Bernard William Schmitt
Encyclopedia
Bernard William Schmitt was an American
prelate
of the Roman Catholic Church
who served as Bishop of Wheeling-Charleston
from March 29, 1989 to December 9, 2004. Born in Wheeling, West Virginia
, Schmitt was ordained to the priesthood on March 28, 1955 for the Wheeling Diocese. On May 25, 1988, he was appointed bishop of the Wheeling-Charleston Diocese and was ordained bishop on August 1, 1988. In 1989, Bishop Schmitt became bishop of the diocese retiring in 2004.
Bishop Schmitt died August 16, 2011 at Wheeling Hospital, a Catholic hospital owned by the Diocese. He was 82 years old. He would have been 83 years old the next day. The chief celebrant and homilist at the funeral was his successor, Bishop Michael Bransfield.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
prelate
Prelate
A prelate is a high-ranking member of the clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin prælatus, the past participle of præferre, which means "carry before", "be set above or over" or "prefer"; hence, a prelate is one set over others.-Related...
of the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
who served as Bishop of Wheeling-Charleston
Roman Catholic Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the southern United States comprising the state of West Virginia. It is a conjoined diocese with two centers of worship, one day expected to be split into two separate...
from March 29, 1989 to December 9, 2004. Born in Wheeling, West Virginia
Wheeling, West Virginia
Wheeling is a city in Ohio and Marshall counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia; it is the county seat of Ohio County. Wheeling is the principal city of the Wheeling Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, Schmitt was ordained to the priesthood on March 28, 1955 for the Wheeling Diocese. On May 25, 1988, he was appointed bishop of the Wheeling-Charleston Diocese and was ordained bishop on August 1, 1988. In 1989, Bishop Schmitt became bishop of the diocese retiring in 2004.
Bishop Schmitt died August 16, 2011 at Wheeling Hospital, a Catholic hospital owned by the Diocese. He was 82 years old. He would have been 83 years old the next day. The chief celebrant and homilist at the funeral was his successor, Bishop Michael Bransfield.