Joseph Gregory Dwenger was the Roman Catholic

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...

 Bishop of Fort Wayne

Roman Catholic Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend

The Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend is a Roman Catholic diocese in north-central and northeastern Indiana. The Most Reverend Kevin C. Rhoades was appointed diocesan bishop by Pope Benedict XVI on November 14, 2009, and was installed on January 13, 2010...

 (1872–1893).

Dwenger was born near Minster

Minster, Ohio

Minster is a village in Auglaize County, Ohio, United States. The population was 2,794 at the 2000 census. It is included in the Wapakoneta, Ohio Micropolitan Statistical Area...

, Ohio

Ohio

Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...

, in 1837. Orphaned at an early age, he was educated by the Fathers of the Precious Blood

Missionaries of the Precious Blood

The Missionaries of the Precious Blood form a community of priests and brothers within the Latin Church, one of the 23 sui iuris churches which make up the universal Catholic Church. The Society was founded by Saint Gaspar del Bufalo in 1815...

, entered their community, and 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....

 priest

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....

 4 September 1859. Appointed professor

Professor

A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...

 in the seminary

Seminary

A seminary, theological college, or divinity school is an institution of secondary or post-secondary education for educating students in theology, generally to prepare them for ordination as clergy or for other ministry...

 of his community, he filled that position until 1862, and was then assigned to parochial work. From 1867 to 1872 he was occupied in preaching missions.

He was consecrated 14 April 1872. During his time in office he firmly supported the congregation of the Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ

Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ

The Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ is a religious order of Catholic women. The Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ American Province has its motherhouse in Donaldson, Indiana.-Ministries:...

 as had been done by his predecessor Bishop John Henry Luers

John Henry Luers

John Henry Luers was nominated first bishop of Fort Wayne, Indiana, and consecrated in Cincinnati, Ohio, 10 January 1858....

. He therefore allowed Father Edward Koenig - who had served as advisor to the sisters since their arrival - to remain in office in their Motherhouse in Fort Wayne. The good relationship continued, and in due course the congregation opened many schools, orphanages and hospitals in his and the neighbouring dioceses. Especially the establishment of orphanages were at his core interest, presumably because he himself had suffered this fate at an early age and knew best what was needed.

He served such parishes as Holy Rosary

Holy Rosary Catholic Church (St. Marys, Ohio)

Holy Rosary Catholic Church is a Roman Catholic parish on the east side of St. Marys, Ohio, United States. Established in 1852, the church has been recognized for its historic 1860s church building, which was demolished amid a period of growth in the 1970s and replaced with a modern...

 in St. Marys

St. Marys, Ohio

St. Marys is a city in Auglaize County, Ohio, United States. The population was 8,342 at the 2000 census. It is included in the Wapakoneta, Ohio, Micropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...

 and St. Joseph's

St. Joseph's Catholic Church (Wapakoneta, Ohio)

St. Joseph's Catholic Church is a historic Roman Catholic church in Wapakoneta, Ohio, United States. Built in 1910, this church is home to an active Catholic parish, and it has been declared a historic site because of its well-preserved Romanesque Revival architecture.-Early parish history:One of...

 in Wapakoneta

Wapakoneta, Ohio

Wapakoneta is a city in and the county seat of Auglaize County, Ohio, United States with a population of 9,474 as of the 2000 U.S. census. It is the principal city of and is included in the Wapakoneta, Ohio Micropolitan S A, which is included in the Lima-Van Wert-Wapakoneta, Ohio CSA...

, both in Auglaize County

Auglaize County, Ohio

As of the census of 2000, there were 46,611 people, 17,376 households, and 12,771 families residing in the county. The population density was 116 people per square mile . There were 18,470 housing units at an average density of 46 per square mile...

, and he aided in establishing Immaculate Conception parish

Immaculate Conception Catholic Church (Celina, Ohio)

Immaculate Conception Catholic Church is a parish of the Roman Catholic Church in Celina, Ohio, United States. Founded later than many other Catholic parishes in the heavily Catholic region of western Ohio, it owns a complex of buildings constructed in the early 20th century that have been...

 in Celina

Celina, Ohio

Celina is a city in and the county seat of Mercer County, Ohio, United States. The population was 10,303 at the 2000 census. Celina is situated on the western shores of Grand Lake St. Marys.-History:...

 in Mercer County

Mercer County, Ohio

Mercer County is a county located in the state of Ohio, United States. Its county seat is Celina and is named for Hugh Mercer, an officer in the American Revolutionary War.The Celina Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Mercer County.-Geography:...

. In 1874 Bishop Dwenger was the head of the first American pilgrimage to Rome

Rome

Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...

. In 1875 he erected an orphan asylum

Orphanage

An orphanage is a residential institution devoted to the care of orphans – children whose parents are deceased or otherwise unable or unwilling to care for them...

 and manual labour school for boys at Lafayette

Lafayette, Indiana

Lafayette is a city in and the county seat of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States, northwest of Indianapolis. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 67,140. West Lafayette, on the other side of the Wabash River, is home to Purdue University, which has a large impact on...

. He was a zealous promoter of the parochial school

Parochial school

A parochial school is a school that provides religious education in addition to conventional education. In a narrower sense, a parochial school is a Christian grammar school or high school which is part of, and run by, a parish.-United Kingdom:...

 system. In 1884 he attended the Third Plenary Council at Baltimore

Plenary Councils of Baltimore

The Plenary Councils of Baltimore were three national meetings of Roman Catholic bishops in the 19th century in Baltimore, Maryland.During the early history of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States all of the dioceses were part of one ecclesiastical province under the Archbishop of Baltimore...

. The following March, he was deputed, with Bishops John Moore

John Moore (bishop of St Augustine)

Bishop John Moore , was born in County Westmeath, Ireland and moved to Charleston, South Carolina at the age of 14. He served as Bishop of St. Augustine from 1877-1901...

 and Richard Gilmour

Richard Gilmour

Richard Gilmour was a Scottish-born prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Cleveland from 1872 until his death in 1891.-Biography:...

, to present the decrees of the council to the Holy Father

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 1886 he erected an asylum for orphan girls at Fort Wayne

Fort Wayne, Indiana

Fort Wayne is a city in the US state of Indiana and the county seat of Allen County. The population was 253,691 at the 2010 Census making it the 74th largest city in the United States and the second largest in Indiana...

. In 1888 when he was on his way to Rome he visited the German Motherhouse of the congregation of the Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ

Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ

The Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ is a religious order of Catholic women. The Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ American Province has its motherhouse in Donaldson, Indiana.-Ministries:...

 in Dernbach Westerwald from where their community took its beginnings. He stated his intention as to express personally his gratitude for the many services which had been done for the development of his diocese and the many sisters which had been sent to serve in the USA.

As in 1888, in 1891 he again went to Rome, the last time in the interest of the North American College

Pontifical North American College

The Pontifical North American College is a Roman Catholic educational institution in Rome, Italy educating seminarians for the dioceses in the United States and providing a residence for American priests studying in Rome. It was founded in 1859 by Blessed Pope Pius IX and was granted pontifical...

. Soon after his return he was attacked by a lingering illness, to which he succumbed 22 January 1893.