Charles Herman Helmsing

Charles Herman Helmsing (March 23, 1908, Shrewsbury, Missouri – December 20, 1993) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as bishop of the Diocese of Kansas City–St. Joseph (1962 - 1977).

History

Helmsing was born to George and Louisa Helmsing. He entered St. Louis Preparatory Seminary and then went on to Kenrick-Glennon Seminary before being ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of St. Louis on June 10, 1933. He became a papal chamberlain (monsignor) on February 15, 1946.

On April 19, 1949, Helmsing was consecrated auxiliary bishop of St. Louis under Cardinal Ritter. He took a marked interest in the propagation of the faith, the instruction of converts, the work of the Legion of Mary, as well as both foreign and home missions. He worked as secretary and master of ceremonies for Cardinal Ritter and took on a number of other positions, including Director of the Diocesan Society for the Propagation of the Faith.

In 1956, when Pope Pius XII divided Missouri into four dioceses, Helmsing was appointed first bishop of the Diocese of Springfield–Cape Girardeau. He was installed as bishop there on November 28, 1956.

After the Diocese of Kansas City–St. Joseph was left vacant upon the appointment of Bishop Cody as coadjutor of the Archdiocese of New Orleans, Pope John XXIII looked south for his successor. Helmsing was appointed bishop of the Diocese of Kansas City – St. Joseph on January 31, 1962.

In his installation homily on April 3, 1962, Helmsing explained his motto:

"In the sacrifice of the Cross, Christ our Lord identified Himself with the Old Testament servant of Yahweh, the slave of Almighty God, foretold by the prophets. It was this realization that impelled me to take as the motto of my life and work as a Bishop, the inspired words of the 115th Psalm,

Servus tuus, filius anciliae

“O Lord, I am Thy slave and the son of Thy handmaid”.

It is in this spirit that I come to you with humble determination aided by our Lord’s grace to imitate Him as the slave of the Lord Who became obedient unto death, even the death of the Cross; and also in imitation of His Mother, Mary, who when the greatest possible task was given to her of mothering the Son of God, referred to herself “Behold the slave-girl of the Lord”.

Participation in Vatican II

At the time of his installation, Helmsing was already making preparations for his participation in the Second Vatican Council, which was to convene for its first session that coming fall. He took with him (future Cardinal) William Wakefield Baum, who was vice chancellor at the time, as a peritus (expert). Although it is difficult to trace Helmsing's activities at the council, some incidents are recorded in various histories and commentaries. During the initial debate on the schema for liturgy (De Sacra Liturgia), a note is made of his intervention on point no. 39 on the importance of the homily in the liturgy.

Mathijis Lamberigts notes that Helmsing argued that the homily ought to be systematic and theologically well founded.^[1] Helmsing took part in all four sessions of the Second Vatican Council and was most influential in the composition of the Decree on Ecumenism(Unitatis Redintegratio). In November 1963, Helmsing was elected with eight other bishops to the Secretariat for Christian Unity which worked under Cardinal Bea to collect statements to the secretariat concerning the schema. The result was 1,063 pages published in six volumes. This helped to prepare revisions to the schema which were returned to council fathers.

National Catholic Reporter

In 1968 the National Catholic Reporter (NCR) was officially condemned by Helmsing for "their policy of crusading against the Church's teachings".^[2] When the paper was first founded, Bishop provided diocesan office space and funds until the paper was able to move to the building where it continues to this day. In the late 1960s, Helmsing objected most specifically to the paper's strong stands on birth control, priestly celibacy and criticism of the hierarchy, citing an imbalance in news coverage. 66 Catholic journalists signed a petition during this time to support the stances of NCR.

Legacy

Helmsing returned to Kansas City, where he supported civil rights for Americans of any color. He brought home the documents of the Second Vatican Council and was responsible for implementing them in the diocese. He was dedicated to easing tensions between Catholics and Protestants.

Helmsing served as bishop of Kansas City – St. Joseph until 1977. He died December 20, 1993, aged 85.

The Helmsing Institute

In the fall of 2006, Robert W. Finn, bishop of Kansas City – St. Joseph, named a new adult faith formation initiative of his diocese after Helmsing. The Bishop Helmsing Institute offers a three-year faith formation program and has four full-time instructors.

References

1. ↑ Mathijis Lamberigts, "The Liturgy Debate" in Giuseppe Alberigo and Joseph Komonchak, History of Vatican II, Volume II (Maryknoll: Orbis, 1997) quoting the council records Acta Synodalia Sacrosancti Concilii Vaticani II I/2, 46
2. ↑ 1968 condemnation

Sources

[1] Mathijs Lamberigts, "The Liturgy Debate" in Giuseppe Alberigo and Joseph Komonchak, History of Vatican II, Volume II (Maryknoll: Orbis, 1997) quoting the council records Acta Synodalia Sacrosancti Concilii Vaticani II I/2, 46

External links

• Bishop Helmsing Institute

Roman Catholic Diocese of Kansas City–Saint Joseph
Ordinaries	Bishops of Kansas City John Joseph Hogan Thomas Francis Lillis Edwin Vincent O'Hara Bishops of St. Joseph John Joseph Hogan Maurice Francis Burke Francis Gilfillan Charles Hubert Le Blond Bishops of Kansas City–St. Joseph John Cody Charles Herman Helmsing John Joseph Sullivan Raymond James Boland Robert William Finn James Vann Johnston, Jr.
Auxiliary bishops	John J. Glennon Joseph M. Marling Joseph Vincent Sullivan
Churches	Cathedrals Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception Cathedral of St. Joseph Parishes Sacred Heart Church, Kansas City St. Ludger Church, Germantown Abbey Conception Abbey Former parishes Holy Name Church, Kansas City
Education	Higher education Avila University Rockhurst University High schools Archbishop O'Hara High School, Kansas City Bishop LeBlond High School, St. Joseph Cristo Rey Kansas City High School, Kansas City Notre Dame de Sion, Kansas City Rockhurst High School, Kansas City Saint Pius X Catholic High School, Kansas City St. Teresa's Academy, Kansas City Former high school St. Mary's High School, Independence
Priests	William Wakefield Baum Francis Johannes George Kinzie Fitzsimons Joseph Hubert Hart Michael Francis McAuliffe Lawrence James McNamara
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Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield–Cape Girardeau
Bishops	Charles Herman Helmsing Ignatius Jerome Strecker William Wakefield Baum Bernard Francis Law John Joseph Leibrecht James Vann Johnston, Jr.
Churches	Cathedrals St. Agnes Cathedral Cathedral of St. Mary of the Annunciation Parishes St. Vincent De Paul Church, Cape Girardeau St. Peter the Apostle Church, Joplin
Education	High schools McAuley Catholic High School, Joplin Notre Dame High School, Cape Girardeau Springfield Catholic High School, Springfield
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Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Louis
Ordinaries of the Archdiocese of St. Louis Bishop Joseph Rosati Archbishops Peter Richard Kenrick John Kain John J. Glennon Joseph Ritter John Carberry John L. May Justin Francis Rigali Raymond Leo Burke Robert James Carlson Coadjutor Archbishop Patrick John Ryan Catholicism portal
Churches in the Archdiocese of St. Louis Cathedral Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis Basilica Basilica of St. Louis, King of France Parishes St. Joseph Church, Apple Creek St. Maurus Church, Biehle St. James Church, Crosstown Ste. Genevieve Church, Ste. Genevieve Sacred Heart Church, Ozora St. Mary's of the Barrens Church, Perryville St. Vincent de Paul Church, Perryville St. Alphonsus Liguori "Rock" Church, St. Louis St. Francis Xavier College Church, St. Louis St. Mary of Victories Church, St. Louis St. Rose of Lima Church, Silver Lake Former parishes Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church, Belgique St. Mary's Church, Bridgeton St. John the Evangelist Church, Lithium St. Boniface Church, Perryville Immaculate Conception Church, St. Louis St. John Nepomuk Church, St. Louis St. Liborius Church, St. Louis St. Stanislaus Kostka Church, St. Louis Abbey Abbey of Saint Mary and Saint Louis Oratory St. Francis de Sales Oratory, St. Louis Shrines St. Ferdinand's Shrine, Florissant Shrine of St. Joseph, St. Louis
Education in the Archdiocese of St. Louis Higher education Fontbonne University Maryville University Saint Louis University Seminaries Aquinas Institute of Theology Kenrick–Glennon Seminary High schools Barat Academy, O'Fallon Bishop DuBourg High School, St. Louis Cardinal Ritter College Prep High School, St. Louis Chaminade College Preparatory School, Creve Coeur Christian Brothers College High School, St. Louis Cor Jesu Academy, St. Louis De Smet Jesuit High School, Creve Coeur Duchesne High School, St. Charles Incarnate Word Academy, Bel-Nor John F. Kennedy Catholic High School, Manchester Nerinx Hall High School, Webster Groves Notre Dame High School, St. Louis Rosati-Kain High School, St. Louis St. Dominic High School, O'Fallon St. Francis Borgia Regional High School, Washington St. John Vianney High School, Kirkwood St. Joseph's Academy, Frontenac Saint Louis Priory School, St. Louis St. Louis University High School, St. Louis St. Mary's High School, St. Louis St. Pius X High School, Festus St. Vincent High School, Perryville Trinity Catholic High School, North County Ursuline Academy, Oakland Valle Catholic High School, Sainte Genevieve Villa Duchesne and Oak Hill School, St. Louis Visitation Academy of St. Louis, Town and Country Former Higher education Marillac College High school St. Elizabeth Academy, St. Louis
Clergy of the Archdiocese of St. Louis Auxiliary bishops Christian Herman Winkelmann George Joseph Donnelly John Cody Charles Herman Helmsing Leo Christopher Byrne Glennon Patrick Flavin George Joseph Gottwald Joseph Alphonse McNicholas Charles Roman Koester Edward Thomas O'Meara John Nicholas Wurm Edward Joseph O'Donnell J. Terry Steib Paul Albert Zipfel Edward Braxton Michael John Sheridan Joseph Fred Naumann Timothy M. Dolan Robert Joseph Hermann Edward M. Rice Priests Christopher Edward Byrne Mark Kenny Carroll Luis Morgan Casey Patrick Feehan Robert Finn Marion Francis Forst John R. Gaydos John Hennessy John Joseph Hogan John Joseph Leibrecht George Joseph Lucas Antoni Klawiter Joseph Melcher Michael Portier Andrea Bernardo Schierhoff Leo John Steck Richard Stika John Henry Tihen
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