Jerome George H*, O.S.B. (born May 26, 1940) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church, presiding as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Dubuque in Iowa from 1995 until 2013.

A member of the Order of Saint Benedict, H* served as abbot of Conception Abbey from 1977 to 1987. He also served as bishop of the Diocese of Saint Cloud in Minnesota from 1987 to 1994 and coadjutor archbishop of the Archdiocese of Dubuque from 1994 to 1995.

Contents

• 1 Biography
  • 1.1 Early life and education
  • 1.2 Priesthood
  • 1.3 Bishop of Saint Cloud
  • 1.4 Archbishop of Dubuque
• 2 Retirement and legacy
• 3 See also
• 4 References
• 5 External links
• 6 Episcopal succession

Biography

Early life and education

George H* was born in Brainard, Nebraska, to Leo A. and Kristine (née Polak) H*. The third of eight children, he has three brothers and four sisters. He received his early education at parochial schools in Dwight, Nebraska, and Bellwood, Nebraska, H* graduated from St. John Vianney Seminary in Elkhorn, Nebraska in 1958.

H* joined the Order of Saint Benedict, at Conception Abbey in Conception, Missouri. He made his profession as a Benedictine monk on September 1, 1961, taking the name Jerome. H* studied at Conception Seminary College in Conception, Missouri, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1963. He continued his studies at the Pontifical University of St. Anselm in Rome, receiving a Licentiate of Sacred Theology in 1967.

Priesthood

H* was ordained to the priesthood in the Order of Saint Benedict by Archbishop Gerald Bergan on July 30, 1966.After his ordination, H* taught scholastic theology at Conception Seminary College from 1967 to 1969. He studied moral theology at Princeton University, earning a Master of Arts degree in 1972. H* then returned to Conception Seminary, where he served as professor of religion from 1973 to 1976. From 1974 to 1976, H* was an adjunct professor of moral theology at the Pontifical University of St. Anselm.

H* was elected the sixth abbot of Conception Abbey on January 5, 1977, and received the abbatial blessing the next day. In addition to his role as abbot, he served as abbot president of the Swiss-American Congregation, to which the abbey belongs, from 1984 to 1987.

Bishop of Saint Cloud

On July 6, 1987, Pope John Paul II appointed Jerome as the eighth bishop of the Diocese of Saint Cloud. He was consecrated on August 24, 1987, by Archbishop John Roach. Bishops John Sullivan and George Speltz were the principal co-consecrators.

Archbishop of Dubuque

On August 23, 1994, John Paul II appointed H* as the coadjutor archbishop of the Diocese of Dubuque. He was installed on October 27, 1994. In 1995, Archbishop Daniel Kucera sent his letter of resignation as archbishop of Dubuque to Pope John II, On October 16, 1995, H* automatically succeeded Kucera as the 11th bishop and 9th archbishop of Dubuque.

As archbishop, H* implemented a strategic planning process throughout the archdiocese. He spoke to people in the archdiocese via videotaped messages played at m* in all the parishes. Parishioners were given opportunities to respond and express their own views. H* then issued a vision statement, which spelled out his plans for the archdiocese. These plans included an increased role for the laity in leadership roles, necessitated by the priest shortage and the changing demographics of the archdiocese. These conditions also forced H* to combine and close a number of parishes.

On February 1, 2006, H* announced a $5 million legal settlement for 26 victims of sexual abuse by priests in the 1950s and 1960s in the archdiocese. Six deceased priests were mentioned in the do*ent; the one living priest who was listed has since been laicized.

On May 12, 2008, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement raided the Agriprocessors meat packing plant in Postville, Iowa, detaining 398 employees who were overwhelmingly of Latino descent. In the wake of the raid, H* called for comprehensive immigration reform. He called on those attending at a prayer service to remember the scriptures "to treat the alien in your midst like your brother or sister, and that when you receive the alien, the foreigner, you are welcoming Christ."

In February 2012. H* suffered serious chest injuries when his car rolled over twice in a crash. Those injuries caused recurring body spasms that required hospitalizations and resulted in more arthritic pain.

Retirement and legacy

H* submitted his resignation as archbishop for health reasons, which Pope Francis accepted. On April 8, 2013, H* announced that Francis had appointed Bishop Michael Jackels of the Diocese of Wichita, Kansas to succeed him. H* acted as apostolic administrator for the archdiocese until Jackels was installed on May 30, after which he resumed his life as a monk in Missouri.

In April 2013, H* was scheduled to make a deposition in two sexual abuse lawsuits against Conception Abbey. The plaintiffs were two Missouri men who claimed that in the 1980s Bede Parry, a priest at the abbey, had abused them as boys. H* served as abbot of Conception Abbey during that period. The lawsuits claimed that H* met with Perry in 1981, before the alleged abuses occurred. In that meeting, Perry confessed to "inappropriate sexual relationships" with minors. H* ordered Perry to undergo psychological counseling, but allowed him to continue as the youth choir director. According to Perry, H* told him not to do it again.

See also

Portals:BiographyCatholicismIowa

• Catholic Church hierarchy
• Catholic Church in the United States
• Historical list of the Catholic bishops of the United States
• List of Catholic bishops of the United States
• Lists of patriarchs, archbishops, and bishops

References

External links

• Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dubuque Official Site

Episcopal succession