His Excellency, The Most Reverend

Egidius Jünger
Bishop of Nesqually
DioceseNesqually
AppointedAugust 6, 1879
Term endedDecember 26, 1895
PredecessorAugustin-Magloire Blanchet
SuccessorEdward John O'Dea
Orders
OrdinationJune 27, 1862
by Engelbert Sterckx
ConsecrationOctober 28, 1879
by François Norbert Blanchet
Personal details
Born(1833-04-06)April 6, 1833
Burtscheid, Rhine Province, Kingdom of Prussia
(present-day Germany)
DiedDecember 26, 1895(1895-12-26) (aged 62)
Vancouver, Washington, US
NationalityGerman
EducationCatholic University of Leuven

Egidius Jünger, also spelled Aegidius Jünger (April 6, 1833 – December 26, 1895), was a German-born prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Nesqually in the Washington Territory in the United States from 1879 until his death in 1895.

Biography

Early life

Egidius Jünger was born on April 6, 1833, in Burtscheid in Rhenish Prussia (in what is today Germany). He received his early education at the schools of Burtscheid and made his classical studies at the gymnasium of Aachen. In 1853, Jünger entered the Catholic University of Leuven in Leuven, Belgium.[1][2]

Priesthood

Jünger was ordained to the priesthood in Mechelen, Belgium on June 27, 1862.[3] He came to the United States as a missionary in October of that year, being stationed at Walla Walla, Washington. He became rector of St. James Cathedral in Vancouver, Washington, in 1864.[3][2]

Bishop of Nesqually

On August 6, 1879, Jünger was appointed the second Bishop of Nesqually by Pope Leo XIII.[3] He received his episcopal consecration on October 28,1879, from Archbishop François Blanchet in Oregon City, Oregon.[3]

The diocese experienced considerable growth under his administration, including an increase in the number of priests and parishes and the number of nuns in the region increased from about 60 to 286. Under Jünger's leadership, a large cathedral was built in Vancouver, Washington, in 1888 to replace the old wooden church built in 1846 by Bishops François Norbert Blanchet and Modeste Demers, but the $50,000 financial debt the project created weighed upon him.[4]

A contemporary account described Jünger as a hard worker who lived a simple lifestyle and built good relationships with his priests and parishioners.[1]

Death and legacy

Egidius Jünger died at Vancouver on December 26, 1895, at age 62.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Hoffmann's Catholic Directory, Almanac and Clergy List. M.H. Wiltzlus Company. 1897.
  2. 1 2 Company, Baltimore Publishing (1885). The Memorial Volume, a History of the Third Plenary Council of Baltimore, November 9-December 7, 1884. Baltimore Publishing Company.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Bishop Egidius Junger". Catholic-Hierarchy.org.
  4. ↑ O'Connel Killen, Patricia. Abundance of Grace: The History of the Archdiocese of Seattle, 1850 to 2000 (1st ed.). Strasbourg, France: Éditions du Signe. pp. 30–34.
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