Carl Frederick Mengeling
Encyclopedia
Carl Frederick Mengeling (born October 22, 1930) is an American
prelate
of the Roman Catholic Church
. He served as Bishop of Lansing
from 1995 to 2008.
, Indiana
, as the second of the four children of Carl and Augusta (née Huke) Mengeling, both German
immigrants
. He was raised as a Lutheran
but later baptized
as a Catholic
at the age of nine. Mengeling attended St. Mary Elementary School in Griffith
, and graduated from Griffith High School
in 1948, whence he entered St. Meinrad College and Seminary
.
He was ordained
to the priesthood
by Bishop Andrew Grutka
on May 25, 1957, as one of the first priests of the Diocese of Gary
. Mengeling then served as associate pastor
of St. Mark's Church
in Gary
until 1961. He then furthered his studies in Rome
, where he attended the Angelicum, obtaining his Licentiate of Sacred Theology
, and the Alphonsian Academy
, earning a Doctorate in Sacred Theology
. He acted as a page
during some of the sessions of the Second Vatican Council
(1962-1965) as well.
He was present at the opening session of the Second Vatican Council
as a page. Also present were the first and second bishops of Lansing, namely Joseph H. Albers
was there; and Alexander M. Zaleski
.
Upon his return to the United States
in 1964, Mengeling began teaching at Bishop Noll High School
in Hammond, St. Joseph Calumet College
in East Chicago
, and St. Procopius Seminary
in Lisle
, Illinois
. He served as pastor of All Saints Parish in Hammond from 1968 to 1970, whence he became pastor of Holy Name Parish in Cedar Lake
. Mengeling was pastor of Nativity of Our Savior in Portage
(1971-1985) and later of St. Thomas More Parish in Munster
(1985-1995). Raised to the rank of Monsignor
in June 1984, he chaired
the Diocesan Worship Commission and the Vocations Committee in Gary, as well as founding the diocesan Institute of Religion and chairing it for fourteen years. He also served on the Presbyteral Council, the Ecumenical
Commission and the Permanent Diaconate
Formation team.
On November 7, 1995, Mengeling was appointed the fourth Bishop of Lansing
by Pope John Paul II
. He received his episcopal consecration
on January 25, 1996 from Adam Cardinal Maida, with Bishops Kenneth Povish
and Dale Melczek
serving as co-consecrators
, in St. Mary Cathedral
. Mengeling selected as his episcopal motto
: "He must increase" (John 3:30).
During his tenure, the Bishop has opened several parochial schools and churches. He has also involved himself with the activities of Hispanic, Vietnamese
, and African-American
Catholics in his diocese
. In response to sexual misconduct scandals among the clergy
, he instituted the Virtus program in 2003 and has visited retreats for victims of sexual abuse. Also in 2003, he issued a statement on the war in Iraq, calling for "a swift end to hostilities and commitment to reconciliation..."
Mengeling retired as Bishop on February 27, 2008, after twelve years of service. He was succeeded by Earl Alfred Boyea, Jr.
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...
. He served as Bishop of Lansing
Roman Catholic Diocese of Lansing
The Catholic Diocese of Lansing is located in Lansing, Michigan. It encompasses an area of 6,218 square miles including the counties of Clinton, Eaton, Genesee, Hillsdale, Ingham, Jackson, Lenawee, Livingston, Shiawassee and Washtenaw...
from 1995 to 2008.
Biography
Carl Mengeling was born in HammondHammond, Indiana
Hammond is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. It is part of the Chicago metropolitan area. The population was 80,830 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Hammond is located at ....
, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
, as the second of the four children of Carl and Augusta (née Huke) Mengeling, both German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
immigrants
Immigration
Immigration is the act of foreigners passing or coming into a country for the purpose of permanent residence...
. He was raised as a Lutheran
Lutheranism
Lutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the theology of Martin Luther, a German reformer. Luther's efforts to reform the theology and practice of the church launched the Protestant Reformation...
but later baptized
Baptism
In Christianity, baptism is for the majority the rite of admission , almost invariably with the use of water, into the Christian Church generally and also membership of a particular church tradition...
as a Catholic
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...
at the age of nine. Mengeling attended St. Mary Elementary School in Griffith
Griffith, Indiana
Griffith is a town in Calumet and St. John townships, Lake County, Indiana. It is a part of the Chicago metropolitan area. The population was 16,893 at the 2010 census.-Geography:...
, and graduated from Griffith High School
Griffith High School
Griffith High School is a coeducational, New South Wales government public school located in Griffith, New South Wales, Australia.- External links :*...
in 1948, whence he entered St. Meinrad College and Seminary
Saint Meinrad School of Theology
The Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology is located in Saint Meinrad in southern Indiana and is affiliated with the St. Meinrad Archabbey, which itself is affiliated with Einsiedeln Abbey in Switzerland...
.
He was ordained
Holy Orders
The term Holy Orders is used by many Christian churches to refer to ordination or to those individuals ordained for a special role or ministry....
to the priesthood
Priesthood (Catholic Church)
The ministerial orders of the Catholic Church include the orders of bishops, deacons and presbyters, which in Latin is sacerdos. The ordained priesthood and common priesthood are different in function and essence....
by Bishop Andrew Grutka
Andrew Gregory Grutka
Andrew Gregory Grutka was a 20th century bishop of the Catholic Church in the United States. He served as first bishop of the Diocese of Gary in the state of Indiana from 1956-1984.-Biography:...
on May 25, 1957, as one of the first priests of the Diocese of Gary
Roman Catholic Diocese of Gary
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Gary is a Roman Catholic diocese in Indiana. It was founded on December 10, 1956.-Bishops:#Andrew Gregory Grutka #Norbert Felix Gaughan #Dale Joseph Melczek...
. Mengeling then served as associate pastor
Curate
A curate is a person who is invested with the care or cure of souls of a parish. In this sense "curate" correctly means a parish priest but in English-speaking countries a curate is an assistant to the parish priest...
of St. Mark's Church
St. Mark's Church
St. Mark's Church is a Serb Orthodox place of worship in Belgrade, Serbia. The church is located in the Tašmajdan park in Belgrade, near the Parliament of Serbia. There is a small Russian church for Russian Orthodox faithful next to St. Mark's.-History:The Church of the Holy Apostle and...
in Gary
Gary, Indiana
Gary is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The city is in the southeastern portion of the Chicago metropolitan area and is 25 miles from downtown Chicago. The population is 80,294 at the 2010 census, making it the seventh-largest city in the state. It borders Lake Michigan and is known...
until 1961. He then furthered his studies in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, where he attended the Angelicum, obtaining his Licentiate of Sacred Theology
Licentiate of Sacred Theology
Licentiate of Sacred Theology is the title of the second cycle of studies of a Faculty of Theology offered by a pontifical universities or ecclesiastical faculties of sacred theology. An Ecclesiastical Faculty offers three cycles of study: Baccalaureate or fundamentals, Licentiate or specialized,...
, and the Alphonsian Academy
Alphonsian Academy
thumb|150px|right|St. Alphonsus de Liguori, whose teachings inspired the establishment of the Academy.The Alphonsian Academy is a pontifical institution of higher education in Rome, Italy....
, earning a Doctorate in Sacred Theology
Doctor of Sacred Theology
The Doctor of Sacred Theology is the final theological degree in the pontifical university system of the Catholic Church....
. He acted as a page
Page (servant)
A page or page boy is a traditionally young male servant, a messenger at the service of a nobleman or royal.-The medieval page:In medieval times, a page was an attendant to a knight; an apprentice squire...
during some of the sessions of the Second Vatican Council
Second Vatican Council
The Second Vatican Council addressed relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the modern world. It was the twenty-first Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church and the second to be held at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. It opened under Pope John XXIII on 11 October 1962 and closed...
(1962-1965) as well.
He was present at the opening session of the Second Vatican Council
Second Vatican Council
The Second Vatican Council addressed relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the modern world. It was the twenty-first Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church and the second to be held at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. It opened under Pope John XXIII on 11 October 1962 and closed...
as a page. Also present were the first and second bishops of Lansing, namely Joseph H. Albers
Joseph H. Albers
Joseph H. Albers D.D. was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. In 1929 at the age of 38, he was consecrated Auxiliary Bishop of Cincinnati, making him one of the youngest Roman Catholic bishops in the country. He continued in this role until he was assigned to establish the new Diocese of Lansing, Michigan...
was there; and Alexander M. Zaleski
Alexander M. Zaleski
Alexander Mieceslaus Zaleski was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Lansing from 1965 until his death in 1975.-Biography:...
.
Upon his return to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1964, Mengeling began teaching at Bishop Noll High School
Bishop Noll Institute
Bishop Noll Institute is a private, Roman Catholic high school in Hammond, Indiana. It is part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Gary.-Background:...
in Hammond, St. Joseph Calumet College
Calumet College of St. Joseph
Calumet College of St. Joseph is a private college affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church through the Missionaries of the Precious Blood. Its main campus is in Whiting, Indiana, with additional campuses located in Chicago, Illinois, and Merrillville, Indiana...
in East Chicago
East Chicago, Indiana
East Chicago is a city in Lake County, Indiana. The population was 29,698 at the 2010 census.-Geography:East Chicago is located at ....
, and St. Procopius Seminary
Benet Academy
Benet Academy is a co-educational, college-preparatory, Benedictine high school in Lisle, Illinois, United States, overseen by the Diocese of Joliet. Founded in 1887, the school was initially established in Chicago as the all-boys St. Procopius College and Academy by Benedictine monks, who also...
in Lisle
Lisle, Illinois
Lisle is a village in DuPage County, Illinois, United States. The population was 22,930 at the 2011 census, and estimated to be 23,135 as of 2008. It is part of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Illinois Technology and Research Corridor...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
. He served as pastor of All Saints Parish in Hammond from 1968 to 1970, whence he became pastor of Holy Name Parish in Cedar Lake
Cedar Lake, Indiana
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 9,279 people, 3,394 households, and 2,450 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,366.3 people per square mile . There were 3,681 housing units at an average density of 542.0 per square mile...
. Mengeling was pastor of Nativity of Our Savior in Portage
Portage, Indiana
Portage is a city in Portage Township, Porter County, Indiana, United States. The population was 36,828 as of the 2010 census. It is the largest city in Porter County, and third largest in Northwest Indiana.-Geography:...
(1971-1985) and later of St. Thomas More Parish in Munster
Munster, Indiana
Munster is a town located in North Township, Lake County, in Northwest Indiana in the United States. This bedroom community lies in the Chicago metropolitan area, approximately southeast of the Chicago Loop, and shares municipal boundaries with Hammond to the north, Highland to the east, Dyer and...
(1985-1995). Raised to the rank of Monsignor
Monsignor
Monsignor, pl. monsignori, is the form of address for those members of the clergy of the Catholic Church holding certain ecclesiastical honorific titles. Monsignor is the apocopic form of the Italian monsignore, from the French mon seigneur, meaning "my lord"...
in June 1984, he chaired
Chair (official)
The chairman is the highest officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office is typically elected or appointed by the members of the group. The chairman presides over meetings of the assembled group and conducts its business in an...
the Diocesan Worship Commission and the Vocations Committee in Gary, as well as founding the diocesan Institute of Religion and chairing it for fourteen years. He also served on the Presbyteral Council, the Ecumenical
Catholic Church and ecumenism
The Catholic Church has been heavily involved in the ecumenical movement since the Second Vatican Council .- Before the Second Vatican Council :...
Commission and the Permanent Diaconate
Deacon
Deacon is a ministry in the Christian Church that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions...
Formation team.
On November 7, 1995, Mengeling was appointed the fourth Bishop of Lansing
Roman Catholic Diocese of Lansing
The Catholic Diocese of Lansing is located in Lansing, Michigan. It encompasses an area of 6,218 square miles including the counties of Clinton, Eaton, Genesee, Hillsdale, Ingham, Jackson, Lenawee, Livingston, Shiawassee and Washtenaw...
by Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
. He received his episcopal consecration
Bishop (Catholic Church)
In the Catholic Church, a bishop is an ordained minister who holds the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders and is responsible for teaching the Catholic faith and ruling the Church....
on January 25, 1996 from Adam Cardinal Maida, with Bishops Kenneth Povish
Kenneth Joseph Povish
Kenneth Joseph Povish was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Crookston and Bishop of Lansing .-Early life and education:...
and Dale Melczek
Dale Joseph Melczek
Dale Joseph Melczek is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He is the third and current Bishop of Gary.-Biography:...
serving as co-consecrators
Consecrator
Consecrator is a term used in the Roman Catholic Church to designate a bishop who ordains a priest to the episcopal state. The term is often used in Eastern Rite Churches and in Anglican communities. The term "Principal Consecrator" is used to designate the primary bishop who ordains a new bishop...
, in St. Mary Cathedral
Cathedral of Saint Mary in Lansing
St. Mary Cathedral is a cathedral of the Roman Catholic Church in Lansing, Michigan one block north of the Michigan State Capitol. It is the seat of the bishop of the Diocese of Lansing....
. Mengeling selected as his episcopal motto
Motto
A motto is a phrase meant to formally summarize the general motivation or intention of a social group or organization. A motto may be in any language, but Latin is the most used. The local language is usual in the mottoes of governments...
: "He must increase" (John 3:30).
During his tenure, the Bishop has opened several parochial schools and churches. He has also involved himself with the activities of Hispanic, Vietnamese
Vietnamese American
A Vietnamese American is an American of Vietnamese descent. They make up about half of all overseas Vietnamese and are the fourth-largest Asian American group....
, and African-American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
Catholics in his diocese
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
. In response to sexual misconduct scandals among the clergy
Roman Catholic sex abuse cases
The Catholic sex abuse cases are a series of convictions, trials and ongoing investigations into allegations of sex crimes committed by Catholic priests and members of religious orders. These cases began receiving public attention beginning in the mid-1980s...
, he instituted the Virtus program in 2003 and has visited retreats for victims of sexual abuse. Also in 2003, he issued a statement on the war in Iraq, calling for "a swift end to hostilities and commitment to reconciliation..."
Mengeling retired as Bishop on February 27, 2008, after twelve years of service. He was succeeded by Earl Alfred Boyea, Jr.
Earl Alfred Boyea, Jr.
Earl Alfred Boyea, Jr. is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He is Bishop of Lansing.-Biography:Earl Boyea, Jr. was born in Pontiac, Michigan, as the eldest of the ten children of Earl and Helen Boyea, Sr. He was raised in Waterford and attended and its parochial school as a child...