Carl Frederick Mengeling

His Excellency. The Most Reverend Carl Frederick Mengeling S.T.D.
Bishop Emeritus of Lansing
Church	Roman Catholic
See	Diocese of Lansing
Appointed	November 7, 1995
Installed	January 25, 1996
Term ended	February 27, 2008
Predecessor	Kenneth Joseph Povish
Successor	Earl Boyea
Orders
Ordination	May 25, 1957 by  Andrew Gregory Grutka
Consecration	January 25, 1996 by  Adam Maida, Kenneth Joseph Povish, and Dale Joseph Melczek
Personal details
Born	(1930-10-22) October 22, 1930 (age 92) Hammond, Indiana, US
Parents	Carl and Augusta (née Huke) Mengeling
Education	Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas Alphonsian Academy
Motto	"He must increase"

Styles of Carl Frederick Mengeling
Reference style	His Excellency The Most Reverend
Spoken style	Your Excellency
Religious style	Bishop

Carl Frederick Mengeling S.T.D (born October 22, 1930) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Lansing in Michigan from 1996 to 2008.

Biography

Mengeling was born in Hammond, Indiana, to Carl H. and Augusta Huke Mengeling. Raised in a Lutheran family, Mengeling converted to Catholicism at age nine. He attended St. Mary Elementary School in Griffith, Indiana, and graduated from Griffith High School in 1948. Mengeling then entered St. Meinrad College and Seminary in Saint Meinrad, Indiana. ^[1]

Priesthood

On May 25, 1957, Mengeling was ordained to the priesthood for the new Diocese of Gary by Bishop Andrew Grutka at the Cathedral of the Holy Angels in Gary, Indiana. After his ordination, Mengeling became associate pastor of St. Mark's Parish in Gary. ^[1] In 1961, Mengeling entered the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome, obtaining his Licentiate of Sacred Theology. He also attended the Alphonsian Academy, earning a Doctor of Sacred Theology degree. Mengeling acted as a page during some sessions of the Second Vatican Council. ^[2]

After returning to Indiana in 1964, Mengeling began teaching at Bishop Noll High School in Hammond, Indiana, St. Joseph Calumet College in East Chicago, Indiana, and St. Procopius Seminary in Lisle, Illinois. ^[1] In 1968, Mengeling became pastor of All Saints Parish in Hammond, Indiana, then in 1970 was transferred to Holy Name Parish in Cedar Lake, Indiana. In 1971, Mengeling was named pastor of Nativity of Our Savior Parish in Portage, Indiana, serving there until 1985.

Raised to the title of monsignor in June 1984, Mengeling chaired the Diocesan Worship Commission and the Vocations Committee in Gary. He also founded the diocesan Institute of Religion and chaired it for 14 years. Mengeling also served on the Presbyteral Council, the Ecumenical Commission and the Permanent Diaconate Formation team.^{[ citation needed ]} In 1985, Mengeling was appointed pastor of St. Thomas More Parish in Munster, Indiana. ^[1]

Bishop of Lansing

On November 7, 1995, Pope John Paul II appointed Mengeling as the fourth bishop of the Diocese of Lansing, ^{[2] [3] [4]} He received his episcopal consecration on January 25, 1996, from Cardinal Adam Maida, with Bishops Kenneth Povish and Dale Melczek serving as co-consecrators, in St. Mary Cathedral in Lansing, Michigan. Mengeling selected as his episcopal motto: "He must increase", from John 3:30. ^[5] During his tenure, Mengeling opened several parochial schools and churches. He also involved himself with the activities of Hispanic, Vietnamese, and African-American Catholics in his diocese. ^[1]

In 2002, Mengeling removed from ministry Vincent DeLorenzo, a priest in a Flint, Michigan parish. A young man had accused DeLorenzo of sexually abusing him when he was a minor and DeLorenzo admitted his guilt. The diocese forwarded the accusation to the Genesee County Michigan district attorney and asked the Vatican to defrock DeLorenzo. ^[6] In 2003, In response to sexual misconduct scandals among the clergy, Mengeling instituted the Virtus program in 2003 and visited retreats for victims of sexual abuse. ^[1] Also in 2003, he issued a statement on the war in Iraq, calling for "a swift end to hostilities and commitment to reconciliation..." ^[7]

Retirement

Pope Benedict VI accepted Mengeling's retirement as bishop of the Diocese of Lansing on February 27, 2008. He was succeeded by Bishop Earl Boyea. ^{[8] [9]}

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

1. "Bishop Emeritus Carl F. Mengeling". Diocese of Lansing. Retrieved 2021-11-09.
2. "Faith Magazine, History of Lansing diocese". Archived from the original on July 10, 2011.
3. "Archdiocese of Lansing home page and history". Archived from the original on September 17, 2007.
4. "History of the bishops of Lansing, Archdiocese of Lansing home page and history". Archived from the original on September 17, 2007.
5. "Douay-Rheims Bible, John Chapter 3". www.drbo.org.
6. "Flint-area Catholic priest sexually abused boy for 5 years, affidavit says". mlive. 2019-05-24. Retrieved 2021-11-09.
7. Statement of War in Iraq, USCCB.org, March 20, 2003.
8. "Detroit auxiliary bishop will head Diocese of Lansing". Archived from the original on 2011-06-29. Retrieved 2019-10-30.
9. "The Diocese of Lansing's fourth bishop retires". Archived from the original on 2011-07-23. Retrieved 2010-04-18.

External links

• Diocese of Lansing
• Virtus program

Episcopal succession

Catholic Church titles
Preceded by Kenneth Joseph Povish	Bishop of Lansing 1996–2008	Succeeded by Earl Boyea