John Joseph Leibrecht
 | This biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification. (April 2015) |
John Joseph Leibrecht | |
|---|---|
| Bishop Emeritus of Springfield–Cape Girardeau | |
| Archdiocese | St. Louis |
| Diocese | Springfield–Cape Girardeau |
| Appointed | October 20, 1984 |
| Installed | December 12, 1984 |
| Term ended | January 24, 2008 |
| Predecessor | Bernard Francis Law |
| Successor | James Vann Johnston, Jr. |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | March 17, 1956 by Joseph Ritter |
| Consecration | December 12, 1984 by John L. May, Bernard Francis Law, and Glennon Patrick Flavin |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 8, 1930 Overland, Missouri |
| Styles of John Joseph Leibrecht | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Reference style | |
| Spoken style | Your Excellency |
| Religious style | Bishop |
John Joseph Leibrecht (born August 8, 1930) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Springfield-Cape Girardeau from 1984 to 2008.
Early life and ministry[]
Leibrecht was born in Overland, Missouri, to John and Ellen (née Begley) Leibrecht. His parents were of German and Irish descent, and one brother also became a priest. He attended the , and excelled at athletics, particularly basketball.[1] He then studied at and Kenrick Seminary. He was ordained by Archbishop Joseph Ritter on March 17, 1956.[2]
He then served as associate pastor at St. Louis Cathedral, and furthered his studies at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., from where he earned a Ph.D. in Education in 1961. He worked in Catholic education in the Archdiocese of St. Louis for twenty years, including a nine-year period as Superintendent of Education. In 1981, he became pastor of Sacred Heart Church in Florissant.[1]
Episcopal career[]
On October 20, 1984, Leibrecht was appointed the fifth bishop of the Springfield-Cape Girardeau by Pope John Paul II.[2] Succeeding Bernard Law (who was promoted to Archbishop of Boston), he received his episcopal consecration on the following December 12 from Archbishop John May, with Law and Bishop Glennon Flavin serving as co-consecrators.
In addition to his duties as diocesan bishop, he chaired the USCCB Committee on Education (1986-1989) and the Ex Corde Ecclesiae Committee on U.S. Catholic Colleges and Universities (1991-2000). He was a board member of the Catholic Health Association from 1997 to 2003, and chairman of the board for the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University (CARA). He was a close friend of the late J. Robert Ashcroft, President of Evangel University and father of former Attorney General John Ashcroft.[1]
Upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 75, Leibrecht submitted his letter of resignation to Pope Benedict XVI in August 2005. Pope Benedict accepted his resignation on January 24, 2008, officially ending Leibrecht's 23-year-long tenure as Bishop with the installation of his successor on March 31 of that year.
See also[]
- 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[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b c Leicht, Linda (2008-01-24). "Bishop John Leibrecht: A life of devotion". Springfield News-Leader. Archived from the original on 2008-04-01.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Bishop John Joseph Leibrecht". Catholic-Hierarchy.org.[self-published source]
External links[]
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Episcopal succession[]
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- 1930 births
- Living people
- People from St. Louis County, Missouri
- Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Louis
- American people of German descent
- Kenrick–Glennon Seminary alumni
- Catholic University of America alumni
- Roman Catholic bishops of Springfield–Cape Girardeau
- 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States
- 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States