His Excellency, The Most Reverend

Henry Joseph Soenneker
Bishop of Owensboro
ChurchRoman Catholic Church
SeeDiocese of Owensboro
In officeApril 26, 1961 to
June 30, 1982
PredecessorFrancis Ridgley Cotton
SuccessorJohn Jeremiah McRaith
Orders
OrdinationMay 26, 1934
by James Joseph Hartley
ConsecrationApril 26, 1961
by Peter William Bartholome
Personal details
Born(1907-05-27)May 27, 1907
Melrose, Minnesota, US
DiedSeptember 24, 1987(1987-09-24) (aged 80)
Owensboro, Kentucky, US
EducationPontifical College Josephinum
Catholic University of America

Henry Joseph Soenneker (May 27, 1907—September 24, 1987) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the second bishop of the Diocese of Owensboro in Kentucky from 1961 to 1982.

Biography

Early life

Henry Soenneker was born in Melrose, Minnesota, to Henry and Mary (née Wessel) Soenneker.[1] He studied at the Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus, Ohio, obtaining a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1930.[1]

Priesthood

Soenneker was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop James Hartley for the Diocese of St. Cloud on May 26, 1934.[2] After his ordination, Soenneker was appointed as curate at St. Anthony Parish in St. Cloud, Minnesota,. He also served as a high school teacher and chaplain at a Veterans Administration hospital.[1]

In 1940, Soenneker left his current positions to become chaplain to the Sisters of St. Francis at Little Falls, Minnesota. He travelled in 1948 to Washington D.C. to attend the Catholic University of America, earning a Licentiate of Canon Law in 1950.[1] After returning to Minnesota, he was named spiritual director of St. John's Seminary in Collegeville.[1]

Bishop of Owensboro

On March 10, 1961, Soenneker was appointed the second bishop of the Diocese of Owensboro by Pope John XXIII.[2][3] He received his episcopal consecration on April 26, 1961, from Bishop Peter Bartholome, with Bishops Francis Schenk and Joseph Mueller serving as co-consecrators.[2] Soenneker attended all four sessions of the Second Vatican Council in Rome between 1962 and 1965.

Pope John Paul II accepted Soenneker's resignation as bishop of the Diocese of Owensboro on June 30, 1982.[2][4] Henry Soenneker died in Owensboro on September 24, 1987, at age 80.[2] The Bishop Soenneker Home, an assisted living facility in Knottsville, Kentucky, was named after him.[5]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Curtis, Georgina Pell (1961). The American Catholic Who's Who. Vol. XIV. Grosse Pointe, Michigan: Walter Romig.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Bishop Henry Joseph Soenneker". Catholic-Hierarchy.org.
  3. ↑ "Pope Names Kentucky Bishop". timesmachine.nytimes.com. Retrieved 2022-08-08.
  4. ↑ Upi (1982-10-31). "Bishop Named for Kentucky". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-08-08.
  5. ↑ "Last Bishop Soenneker Home resident moves out". www.14news.com. Retrieved 2022-08-08.

Episcopal succession

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