Joseph Rademacher (bishop)

His Excellency, The Most Reverend

Joseph Rademacher
His Excellency, The Most Reverend; Joseph Rademacher
Bishop of Fort Wayne
Church	Roman Catholic Church
See	Diocese of Fort Wayne
Predecessor	Patrick Feehan
Successor	Thomas Sebastian Byrne
Other post(s)	Bishop of Nashville; 1883 to 1893
Orders
Ordination	August 2, 1863; by John Henry Luers
Consecration	June 24 1883; by Patrick Feehan
Personal details
Born	December 3, 1840; Westphalia, Missouri, US
Died	June 12, 1900 (aged 59); Chicago, Illinois, US
Education	St. Vincent's College; St. Michael's Seminary

Joseph Rademacher (December 3, 1840 – June 12, 1900) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Nashville in Tennessee from 1883 to 1893 and as bishop of the Diocese of Fort Wayne in Indiana from 1893 until his death in 1900.

Biography

Early life

Joseph Rademacher was born on December 3, 1840, in Westphalia, Missouri, to Bernard and Theresia (née Platte) Rademacher, both German immigrants.^[1] In 1855, he began his classical and philosophical studies under the Benedictines at St. Vincent's College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania.^[2] He completed his theological studies at St. Michael's Seminary in Pittsburgh.^[1]

Priesthood

Rademacher was ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Fort Wayne by Bishop John Luers on August 2, 1863.^[3] He then served as the first resident pastor in Attica, Indiana, also attending to the nearby missions. In 1870, he was transferred to a parish in Columbia City, Indiana.^[2] In 1872, Rademacher was appointed chancellor of the diocese and pastor of St. Mary's Parish in Fort Wayne, Indiana.^[1] He served as pastor of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception Parish in Lafayette, Indiana, from 1880 to 1883.^[1]

Bishop of Nashville

On April 3, 1883, Rademacher was appointed as the fourth bishop of the Diocese of Nashville by Pope Leo XIII.^[3] He received his episcopal consecration on June 24, 1883, from Archbishop Patrick Feehan, with Bishops Joseph Dwenger and John Watterson serving as co-consecrators.^[3]

Bishop of Fort Wayne

Rademacher was named the third bishop of the Diocese of Fort Wayne by Leo XIII on July 15, 1893.^[3] Unlike his predecessor, Rademacher was known as a mild and approachable leader.^[1]

Death and legacy

Rademacher was disabled by a stroke in early 1899, and was admitted to St. Joseph Hospital in Fort Wayne, then to St. Elizabeth Hospital in Chicago.^[1] Joseph Rademacher died at St. Elizabeth's on June 12, 1900, at age 59.

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f White, Joseph M. (2007). Worthy of the Gospel of Christ: A History of the Catholic Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend.
^ ^a ^b Alerding, Herman Joseph. "The Right Rev. Joseph Rademacher, D.D." The Diocese of Fort Wayne. Archived from the original on 2009-06-25.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Bishop Joseph Rademacher". Catholic-Hierarchy.org.

External links

Works by or about Joseph Rademacher at the Internet Archive

Catholic Church titles
Preceded by Patrick Feehan	Bishop of Nashville 1883–1893	Succeeded by Thomas Sebastian Byrne

[white-1] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f White, Joseph M. (2007). Worthy of the Gospel of Christ: A History of the Catholic Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend.

[alerding-2] Alerding, Herman Joseph. "The Right Rev. Joseph Rademacher, D.D." The Diocese of Fort Wayne. Archived from the original on 2009-06-25.

[hierarchy-3] "Bishop Joseph Rademacher". Catholic-Hierarchy.org.

[1]

[2]

[3]

v t e Roman Catholic Diocese of Nashville
Ordinaries	Bishops Richard Pius Miles James Whelan Patrick Feehan Joseph Rademacher Thomas Sebastian Byrne Alphonse John Smith William Lawrence Adrian Joseph Aloysius Durick James Daniel Niedergeses Edward Urban Kmiec David Raymond Choby J. Mark Spalding
Churches	Cathedral Cathedral of the Incarnation,Nashville Parishes St. Michael's Catholic Church, Cedar Hill (Mission)
Education	College Aquinas College, Nashville High schools Father Ryan High School, Nashville Pope John Paul II High School, Hendersonville St. Cecilia Academy, Nashville
Catholicism portal

v t e Roman Catholic Diocese of Fort Wayne–South Bend
Bishops	Ordinaries John Henry Luers Joseph Gregory Dwenger Joseph Rademacher Herman Joseph Alerding John F. Noll Leo Aloysius Pursley William Edward McManus John Michael D'Arcy Kevin C. Rhoades Auxiliary bishops Joseph Robert Crowley John Richard Sheets Daniel R. Jenky
Churches	Cathedrals Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Fort Wayne St. Matthew Cathedral, South Bend Basilica Basilica of the Sacred Heart, Notre Dame Parishes St. Mary of the Assumption Church, Avilla St. Mary's Catholic Church, Huntington St. Adalbert Church, South Bend St. Casimir Church, South Bend
Education	Higher education Ancilla Domini College, Donaldson University of Saint Francis, Fort Wayne Holy Cross College, Notre Dame Saint Mary's College, Notre Dame University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame High schools Bishop Dwenger High School, Fort Wayne Bishop Luers High School, Fort Wayne Marian High School, Mishawaka St. Joseph High School, South Bend
Priests	John George Bennett John Paul Elford Andrew Gregory Grutka
Miscellany	Our Sunday Visitor
Catholicism portal