About

Former Bishops

The Diocese of Columbus was established in 1868.

Born February 5, 1827 in Homer, Ohio, Sylvester Rosecrans grew up in northern Licking County. Tradition has it that Sylvester was baptized by a Methodist minister. He studied at Kenyon College, Gambier, Ohio. In 1845 he converted to Roman Catholicism at the urging of his brother William (later a general in the U.S. Army during the Civil War). Young and enthusiastic, he left Kenyon and enrolled at Fordham University, New York, from which he graduated with high honors.

Sylvester then expressed to Archbishop John Purcell his desire to be a priest (at that time the counties composing the Diocese of Columbus were part of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati). Archbishop Purcell sent him to the College of the Propaganda in Rome, Italy, where he earned a doctorate in theology with honors. He was ordained a priest by Constantino Cardinal Patrizi, Bishop of Albano and Vicar to the Pope, on June 5, 1852, in Rome.

Father Rosecrans was assigned as pastor of St. Thomas Church in Cincinnati, then to St. Peter in Chains Cathedral, Cincinnati. He also taught at the diocesan seminary. In 1856 Archbishop Purcell appointed Fr. Rosecrans president of the newly opened college for Catholic youth in connection with the seminary.

On December 23, 1861, Fr. Rosecrans was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Cincinnati and Titular Bishop of Pompeiopolis by the Holy See. He was consecrated on March 25, 1862, by Archbishop Purcell in St. Peter's Cathedral. In 1867, Bishop Rosecrans was appointed pastor of St. Patrick Church in Columbus as a preliminary step in the erection of the Diocese of Columbus. Pope Pius IX formally erected the Diocese of Columbus March 3, 1868, and named Bishop Rosecrans bishop of the new diocese.

Bishop Rosecrans established the many institutions required in the new diocese, including parishes, schools, and orphanages. In 1875 he established the first newspaper of the new diocese, the Catholic Columbian. During this time, he also oversaw construction of St. Joseph Cathedral, which he consecrated October 20, 1878. A day later, October 21, 1878, he died. He is entombed in the undercroft of St. Joseph Cathedral.

John A. Watterson was born in Blairsville, Pennsylvania, on May 27, 1844. He was the sixth of eleven children of John S. and Sarah McAfee Watterson. The Watterson family came to America from the Isle of Mann in 1762. Originally Episcopalians, John's grandfather, also named John, was an orphan raised by a Catholic family named Eck in York County, Pennsylvania.

Young John received his education at Sts. Simon & Jude School in Blairsville. Upon the recommendation of his pastor, John was sent to St. Vincent's College, Latrobe, Pennsylvania. At the age of 17, he entered Mt. St. Mary's Seminary, Emmittsburg, Maryland, where he earned a bachelor of arts degree. He was ordained to the Roman Catholic priesthood at St. Vincent's Abbey, Latrobe, on August 9, 1868.

Soon after his ordination, Fr. Watterson accepted a position as a professor of moral theology and sacred scripture at Mt. St. Mary's Seminary. In 1877 Fr. Watterson became vice president of the college, and president in 1879. In June of that year, the young president received his doctor of divinity degree from Georgetown College in Washington, D.C.

In March, 1880, it was announced that Fr. Watterson was appointed Second Bishop of Columbus. He was consecrated August 8, 1880, at St. Joseph Cathedral by the Right Reverend William H. Elder, Archbishop of Cincinnati.

Bishop Watterson worked to increase the priesthood in his new diocese to share in the work of the Diocese. During his episcopate, St. Anthony and Mt. Carmel hospitals were founded, as were the college and seminary at the Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus. Many new missions and parishes were established during this time, and parish schools especially increased in number as they were established wherever possible (Bishop Watterson was a particularly strong advocate of Catholic schooling).

Bishop Watterson especially loved confirming young people and talking with little children, teaching them and instilling in them the truths he knew would make them good citizens and saints in the hereafter. He was also a strong believer in temperance. No saloon owner was allowed to be an officer in any Catholic organization in the Diocese, and he made all those he confirmed promise not to drink until they were 21.

Bishop Watterson died unexpectedly April 17, 1899. He is buried at Mt. Calvary Cemetery, Columbus, in the priests' circle.

Henry Moeller was born in Cincinnati on December 11, 1849, to Bernard and Theresa Witte Moeller, who were immigrants from Westphalia in Germany. Henry was the oldest of seven children. One of his sisters became a nun, and two brothers became priests as well.

Henry was educated at St. Joseph's parochial school, St. Xavier College in Cincinnati, and the American College in Rome, where he excelled at theology. He was ordained to the priesthood in St. John Lateran on June 10, 1876 by Archbishop Giulio Lenti of Nepi Sutri. Upon returning to America, Fr. Moeller served briefly in Bellefontaine, Ohio, then was a professor at Mt. St. Mary of the West Seminary in Norwood, Ohio.

In 1881, Fr. Moeller became secretary to Archbishop William Elder, and was named Chancellor of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati in 1886. On April 6, 1900, Fr. Moeller was appointed Bishop of Columbus. He was consecrated at St. Peter in Chains Cathedral, Cincinnati, that August 25 by Archbishop Elder. He came to Columbus and was installed in St. Joseph Cathedral on August 27.

Though the shortest episcopate in the history of the Diocese (just less than three years), Bishop Moeller is credited with setting Columbus on the right course for the newly-dawned 20th Century. He began the work of truly eradicating the large debt with which the Diocese was saddled as a result of its erection and the building of St. Joseph Cathedral. He also established parish boundaries for Franklin County, and erected three new parishes and four missions. In 1902 he convened the fifth synod of the Diocese to set regulations for questions pertaining to the needs of the clergy and people of the Diocese. In 1900 he consecrated Holy Name Church in Steubenville, which is now the cathedral church of that diocese.

On April 27, 1903, Bishop Moeller was appointed Titular Archbishop of Areopolis and coadjutor to Archbishop Elder. He left Columbus and arrived in Cincinnati on June 26. On Elder's death, he succeeded as fourth Ordinary of Cincinnati on October 31, 1904 and was installed in the Cathedral there on February 15, 1905.

Archbishop Moeller died January 5, 1925, and is interred in the mausoleum at St. Joseph Cemetery in the Cincinnati suburb of Pine Hill.

James J. Hartley was the eldest child of Irish immigrants Edward Hartley and Catherine McManus Hartley. He was born June 26, 1858, in Davenport, Iowa, where his parents had immediately moved following their marriage at St. Patrick Parish in Columbus. Soon after the Hartleys returned to Columbus and St. Patrick Parish with their newborn son. The Hartley's eventually had five more children. Mr. Hartley kept a saloon on West Maple Street, and the family lived upstairs. He was also a Columbus policeman for many years.

James attended the parish school at St. Patrick's, then entered St. Aloysius Seminary in Columbus. When that seminary closed, he attended Mt. St. Mary of the West in Norwood, Ohio, then the Seminary of Our Lady of Angels in Niagara, New York. On July 10, 1882, James was ordained to the Roman Catholic priesthood by Bishop Watterson in St. Joseph Cathedral, Columbus.

Fr. Hartley's first assignment was assistant pastor of St. Peter Parish in Steubenville, then he was named pastor of Holy Name Parish in Steubenville in 1885. While pastor of Holy Name, Fr. Hartley organized a school, a high school, and had a new church built.

On December 10, 1903, at the age of only 45, Fr. Hartley was chosen as the fourth Bishop of Columbus by Pope St. Pius X. He was consecrated by his predecessor Bishop Moeller on February 25, 1904 in Holy Name Parish in Steubenville. He was installed in St. Joseph Cathedral March 1, 1904.

Immediately, Bishop Hartley set about the work of building up the Diocese of Columbus. In 1905 he erected his first parishes: Holy Rosary, which reflected his devotion to the Blessed Mother, and St. Aloysius in Columbus' Hilltop area in honor of his former seminary. In January, 1906, he announced that the debt on St. Joseph Cathedral was retired. Within the first five years of his episcopate, Bishop Hartley had begun or dedicated more than 25 churches, schools, and chapels.

In addition, Bishop Hartley established St. Charles Seminary and many high schools, which numbered 31 by the time of his death in 1944. Other institutions he established included St. Joseph Cemetery, St. Ann Hospital, Mercy Hospital in Portsmouth, Good Samaritan Hospital in Zanesville, Mercy Hospital in Mount Vernon, and St. Therese Shrine. He also had St. Joseph Cathedral remodeled, giving it its present medieval appearance.

Bishop Hartley died January 12, 1944, at the age of 85. He was buried at St. Joseph Cemetery in Columbus. His episcopate remains the longest in the history of the Diocese of Columbus.

Michael Joseph Ready was born April 9, 1893, in New Haven, Connecticut - the second youngest of 14 children. His father, Michael T. Ready, and mother, Mary A. Ellis Ready, were Irish immigrants who moved to America in the 1880s. In 1900 the Readys moved to Mansfield, Ohio, then Barberton, Ohio.

Michael attended St. Peter parish school in Mansfield. He studied at St. Vincent College, Latrobe, Pennsylvania; St. Bernard Seminary, Rochester, New York; and St. Mary Seminary, Cleveland. He was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Cleveland September 14, 1918, by Bishop John P. Farrelly.

Fr. Ready served as an assistant pastor and teacher for the Diocese of Cleveland. He was also diocesan director of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith. In 1931, Fr. Ready was sent to Washington, D.C. as assistant general secretary of the National Catholic Welfare Conference (predecessor of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops). He became general secretary of the NCWC in 1936.

Fr. Ready was named a Monsignor in 1934 and was chosen Fifth Bishop of Columbus November 11, 1944, by Pope Pius XII. He was consecrated December 14, 1944, in St. Matthew Cathedral, Washington, D.C. by Archbishop Amleto Giovanni Cicognani, the Vatican's apostolic delegate to the U.S. Bishop Ready was installed in St. Joseph Cathedral in Columbus on January 4, 1945.

One of his first tasks was overseeing the erection of the Diocese of Steubenville from the eastern and southeastern portion of the Diocese of Columbus and the consolidation into Columbus of portions of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati (the western counties of our Diocese).

In 1949, Bishop Ready had the present Chancery Office built. As bishop, he established the Catholic Welfare Bureau(1945)  and appointed a Director of Charities for the Diocese. By the 1950s, the CWB was serving Catholics and non-Catholics alike. Bishop Ready also organized the Diocesan Union of the Holy Name Society, a diocesan Parent-Teacher Organization, the Diocesan Council of Catholic Women, the Catholic Youth Council, and the St. Vincent de Paul Society.

Bishop Ready created 18 new parishes and oversaw the construction of nine elementary and five high schools. He founded St. Raphael and St. Rita homes for the aged, the Diocesan Child Guidance Center, and the Catholic Student Center at The Ohio State University. He worked with his fellow Ohio bishops to start the Ohio Catholic Welfare Conference (now the Catholic Conference of Ohio).

Bishop Ready died unexpectedly of a cerebral hemhorrage May 2, 1957, at the age of 64. He was buried at St. Joseph Cemetery in the Columbus.

Clarence G. Issenmann was born May 30, 1907, in Hamilton, Ohio. He was the only child of Innocent J. and Amelia L Stricker Issenmann. Innocent was a grocer, and young Clarence was a delivery boy and later meat cutter for his father. Clarence was educated at St. Ann's School in Hamilton and at Hamilton Catholic High School. Clarence attended St. Joseph's College in Rensselaer, Indiana, then returned to Ohio to attend St. Gregory's and Mt. St. Mary of the West seminaries in Cincinnati. Clarence was ordained to the Roman Catholic priesthood on June 29, 1932 by Archbishop John T. McNicholas. Fr. Issenmann continued his studies at the University of Fribourg, Switzerland, where he earned a licentiate in philosophy, and at the Collegio Angelico in Rome, Italy, where he received a doctorate in theology.

Upon returning to the United States, Fr. Issenmann became a writer and editor for the Register system based in Denver, Colorado, where he earned a doctorate in journalism from Regis College. In 1938 he became editor of the Cincinnati Catholic Telegraph Register. He held many positions in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, including pastor, chancellor, and vicar general. Fr. Issenmann was appointed a monsignor in 1943.

On March 24, 1954 Msgr. Issenmann was named titular Bishop of Phytea and Auxiliary Bishop of Cincinnati. He was consecrated in Cincinnati on May 25, 1954 by Archbishop Karl Alter. On December 5, 1957, Pope Pius XII named Bishop Issenmann Bishop of Columbus.

In Columbus, Bishop Issenmann established the Diocesan Development Fund (now known as the Bishop's Annual Appeal), to provide the funds for the growth of the Diocese. He established eight new parishes and six new centralized high schools replacing older parish-based high schools. He bought the building on 80 South 6th Street in Columbus (now the Salesian Center) from the Knights of Columbus to house diocesan offices and made the Televised Mass a regular weekly ministry to homebound Catholics.

Bishop Issenmann attended every session of the Second Vatican Council. He also served as the assistant episcopal chairman of lay organizations for the National Catholic Welfare Conference (predecessor of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops).

On October 7, 1964, Bishop Issenmann was appointed Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Cleveland by Pope Paul VI. He left Columbus February 1, 1965 and was installed in St. John Cathedral in Cleveland the next day. He succeeded to the See of Cleveland on September 22, 1966. Bishop Issenmann retired June 5, 1974 but continued to live in Cleveland. He died July 27, 1982. He was entombed at Resurrection Chapel in St. John Cathedral, Cleveland.

John J. Carberry was born July 31, 1904 in Brooklyn, New York, the son of James J. and Mary E. O'Keefe Carberry. He received his early education at Boniface School and Cathedral College in Brooklyn, where he excelled in both baseball and the violin. He studied for the priesthood at the North American College in Rome, Italy. He was ordained a priest in Rome on July 28, 1929 by Francesco Cardinal Marchetti-Selvaggiani, vicar general to the pope.

Upon returning to Brooklyn, he served as an assistant pastor in several parishes. Fr. Carberry then went to Washington, D.C., where he earned a doctorate in canon law from the Catholic University of America. From 1935 to 1940 he was secretary to the bishop and assistant chancellor in the Diocese of Trenton, New Jersey, before returning to Brooklyn as a pastor and professor of canon law at Immaculate Conception Seminary in Huntington, New York. He was also director of radio and television for the diocese and was known as the "Radio Priest." In 1948, Fr. Carberry was named a monsignor.

On May 3, 1956, Msgr. Carberry was named Titular Bishop of Elis and Coadjutor Bishop of Lafayette, Indiana. He was consecrated in Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church, Brooklyn, on July 25, 1956, by Bishop Raymond A. Kearney, Auxiliary Bishop of Brooklyn. He was installed in St. Mary Cathedral in Lafayette on August 22, 1956, and succeeded to the see on November 20, 1957.

Bishop Carberry was appointed Bishop of Columbus on January 20, 1965, and was installed in St. Joseph Cathedral on March 25, 1965. Bishop Carberry attended all four sessions of the Second Vatican Council. Much of his episcopate was devoted to implementing the Council in the Diocese of Columbus. In 1966, he established the Clergy Advisory Council (now the Priests' Senate), and he issued regulations for liturgical changes and had the Cathedral renovated to accommodate the changes. Bishop Carberry bought the current Catholic Center building on 197 East Gay Street, Columbus and began centralizing diocesan offices there. Bishop Carberry helped found the Inter-Church Board for Metropolitan Affairs, the first organization in the United States uniting Protestants and Catholics for ecumenism and social action.

On February 14, 1968, Bishop Carberry was appointed Archbishop of St. Louis by Pope Paul VI. He was installed in St. Louis Cathedral March 25, 1968. On April 28, 1969, he was created a Cardinal by Pope Paul VI. Cardinal Carberry retired on July 31, 1979. Cardinal Carberry passed away June 17, 1998, and is entombed in the crypt of the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis.

Clarence Elwell was born in the Newburgh area of Cleveland on February 4, 1904. As a boy, Clarence served Mass for his assistant pastor, Father Michael J. Ready at Holy Name Parish, where he also attended elementary and high school. He began attending St. Ignatius College and studying medicine, but he switched to St. Mary Seminary in Lakeside, Ohio, after his second year of college. He also studied at the Canisium, the seminary at the State University of Innsbruck, Austria. Clarence was ordained in Innsbruck by Bishop Sigismund Waitz, Auxiliary Bishop of Brixen.

Fr. Elwell returned to Cleveland as an assistant pastor and teacher. He also served as assistant superintendent of the Diocese of Cleveland's schools. In 1934, Fr. Elwell earned a master's degree in education from Western Reserve University, and in 1938 he received a doctorate in education from Harvard University. Upon returning to Cleveland, Fr. Elwell was appointed director of Catholic high schools. In 1946 he was named superintendent of schools for the Diocese of Cleveland.

Fr. Elwell was named a monsignor in 1949. On November 5, 1962, Pope John XXIII named Msgr. Elwell Titular Bishop of Cone and Auxiliary Bishop of Cleveland. He was consecrated in St. John Cathedral in Cleveland on December 21, 1962.

Bishop Elwell was appointed Bishop of Columbus on May 29, 1968 and was installed in St. Joseph Cathedral on August 22 of that year. He continued the work of implementing the reforms of Vatican II that were started by Cardinal Carberry, including giving permission for Saturday evening Mass and other liturgical changes.

Bishop Elwell took a strong interest in Catholic schooling and worked with his fellow bishops in Ohio to foster opportunities for families to send their children to Catholic schools. During his episcopate, three high schools were created and built: Tuscarawas Central Catholic in Dover, Fisher Catholic in Lancaster, and Bishop Rosecrans in Zanesville. He closed St. Charles Seminary and converted it to the college preparatory school that it is today.

He also founded Resurrection Cemetery in Columbus, and established St. Peter Parish in the Worthington area, as well as the Diocesan Sisters' Council and the Diocesan Pastoral Council. He moved lay people into positions of trust, such as director of cemeteries, editor of the diocesan newspaper, and superintendent of buildings. Additionally, he firmed up diocesan finances by expanding the Diocesan Development Office, the Parish Aid Fund, and the diocesan self-insurance program.

Bishop Elwell died unexpectedly February 16, 1973, in his apartment in the diocesan Chancery. Bishop Elwell is buried in St. Joseph Cemetery in Columbus.

Bishop Herrmann’s concern for people began with his family in Maryland. He was born November 6, 1913, in Baltimore Maryland, the son of Walter E. Herrmann and Jennie Doyle Herrmann, who were Episcopalians. His parents owned a small grocery store until his Father died of influenza in 1918. Edward was baptized a Catholic in 1919 by Fr. Thomas J. Toolen.

After attending St. Bernard and St. James grade schools, Edward graduated from Loyola High School in Baltimore in 1931. He went to work for the American Oil Company in Baltimore to help support his family during the Depression. He studied at Mount Saint Mary’s Seminary in Emmittsburg, Maryland and was ordained a priest on June 12, 1947, in the Basilica of the Assumption, Baltimore, by Bishop John McNamara. He served the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C., as an assistant pastor, pastor, and assistant chancellor. He was named Titular Bishop of Lamzella and Auxiliary Bishop of Washington by Pope Paul VI and was ordained a bishop on April 26, 1966 by Patrick Cardinal O’Boyle at St. Matthew Cathedral, Washington. He was also named vicar general and chancellor of that archdiocese.

He was named Bishop of Columbus by Pope Paul VI on June 26, 1973 and was installed as Ninth Bishop of Columbus on August 21, 1973. He retired September 18, 1982, but remained as diocesan administrator until April 25, 1983, when Bishop James A. Griffin succeeded him.

Bishop Herrmann’s service in Columbus was highlighted by a reorganization of the Diocese into the 15 vicariates it is divided into today, the Emmaus program for priests, and support of community housing and food programs. The Emmaus Spirituality Program in 1981 and 1982 was a significant spiritual program for priests to bring them closer to Jesus as individuals and as a group.

Bishop Herrmann also played a key role in establishing Operation Feed in Columbus. Deeply touched by the people he saw daily seeking food at St. Joseph Cathedral, he contacted other church, civic, and government officials to begin a countywide food drive that is now operated by the Mid-Ohio Food Bank and the United Way of Franklin County. Operation Feed now provides millions of meals every year to Franklin County’s hungry.

Following his retirement, Bishop Herrmann resided at St. Ann Infant and Maternity Home in Hyattsville, Maryland. He returned to Columbus in November, 1991, to continue his ministry as a priest and bishop emeritus of the Diocese. Following a stroke in 1995, Bishop Herrmann took residence in St. Raphael’s Home for the Aged. He passed away December 22, 1999, and is entombed in the crypt of St. Joseph Cathedral.

James Anthony Griffin was born June 13, 1934, the fifth of seven children born to Thomas Anthony Griffin and Margaret Mary Hanousek, in Fairview Park, Ohio. Bishop Griffin attended St. Angela Merici Elementary School, Fairview Park, Ohio, and St. Ignatius High School, Cleveland, Ohio. He attended St. Charles College, Catonsville, Maryland, and Borromeo College, Wickliffe, Ohio, where he received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy. He attended St. Mary Seminary, Cleveland, Ohio. John Cardinal Krol ordained him to the priesthood on May 28, 1960, in St. John Cathedral, Cleveland, Ohio.

Bishop Griffin spent one year as Associate Pastor at St. Jerome Parish, in Cleveland. In 1961, he was sent to Rome to pursue graduate studies in Church Law. He received his Licentiate in Canon Law (J.C.L., magna cum laude) from the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome in 1963. Upon his return to the Cleveland Diocese, Bishop Griffin served as Secretary-Notary of the Marriage Court of the Cleveland Diocese for two years. He was appointed to the Chancery Staff in 1965, and served as Associate Chancellor and Vice Chancellor. During that time, he attended night classes at Cleveland State University and received his Doctorate in Civil Law (J.D., summa cum laude) in 1972. He passed the Ohio Bar and is a licensed attorney. Bishop Griffin served as Chancellor of the Diocese of Cleveland from 1973 until 1978.

In January 1978, he was appointed by Bishop James Hickey as Vicar General of the Cleveland Diocese and Administrator Pro Tem of St. John Cathedral in Cleveland. In April of that year, he was appointed pastor of St. William Parish in Euclid, Ohio. In June of 1979, he was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of Cleveland. Pope John Paul II appointed Bishop Griffin the tenth Bishop of the Diocese of Columbus, Ohio on February 7, 1983. Bishop Griffin was installed as Bishop of the Diocese of Columbus on April 25, 1983.

While serving as Bishop of Columbus, James A. Griffin established the Foundation of the Catholic Diocese of Columbus (1985); inaugurated far-reaching planning processes for the Diocese; initiated the Legacy of Catholic Learning (1989) and Challenge In Changing Times (2000) campaigns to help meet the educational and future needs of the Diocese; and helped initiate the community-wide, faith-based task force titled “Breaking The Silence” that continues to work to reduce family violence. Bishop Griffin also served on a number of committees of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and was President of Catholic Relief Services (1991-1995).

Bishop Griffin announced his retirement on October 14, 2004, citing limitations brought on by age and arthritis that detracted from the energy necessary to serve the Church of Columbus as he had been accustomed. He announced concurrently that Pope John Paul II had selected Bishop Frederick F. Campbell of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis as his successor.

The Most Reverend Frederick F. Campbell, D.D., Ph.D., was appointed Bishop of Columbus on October 14, 2004, by His Holiness Pope John Paul II.  He was installed as the 11th. Bishop of Columbus at St. Joseph Cathedral on January 13, 2005 and has served as the shepherd of the diocese since then.

A native of Elmira, New York, Bishop Campbell earned a bachelor’s degree in history and foreign language from Saint Lawrence University, Canton, New York, and obtained his master’s degree and doctorate in history from The Ohio State University.  Prior to entering the seminary in 1976, he served as a history professor at the Pontifical College Josephinum and as an assistant professor of history at California State College in San Bernardino.  After studying at the Saint Paul Seminary, Saint Paul, Minnesota, he was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis by the Most Reverend John R. Roach at the Cathedral of Saint Paul on May 31, 1980. Campbell served as an associate pastor and pastor in the archdiocese until Pope John Paul II named him Auxiliary Bishop of Saint Paul and Minneapolis in 1999. He was ordained to the Episcopate by Archbishop Harry J. Flynn on May 14 of that year in the Cathedral of Saint Paul.

In July 2002, Bishop Campbell became rector and vice president of the Saint Paul Seminary School of Divinity of the University of St. Thomas, St. Paul.  He also served as chairman of the Bishops’ Committee on the Diaconate from 2004 to 2006.

Bishop Robert J. Brennan was born June 7, 1962, to Robert and Patricia Brennan in the Bronx, New York. The oldest of five children, Bishop Brennan has two brothers and two sisters, 14 nieces and nephews, and three great-nephews and niece.

He was raised in Lindenhurst, New York, where his parents still reside. Bishop Brennan attended Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic School in Lindenhurst, and St. John the Baptist Diocesan High School, West Islip, New York. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics and computer science from St. John’s University, Queens, New York.

Bishop Brennan studied for the priesthood at the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception, Huntington, New York. Bishop John McGann ordained him a priest in the Diocese of Rockville Centre, NY, on May 27, 1989. His first priestly assignment was to the Church of St. Patrick in Smithtown, NY. In 1994, he was appointed Secretary to the Bishop, working in this capacity for three bishops: Bishops John McGann, James McHugh, and William Murphy. He resided at St. Agnes Cathedral and served at the parish during those years. In 2002, he was named Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia for the Diocese of Rockville Centre. In 2010 he was appointed pastor of the Church of Saint Mary of the Isle, Long Beach, NY.

On July 25, 2012, he was ordained as Auxiliary Bishop for the Diocese of Rockville Centre. Leaving his position as pastor in Long Beach at that time, he resided in the parish of Our Lady of Peace in Lynbrook. On January 31, 2019, Bishop Brennan was appointed 12th Bishop of Columbus, and he was installed as Bishop of Columbus on March 29, 2019.

During his time in Columbus, he has been actively involved in the work of the Catholic community in central and south-central Ohio, including serving on the boards of the Catholic Foundation, Mother Angeline McCrory Manor, and Cristo Rey Columbus Catholic High School. He also has been a board member and the Vice-Chancellor of the Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus.

At the national level, Bishop Brennan has served with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops as a member of the Committee for Catholic Education, the Administrative Committee, and the Priorities and Plans Committee.

Bishop Brennan’s greatest strength lies in parish pastoral activity. As the Bishop of Columbus, he traveled regularly in order to meet and engage people from every part of the 23 counties of the Diocese of Columbus, learning about their lives, both their everyday activities and their faith commitment. He has also enjoyed learning about the many parishes and schools here; the many facets of the ethnic and geographic cultures of the Diocese; and the vibrancy of the many missionary movements in Columbus, particularly the participation of young people.

The hallmark of Bishop Brennan’s time in Columbus was the initiation of the Diocesan-wide Real Presence, Real Future evangelization and planning initiative. Real Presence, Real Future is a two-year diocesan-wide consultative process that invites participation from clergy, lay ecclesial ministers, parish volunteers, and all the faithful. Through listening to the needs and ideas of the people, this process that Bishop Brennan started will help determine the best path forward to increase the presence of the Church throughout the Diocese of Columbus in the 21st century.

On November 30, 2021, Bishop Brennan was installed as the Eighth Bishop of Brooklyn.

Auxiliary Bishops

Edward Gerhard Hettinger was born October 14, 1902, one of five children of Edward and Clara O'Brien Hettinger in Lancaster, Ohio. His father was a saloon keeper. He attended St. Mary Elementary and High schools in Lancaster. He attended Holy Cross College in Worcester, Massachusetts, and studied theology at St. Vincent Abbey in Latrobe, Pennsylvania.

Edward was ordained to the Roman Catholic priesthood June 2, 1928, by Bishop James J. Hartley. His first assignment was the chaplaincy at St. Anne's Maternity Hospital in Columbus. He also served as administrator of St. Mary Parish, Delaware, Ohio, during that time. He then served as Chaplain of St. Vincent Orphanage and Administrator of St. Margaret of Cortona Parish until 1945. Beginning in 1929, Fr. Hettinger was Director of Cemeteries and served as Chancellor of the Diocese of Columbus from 1938 to 1942. He was named a Monsignor in 1938 by Pope Pius XII.

Msgr. Hettinger was named Auxiliary Bishop of Columbus and Titular Bishop of Teos by Pope Pius XII on December 9, 1941. Bishop Hettinger was consecrated at St. Joseph Cathedral on February 24, 1942 by Bishop Hartley.

A humble and prayerful man, Bishop Hettinger served as the Diocese's auxiliary under six different Bishops: Hartley, Ready, Issenmann, Carberry, Elwell, and Herrmann, always shunning honors and preference. He was named diocesan Vicar General in 1945 by Bishop Ready, an appointment that was renewed under subsequent bishops. In 1946 he was named a Consultor, a position he served until his retirement. Bishop Hettinger served as diocesan administrator five times when the see was vacant because of the death or transfer of its ordinary. From 1959 to 1964 he was Vice President of the Diocesan School Board, and beginning in 1960, he was a member of the Board of Trustees of St. Charles Seminary.

Bishop Hettinger resigned as Auxiliary of Columbus on his 75th birthday, October 14, 1977. He continued as pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Columbus until 1978. He then retired to a modest cottage in Zaleski, Ohio, where he enjoyed nature, walking, and daily Mass at St. Sylvester Parish in Zaleski. He also acted as a chaplain to the Sisters of St. Francis who ran the St. Francis Center in McArthur, Ohio. In 1994 he took up residence at the Convalarium at Indian Run in Dublin, Ohio.

Bishop Hettinger passed away December 28, 1996, on the Feast of the Holy Innocents. He was buried in St. Mary Parish Cemetery, Lancaster, next to Father Pilger, who baptized him.

George A. Fulcher was born January 30, 1922, in Columbus, the oldest of eight children of George Fulcher, Sr., and Mary Lennon Fulcher. George was baptized at St. Patrick Church and attended St. Patrick and St. Aloysius grade schools. He attended St. Charles Preparatory School, Columbus, and continued there at St. Charles College, where he earned a bachelor's degree. He then attended Mt. St. Mary of the West Seminary, Norwood, Ohio, and the Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C.

George was ordained to the Roman Catholic Priesthood on February 28, 1948, by Bishop Michael J. Ready. His first assignment was assistant pastor of St. Francis de Sales Parish, Newark. He then studied at the Angelicum in Rome, earning his doctorate in sacred theology. Upon his return to Columbus, Fr. Fulcher served as assistant pastor or administrator at several parishes. He was the founding pastor of St. Anthony in Columbus from 1963 to 1975. In 1975 he became pastor of St. Joseph Cathedral. Fr. Fulcher also served the Diocese as a presiding judge on the Diocesan Tribunal, diocesan liaison officer with the Catholic Conference of Ohio, and editor of The Catholic Times from 1958 to 1967.

On May 24, 1976, Pope Paul VI appointed Fr. Fulcher Titular Bishop of Morosbisdo and Auxiliary Bishop of Columbus. He was ordained a bishop by Bishop Edward J. Herrmann on July 18, 1976, in St. Joseph Cathedral. As auxiliary bishop, he was named vicar general of the Diocese. He also served as chairman of the Diocesan Commission on Ecumenical and Interfaith Affairs and held the chair of the Metropolitan Area Church Board for two terms.

The National Conference of Catholic Bishops named Bishop Fulcher to the five-member committee, headed by Joseph Cardinal Bernardin, that wrote the bishops' peace pastoral "The Challenge of Peace: God's Promise and Our Response," which was approved by U.S. bishops in 1983. After its completion, Bishop Fulcher served as chairman of the bishops' follow-up committee on the pastoral that saw to its implementation.

On February 8, 1983, Bishop Fulcher was named Bishop of Lafayette, Indiana, and installed there in St. Mary Cathedral April 14, 1983. He established that diocese's Presbyteral Council as recommended by the 1983 Code of Canon Law. He also remained active in the ecumenical movement.

On January 25, 1984, Bishop Fulcher was driving back to Lafayette from a speaking engagement when he died after his car left the road and crashed. The cause of the accident (about 35 miles south of Terre Haute, Indiana) remains unknown. He was buried at St. Mary Cemetery in Lafayette.