John Henry Luers

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John Henry Luers (September 29, 1819 - June 29, 1871 was nominated first Bishop of Fort Wayne, Indiana, and consecrated in Cincinnati, Ohio, 10 January, 1858.

He was born near Münster, Westphalia, and emigrated to America in 1831. He was ordained priest in Cincinnati on November 11, 1846. Entering upon the administration of the new diocese, he devoted himself zealously to the founding of new parishes and missions, provided a home for the orphans, and built a cathedral.

In June, 1871, during a vacancy of the See of Cleveland, Ohio, he was called to that city to confer ordination on a number of seminarians. After the function, on his way to the train, he suffered an apoplectic stroke and fell dead. At the time of Bishop Luer's death there were in the Diocese of Fort Wayne 69 priests, 75 churches, 10 chapels, 1 hospital, 1 orphan asylum, 1 college, 11 academies for girls, 40 parochial schools, and a Catholic population estimated at 50,000.

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This article incorporates text from the public-domain Catholic Encyclopedia of 1913.