Augustine Francis Schinner

Augustine Francis Schinner
Bishop of Superior
Bishop Augustine F Schinner, Diocese of Superior, 1905–1913
Church	Catholic Church
Diocese	Diocese of Superior
In office	August 1, 1905 – February 6, 1913
Predecessor	None
Successor	Joseph M. Koudelka
Other post(s)	Diocese of Spokane, Washington (bishop) 1914–1925
Orders
Ordination	March 7, 1886
Consecration	July 25, 1905
Personal details
Born	(1863-05-01)May 1, 1863 Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Died	February 7, 1937(1937-02-07) (aged 73) Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Buried	Holy Cross Cemetery, Milwaukee
Denomination	Catholic Church
Parents	Michael and Mary Schinner
Occupation	Catholic Bishop
Previous post(s)	Chancellor and Vicar General Archdiocese of Milwaukee
Alma mater	St. Francis Seminary

Augustine Francis Schinner (May 1, 1863 – February 7, 1937) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as the first Bishop of the Diocese of Superior, Wisconsin (1905–1913) and first Bishop of the Diocese of Spokane, Washington (1914–1925).

Biography[]

Early years in Milwaukee[]

Schinner was educated at St. Francis Seminary in Wisconsin,^[1] and was ordained to the priesthood on March 7, 1886, by Archbishop Michael Heiss of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist. He served for one year as pastor of St. Hubertus parish at Hubertus, Wisconsin. From 1887 to 1893 he was a member of the faculty of St. Francis Seminary. From 1893 to 1905, he served as chancellor and vicar general of the archdiocese of Milwaukee, appointed by Archbishop Frederick Katzer.^[1]

Bishop of Superior, Wisconsin[]

The Diocese of Superior was established on May 3, 1905, formed from portions of the Diocese of Green Bay and the Diocese of La Crosse. On May 13, 1905, Pope Pius X appointed Schinner the first Bishop of the newly created diocese. He was ordained a bishop on July 25, 1905.

Traveling by train with an entourage of over 60 priests from Milwaukee, he arrived at Ashland, Wisconsin, traveled to the Apostle Islands on a short boat tour, and then continued on to Superior.^[2]

There were 39 diocesan priests, 17 religious order priests serving 38,861 Catholics in 43 parishes with resident pastors, and 50 missions and 33 stations.^[3] For Catholic schools, there was 1 high school, 16 elementary and 2 boarding schools with a total enrollment of 9,016 students. Schinner immediately saw the need for an additional 10 priests.

As a missionary bishop, he learned first hand the difficulties of travel into remote rural counties. He took an interest in evangelizing among the nearly 4,000 Catholic Native Americans.^[4] At the time Bishop Schinner resigned on February 7, 1913, there were 62 priests serving the diocese.^[3]

Bishop of Spokane, Washington[]

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On March 18, 1914, Schinner was appointed first Bishop of the new Diocese of Spokane, Washington. He was installed on April 18, 1914. After 11 years he resigned on December 17, 1925.

Later years[]

After his retirement on December 17, 1925, Schinner was a missionary in Bolivia from 1925 to 1928. After he returned, he spent the last five and one-half years of his life serving as chaplain for the Sisters of the Divine Savior in Milwaukee. He celebrated the 50th anniversary of his priesthood on March 7, 1936.^[5] He later died of pneumonia at St. Mary's Hospital and was buried in Holy Cross Cemetery in Milwaukee.^[6][7]

See also[]

Wikisource has the text of the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia article Diocese of Superior.

• Catholic Church hierarchy
• Catholic Church in the United States
• Historical list of the Catholic bishops of the United States
• List of Catholic bishops of the United States
• Lists of patriarchs, archbishops, and bishops

References[]

External links[]

• Roman Catholic Diocese of Spokane
• Roman Catholic Diocese of Superior
• Superior’s Bishop Schinner resigns