Michael Heiss
| The Most Reverend Michael Heiss | |
|---|---|
| Archbishop of Milwaukee | |
 | |
| See | Milwaukee |
| Installed | September 7, 1881 |
| Term ended | March 26, 1890 |
| Predecessor | John Henni |
| Successor | Frederick Katzer |
| Other posts |
Bishop of La Crosse (1868–80) Coadjutor Archbishop of Milwaukee (1880–81) |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | October 18, 1840 |
| Consecration | September 6, 1868 |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
April 12, 1818 Pfahldorf, Bavaria, Germany |
| Died |
March 26, 1890 (aged 71) La Crosse, Wisconsin |
| Denomination | Catholic Church |
Michael Heiss (April 12, 1818 – March 26, 1890) was a German-born prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as the first Bishop of the Diocese of La Crosse (1868–80) and the second Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee (1881–90).
Biography
Early years
Michael Heiss was born in Pfahldorf, Bavaria (part of present-day Kipfenberg), to Joseph and Gertrude (née Frei) Heiss.[1] He received Confirmation when he was only two years old because his parents feared they would be without a bishop for a prolonged period of time due to tension between church and state.[1] He entered a Latin school at age 9, and later graduated from the gymnasium of Neuburg in 1835.[2]
Heiss then entered the University of Munich, where he originally studied law but switched to theology after deciding to join the priesthood.[3] He completed his studies at the ecclesiastical seminary in Eichstätt.[2]
Ordination and ministry
He was ordained a priest by Bishop Karl-August von Reisach on October 18, 1840.[4] Because, at age 22, he was younger than the age requirement for ordination, he was granted a dispensation by Pope Gregory XVI.[1]
Heiss served as a curate in Raitenbuch and afterwards in Pleinfeld.[3] In December 1842, he immigrated to the United States, where he became pastor of Mother of God Church in Covington, Kentucky.[5] He remained in Covington until 1844, when he was made secretary to John Henni, the newly appointed Archbishop of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.[6] He erected St. Mary's Church in Milwaukee, and served as its first pastor with his charge extending over an area of 52 square miles.[5] In 1856, he was named the first rector of St. Francis Seminary, serving for 12 years.[2]
Bishop of La Crosse, Wisconsin
Heiss was appointed Bishop of the Diocese of La Crosse on March 3, 1868, and was ordained a bishop on September 6, 1868.
Archbishop of Milwaukee, Wisconsin
On March 14, 1880, Bishop Heiss was appointed coadjutor Archbishop of Milwaukee. On September 7, 1881, he succeeded Archbishop John Henni on his death as Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. He was an opponent of the Americanist heresy.
Archbishop Heiss died in La Crosse, Wisconsin, and was buried in St. Francis, Wisconsin, a suburb of Milwaukee, in a chapel at St. Francis de Sales Seminary.
See also
 |
Wikisource has the text of a 1905 New International Encyclopedia article about Michael Heiss. |
References
- 1 2 3 Blied, Benjamin Joseph (1955). Three Archbishops of Milwaukee.
- 1 2 3 Shea, John Gilmary (1886). The Hierarchy of the Catholic Church in the United States. New York: Catholic Publications.
- 1 2 The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography XII. New York: James T. White & Company. 1904.
- ↑ "Archbishop Michael Heiss". Catholic-Hierarchy.org.
- 1 2 "Milwaukee". Catholic Encyclopedia.
- ↑ "Archbishop Michael Heiss". Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee.
External links
- Archbishop Michael Heiss at the Archdiocese of Milwaukee
- "Heiss, Michael". Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography. 1892.
| Catholic Church titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by John Henni |
Archbishop of Milwaukee 1881–1890 |
Succeeded by Frederick Katzer |
| Preceded by None |
Coadjutor Bishop of Milwaukee 1880–1881 |
Succeeded by None |
| Preceded by None |
Bishop of La Crosse 1868–1880 |
Succeeded by Kilan Caspar Flasch |
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