Gerald Andrew Gettelfinger Explained

Type:Bishop
Honorific-Prefix:His Excellency, The Most Reverend
Gerald Andrew Gettelfinger
Bishop Emeritus of Evansville
See:Diocese of Evansville
Appointed:March 11, 1989
Enthroned:April 11, 1989
Retired:April 26, 2011
Predecessor:Francis Raymond Shea
Successor:Charles C. Thompson
Ordination:May 7, 1961
Ordained By:Paul Clarence Schulte
Consecration:April 11, 1989
Consecrated By:Edward Thomas O'Meara, Thomas J. O'Brien, and Daniel M. Buechlein
Birth Date:20 October 1935
Birth Place:Ramsey, Indiana, USA
Motto:Dominus pars
The Lord is a part (of me)
Education:Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology
Butler University
Gerald Andrew Gettelfinger
Dipstyle:

Gerald Andrew Gettelfinger (born October 20, 1935) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as the bishop of the Diocese of Evansville in Indiana from 1989 to 2011.

Biography

Early life

Gerald Gettelfinger was born in Ramsey, Indiana, on October 20, 1935. He was the fourth of eight children of Gerald and Mary Gettelfinger. He attended St. Meinrad High School in St. Meinrad, Indiana, graduating in 1953. Gettelfinger then entered Saint Meinrad School of Theology, where he graduated in 1957.[1] [2]

Priesthood

On May 7, 1961, Gettelfinger was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis in St. Meinrad by Archbishop Paul Schulte. In 1969, Gettelfinger earned a Master of Education degree from Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana. Gettelfinger served as chancellor of the archdiocese from 1980 to 1988 and vicar general from 1988 to 1989.

Bishop of Evansville

On March 11, 1989, Pope John Paul II appointed Gettelfinger as bishop of the Diocese of Evansville. He was consecrated on April 11, 1989, with Archbishop Edward O'Meara serving as the principal consecrator.[3]

In 1998, Gettelfinger was named as bishop liaison to the National Catholic Committee on Scouting (NCCS). He was a chaplain at the 2001 National Scout Jamboree and trekked at the Philmont Scout Ranch, operated by the Boy Scouts of America in New Mexico, as part of the NCCS Saint George Trek. Gettelfinger received the Silver Buffalo Award in 2005.[4]

At the May 2002 meeting of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, Gettelfinger opposed a one-strike policy against sexual abusers in the clergy in the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People. At the November 2002 USCCB meeting, he was one of seven bishops who voted against the new policies. He has admitted to allowing at least one convicted child molester serve as a priest in the diocese, as well as other known molesters.[5] [6]

Retirement

On April 27, 2011, Pope Benedict XVI accepted Gettelfinger's resignation as bishop of Evansville, replacing him with Bishop Charles C. Thompson.[7] On June 10, 2021, a special mass was celebrated at St. Benedict Cathedral in Evansville to honor Gettelfinger.[8]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Pope Names Louisville, Kentucky Vicar General To Succeed Bishop Gerald Gettelfinger Of Evansville, Indiana USCCB . 2023-11-04 . www.usccb.org . en.
  2. Web site: VITAE Most Reverend Gerald Andrew Gettelfinger . 2023-11-04 . Diocese of Evansville.
  3. Web site: Bishop Gerald Andrew Gettelfinger [Catholic-Hierarchy] ]. 2023-11-04 . www.catholic-hierarchy.org.
  4. Web site: Halter . Jon C. . Honoring Yesterday, Preparing for Tomorrow . 2023-11-04 . Scouting Magazine.
  5. Web site: July 21, 2002 . Bishop outlines sexual abuse policy . 2023-11-04 . Princeton Clarion . en.
  6. Web site: LEE . RICHARD VARA and CYNTHIA . 2002-11-14 . Bishops approve revised sex-abuse charter . 2023-11-04 . Chron . en.
  7. Web site: 2011-04-27. Bishop Gettelfinger of Evansville retires; Louisville priest to succeed. 2021-11-04. Today's Catholic. en-US.
  8. Web site: 2021-06-10. Bishop Gettelfinger celebrates 60th anniversary of priestly ordination. 2021-11-04. evdiomessage.org. en-US.