Francis John Dunn Explained

Type:Bishop
Honorific Prefix:Most Reverend
Francis J. Dunn
Honorific Suffix:JCL, DD
Auxiliary Bishop of Dubuque
Church:Catholic Church
See:Titular See of Turris Tamalleni
Appointed:June 1, 1969
Term:August 27, 1969 – November 17, 1989
Ordination:January 11, 1948
Ordained By:Edward Aloysius Fitzgerald
Consecration:August 27, 1969
Consecrated By:James Joseph Byrne
Birth Date:22 March 1922
Birth Place:Elkader, Iowa
Death Place:Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Motto:Light of God, guide my steps

Francis John Dunn (March 22, 1922 – November 17, 1989) was a bishop in the Catholic Church in the United States. He served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Dubuque in the state of Iowa from 1969 to 1989.

Biography

Early life and ministry

Dunn was born in Elkader, Iowa, the son of Peter and Josephine (Feeney) Dunn.[1] He was educated at St Joseph Grade and High School in Elkader before receiving his college education at Loras College in Dubuque. He studied for the priesthood at Kenrick Seminary in St. Louis.

Dunn was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Dubuque on January 11, 1948, by Auxiliary Bishop Edward Fitzgerald at St. Raphael’s Cathedral. He served as the associate pastor at St. Cecilia Parish in Ames from 1948–1950, St. Martin Parish in Cascade from 1950 to 1952, and at Nativity Parish in Dubuque from 1952 to 1955. In 1956 he was named assistant chancellor and chaplain of St. Anthony’s Home for the Aged in Dubuque. He was sent to Rome for further studies and when he returned he served as chancellor and head of the Family Life Bureau. From 1961 to 1969 he served as the chaplain for the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary at the Mount Carmel Motherhouse and as Director of Catholic Cemeteries for the archdiocese.[1] [2]

Auxiliary Bishop of Dubuque

On June 1, 1969, Pope Paul VI named Dunn Titular Bishop of Turris Tamalleni and Auxiliary Bishop of Dubuque. He was ordained a bishop by Archbishop James Byrne of Dubuque in St. Raphael’s Cathedral on August 27, 1969. The principal co-consecrators were Archbishop Leo Binz of St. Paul and Minneapolis and Bishop Edward Fitzgerald now of Winona.[3] His was the first episcopal ordination in the archdiocese that used the Rite of Ordination in English. While he served as auxiliary bishop in Dubuque he was also the vicar general of the archdiocese and pastor of St. Joseph the Worker Church. On February 8, 1987, Archbishop Daniel Kucera announced his plans to divide the archdiocese into three regions with a resident bishop in each region. Bishop Dunn served the Cedar Rapids Region, Bishop William Franklin served the Waterloo Region, and the archbishop in Dubuque.[4] Dunn died in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on November 17, 1989, at the age of 67.

Notes and References

  1. Book: Gallagher. Mary Kevin . Seed/Harvest: A History of the Archdiocese of Dubuque. 1987. Archdiocese of Dubuque Press. Duduque, Iowa. 163.
  2. Web site: DUNN, Francis John . Encyclopedia Dubuque . 2010-07-20 .
  3. Web site: Bishop Francis John Dunn . www.catholic-hierarchy.org. 2010-07-20.
  4. Web site: KUCERA, Daniel . Encyclopedia Dubuque . 2010-07-20 .