hooper is a city in Dodge County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 827 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Hooper is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land....
(1921-1923), he furthered his studies at the Catholic University of America
The Catholic University of America
The Catholic University of America is a private university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States. It is a pontifical university of the Catholic Church in the United States and the only institution of higher education founded by the U.S. Catholic bishops...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, from where he earned a doctorate in canon law
Doctor of Canon Law
Doctor of Canon Law is the doctoral-level terminal degree in the studies of canon law of the Roman Catholic Church.It may also be abbreviated I.C.D. or dr.iur.can. , ICDr., D.C.L., D.Cnl., D.D.C., or D.Can.L. . Doctor of both laws are J.U.D...
. He then served as 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 Holy Cross Church in Omaha
Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...
from 1927 to 1951.
On July 28, 1951, Paschang was appointed the fourth Bishop of Grand Island
Roman Catholic Diocese of Grand Island
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Grand Island is a Roman Catholic diocese in Grand Island, Nebraska. It is suffragan to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Omaha. It was founded on April 11, 1917, after a decree from Pius X in 1912 with the first bishop appointed in 1913...
by Pope Pius XII
Pope Pius XII
The Venerable Pope Pius XII , born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli , reigned as Pope, head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City State, from 2 March 1939 until his death in 1958....
. 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 October 9 from Archbishop Gerald Thomas Bergan
Gerald Thomas Bergan
-References:...
, with Bishops Louis Benedict Kucera
Louis Benedict Kucera
Louis Benedict Kucera was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Lincoln from 1930 until his death in 1957.-Biography:...
and Edward Joseph Hunkeler
Edward Joseph Hunkeler
Edward Joseph Hunkeler was an American clergyman of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Grand Island and Archbishop of Kansas City in Kansas .-Biography:...
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...
. During his tenure, he ordained 55 priests and established 33 churches, 15 parish houses, 13 schools, 11 parish centers, six convents, several rectories, and four hospital additions. He attended all four sessions of the Second Vatican Council
Second Vatican Council
The Second Vatican Council addressed relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the modern world. It was the twenty-first Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church and the second to be held at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. It opened under Pope John XXIII on 11 October 1962 and closed...
(1962-1965), but was privately opposed to some of the Council's more liberal
Liberal Christianity
Liberal Christianity, sometimes called liberal theology, is an umbrella term covering diverse, philosophically and biblically informed religious movements and ideas within Christianity from the late 18th century and onward...
reforms. He also earned a stock broker
Stock broker
A stock broker or stockbroker is a regulated professional broker who buys and sells shares and other securities through market makers or Agency Only Firms on behalf of investors...
's license to better his knowledge of financial investments for the church.
After twenty-one years as bishop, Paschang retired on July 25, 1972. He founded the Damian Leper Relief Society in 1976. He moved to St. Joseph's Retirement Home in West Point
West Point, Nebraska
West Point is a city in and the county seat of Cuming County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 3,660 at the 2000 census.-History:West Point was first founded in the spring of 1857, when Omaha businessmen formed the Nebraska Settlement Association in order to find suitable townsites in...
in 1993, and said Mass
Mass (liturgy)
"Mass" is one of the names by which the sacrament of the Eucharist is called in the Roman Catholic Church: others are "Eucharist", the "Lord's Supper", the "Breaking of Bread", the "Eucharistic assembly ", the "memorial of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection", the "Holy Sacrifice", the "Holy and...
every day in his room until he was hospitalized at St. Francis Memorial Hospital in 1999. At the time of his death, at age 103, he was the world's oldest living Catholic bishop.