Joseph Edward Kurtz

His Excellency, The Most Reverend Joseph Edward Kurtz
Archbishop Emeritus of Louisville
Archbishop Kurtz in 2016
Archdiocese	Louisville
Appointed	June 12, 2007
Installed	August 15, 2007
Term ended	February 8, 2022
Predecessor	Thomas C. Kelly, O.P
Successor	Shelton Fabre
Orders
Ordination	March 18, 1972 by Joseph McShea
Consecration	December 8, 1999 by Gabriel Montalvo Higuera, Thomas C. Kelly, and Edward Peter Cullen
Personal details
Birth name	Joseph Edward Kurtz
Born	(1946-08-18) August 18, 1946 (age 75) Mahanoy City, Pennsylvania
Nationality	American
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Residence	Louisville, Kentucky
Parents	George and Stella (née Zmijewski) Kurtz
Occupation	Archbishop
Previous post(s)	Bishop of Knoxville (1999–2007) President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (2013–2016)
Alma mater	St. Charles Borromeo Seminary Marywood University
Motto	Hope In The Lord

Styles of Joseph Edward Kurtz
Reference style	His Excellency The Most Reverend
Spoken style	Your Excellency
Religious style	Archbishop

Joseph Edward Kurtz (born August 18, 1946) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as the Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Louisville in Kentucky from 2007 to 2022. He previously served as the Bishop of the Diocese of Knoxville in Tennessee from 1999 to 2007.

Kurtz was president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) from 2013 to 2016.

Biography[]

Early life[]

Joseph Kurtz was born in Mahanoy City, Pennsylvania, to George and Stella (née Zmijewski) Kurtz. He is of Polish descent.^[1] One of five children (Rose Marie, Theresa, George, and Patricia), he entered St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia in 1964. He obtained a Bachelor of Philosophy degree and a Master of Divinity degree from that school.

Priesthood[]

Kurtz was ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Allentown by Bishop Joseph McShea on March 18, 1972. Kurtz completed his post-graduate work at Marywood University in Scranton, earning a Master of Social Work degree.

During his priestly ministry, Kurtz served as high school teacher, college lecturer, administrator, and pastor in Catasauqua and Bethlehem, both in Pennsylvania. He was raised to the rank of Monsignor in 1986.

Bishop of Knoxville[]

On October 26, 1999, Kurtz was appointed as the second Bishop of the Diocese of Knoxville by Pope John Paul II. He received his episcopal consecration on December 8. 1999. from Archbishop Gabriel Higuera, with Archbishop Thomas Kelly and Bishop Edward Cullen serving as co-consecrators, before an audience of approximately 5,000 at the Knoxville Convention Center in Knoxville.

Archbishop of Louisville[]

Kurtz was named Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Louisville on June 12, 2007 by Pope Benedict XVI. His installation took place on August 15, 2007, at Louisville Gardens in Louisville.

In addition to his diocesan duties, Kurtz served as Chairman of the USCCB Committee on Marriage and Family Life. He was elected as the Vice President of the USCCB in November 2010.^[2] On November 11, 2013, Kurtz was elected USCCB President. On February 19, 2014, Kurtz was appointed a member of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches.^[3]On November 14, 2014, he was elected as a delegate to the 2015 Synod of Bishops on the Family, pending Vatican approval.^[4]

On February 1, 2019, Kurtz released a report that named 22 priests from the Archdiocese of Louisville with credible accusations of sexual abuse. The report was prepared by an independent investigator who was not part of the church. None of the 22 men were active priests in 2019^[5]

In July 2019, Kurtz underwent treatment for urothelial cancer, a type of bladder cancer, which required a three-month medical leave of absence from the archdiocese.^[6]

Retirement[]

On February 8, 2022, Pope Francis accepted Kurtz's letter of resignation as Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Louisville.^[7]

Doctrinal positions[]

Kurtz is generally seen as a conservative and a firm follower of Vatican directives on doctrine and liturgy. The Rev. Thomas J. Reese indicates that Kurtz is a "smiling conservative" like Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan, who is "very gracious but still holds the same positions" as a cleric like Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, who has openly criticized Catholic politicians who support abortion rights.^[8]

Coat of arms of Joseph Edward Kurtz

Notes The coat of arms was designed and adopted when Kurtz was installed as the Archbishop of Louisville Adopted 2007 Escutcheon The arms of his jurisdiction, the Archdiocese of Louisville, is seen in the dexter impalement (left side) of the design. On the right side of the shield is a gold cross, surrounded at the center by a white ring. A white lily on the top left of the cross and an anchor at the bottom left are also found. Motto Hope in the Lord Symbolism The gold cross on the right side of the shield symbolizes faith. The center white ring is a symbol of Kurtz's native Diocese of Allentown and of its patron saint, St. Catherine of Siena. The white lily is a symbol of St. Joseph, the archbishop's patron saint. The anchor is a traditional symbol of hope and fits with Kurtz's motto, "Hope in the Lord."

References[]

External links[]

• Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Louisville Official Site