Elden Francis Curtiss
Encyclopedia
Elden Francis Curtiss is an American
prelate
of the Roman Catholic Church
. He served as Bishop of Helena
from 1976 to 1993, and Archbishop of Omaha
from 1993 to 2009.
, to Elden and Mary (née Neiger) Curtiss; his father was of Irish
descent and his mother Slovenia
n. The eldest of four children, he has three brothers. Curtiss studied at St. Edward Seminary
in Kenmore, Washington
, and was ordained
to the priesthood
by Bishop Francis Leipzig
on May 24, 1958. He then did pastoral
work in Lakeview
, La Grande
, and Jordan Valley
, as well as serving as a hospital
chaplain
.
Curtiss furthered his studies at Fordham University
, University of Portland
, and University of Notre Dame
; he holds a Master of Divinity degree
and a Master's degree in education administration. After serving as director of information and superintendent
of schools
in the Diocese of Baker
, he became a professor
and president-rector
of Mount Angel Seminary
.
, Montana
, by Pope Paul VI
. He received his episcopal consecration
on the following April 28 from Archbishop Cornelius Power, with Bishops Thomas Connolly
and Francis Leipzig serving as co-consecrators
. He selected as his episcopal motto
: "That We May All Be One" .
During his 17-year-long tenure, Curtiss encouraged the greater participation of the laity
, establishing the Program of Formation of Lay Ministry in 1982. He also led the diocese in celebration of its 100th anniversary
.
, Nebraska
, by Pope John Paul II
on May 4, 1993. Succeeding the retiring Daniel Sheehan, he was formally installed
on June 25 of that year.
Curtiss began monitoring the orthodoxy of the teachings at Creighton University
and other Catholic institutions in 1993. In 2007, the director of the Creighton Center for Marriage and Family co-authored an essay in U.S. Catholic magazine that said unmarried couples should be allowed to live together if they planned to get married. Curtiss later denounced the article and severed the archdiocese's ties with the center, saying, "If what [teachers are] teaching is not consistent with the teaching of the Church, somebody has to point that out. And it needs to be the archbishop, the head of the diocese."
In 1996, he declared that Catholics in the archdiocese
could not teach, administer Communion, or serve on parish councils
if they publicly differed with the Church's teachings on abortion
, euthanasia
, or the ordination of women
. During the 2008 presidential election
, Curtiss implied that Catholics should not vote for Democratic
nominee Barack Obama
because of the latter's position on abortion. While acknowledging that a Catholic may vote for a pro-choice
candidate "in the presence of proportionate reasons," he added, "I cannot conceive of a proportionate reason that could outweigh the deaths of nearly 50 million children killed by abortion."
During his tenure, Curtiss established three parishes, five churches, and six schools; a Review Board for handling sexual abuse cases; ministries for Hispanic, Sudanese, Korean, Native American, and African American communities; the Annual Appeal; St. Cecilia Institute for Laity Formation; and Institute for Priestly Formation. He also ordained 63 priests during his tenure.
Upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 75, Curtiss submitted his letter of resignation pro forma
to Pope Benedict XVI
in June 2007, but was allowed to continue his ministry. His resignation was later accepted on June 3, 2009, and his successor, Bishop George Lucas
took office on July 22, 2009.
In 2009, Curtiss stated that the bishops had "learned the hard way", but that the church was better now that it had gone through the process of responding to the sexual abuse issues.
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 Helena
Roman Catholic Diocese of Helena
The Diocese of Helena is the Catholic diocese for western Montana. It was erected from the year-old Vicarate of Montana on March 7, 1884, while Montana was still a territory. The diocese is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Portland, which encompasses Oregon, Idaho, and Montana.For its first...
from 1976 to 1993, and Archbishop of Omaha
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Omaha
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Omaha is a particular church of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in the midwestern region of the United States. Archbishop Elden Francis Curtiss...
from 1993 to 2009.
Early life and ministry
Elden Curtiss was born in Baker City, OregonBaker City, Oregon
Baker City is a city in and the county seat of Baker County, Oregon, United States. It was named after Edward D. Baker. The population was 9,828 at the 2010 census.-History:...
, to Elden and Mary (née Neiger) Curtiss; his father was of Irish
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
descent and his mother Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
n. The eldest of four children, he has three brothers. Curtiss studied at St. Edward Seminary
St. Edward Seminary
Saint Edward Seminary was an institution for developing Catholic priests in Washington state, USA. Named for Saint Edward the Confessor and located in the city of Kenmore, it operated for 46 years before closing in 1976. The seminary and most of its grounds now constitute Saint Edward State Park...
in Kenmore, Washington
Kenmore, Washington
Kenmore is a city in King County, Washington, United States, along the northernmost shores of Lake Washington...
, and 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 Francis Leipzig
Francis Peter Leipzig
Francis Peter Leipzig was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Baker from 1950 to 1971.-Biography:...
on May 24, 1958. He then did pastoral
Parish (Catholic Church)
In the Roman Catholic Church, a parish is the lowest ecclesiastical geographical subdivision: from ecclesiastical province to diocese to deanery to parish.-Requirements:A parish needs two things under common law to become a parish...
work in Lakeview
Lakeview, Oregon
Lakeview is a city in Lake County, Oregon, United States. The population was 2,294 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Lake County. Although it is an incorporated city, the municipal government refers to the community as "The Town of Lakeview", and bills itself as "Tallest Town in Oregon"...
, La Grande
La Grande, Oregon
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 12,327 people, 5,124 households, and 2,982 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,833.5 people per square mile . There were 5,483 housing units at an average density of 1,260.3 per square mile...
, and Jordan Valley
Jordan Valley, Oregon
Jordan Valley is a city in Malheur County, Oregon, United States. It is part of the Ontario, OR–ID Micropolitan Statistical Area. The city was named after Jordan Creek, a tributary of Owyhee River, which runs through the city; the creek is named for a 19th century prospector, Michael M. Jordan...
, as well as serving as a hospital
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
chaplain
Chaplain
Traditionally, a chaplain is a minister in a specialized setting such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam or lay representative of a religion attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, police department, university, or private chapel...
.
Curtiss furthered his studies at Fordham University
Fordham University
Fordham University is a private, nonprofit, coeducational research university in the United States, with three campuses in and around New York City. It was founded by the Roman Catholic Diocese of New York in 1841 as St...
, University of Portland
University of Portland
The University of Portland is a private Roman Catholic university located in Portland, Oregon. It is affiliated with the Congregation of Holy Cross and is the sister school of the University of Notre Dame. Founded in 1901, UP has a student body of about 3,600 students...
, and University of Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
; he holds a Master of Divinity degree
Master of Divinity
In the academic study of theology, the Master of Divinity is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America...
and a Master's degree in education administration. After serving as director of information and superintendent
Superintendent (education)
In education in the United States, a superintendent is an individual who has executive oversight and administration rights, usually within an educational entity or organization....
of schools
Catholic school
Catholic schools are maintained parochial schools or education ministries of the Catholic Church. the Church operates the world's largest non-governmental school system...
in the Diocese of Baker
Roman Catholic Diocese of Baker
The Diocese of Baker is a territorial division, or diocese, of the Roman Catholic Church in Eastern Oregon, United States...
, he became a professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
and president-rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
of Mount Angel Seminary
Mount Angel Abbey
Mount Angel Abbey is a community of Benedictine monks near the city of Mt. Angel, Oregon, United States. It was established in 1882 from the Abbey of Engelberg, Switzerland. The abbey, located on the top of Mount Angel, a 485-foot high butte, has its own post office separate from the city of Mt....
.
Bishop of Helena
On March 4, 1976, Curtiss was appointed the seventh Bishop of HelenaRoman Catholic Diocese of Helena
The Diocese of Helena is the Catholic diocese for western Montana. It was erected from the year-old Vicarate of Montana on March 7, 1884, while Montana was still a territory. The diocese is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Portland, which encompasses Oregon, Idaho, and Montana.For its first...
, Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
, by Pope Paul VI
Pope Paul VI
Paul VI , born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding Pope John XXIII, who had convened the Second Vatican Council, he decided to continue it...
. 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 the following April 28 from Archbishop Cornelius Power, with Bishops Thomas Connolly
Thomas Joseph Connolly
Thomas Joseph Connolly is an American clergyman of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Baker in Oregon from 1971 to 1999.-Biography:...
and Francis Leipzig 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...
. He 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...
: "That We May All Be One" .
During his 17-year-long tenure, Curtiss encouraged the greater participation of the laity
Laity
In religious organizations, the laity comprises all people who are not in the clergy. A person who is a member of a religious order who is not ordained legitimate clergy is considered as a member of the laity, even though they are members of a religious order .In the past in Christian cultures, the...
, establishing the Program of Formation of Lay Ministry in 1982. He also led the diocese in celebration of its 100th anniversary
Anniversary
An anniversary is a day that commemorates or celebrates a past event that occurred on the same day of the year as the initial event. For example, the first event is the initial occurrence or, if planned, the inaugural of the event. One year later would be the first anniversary of that event...
.
Archbishop of Omaha
Curtiss was later named the fourth Archbishop of OmahaRoman Catholic Archdiocese of Omaha
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Omaha is a particular church of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in the midwestern region of the United States. Archbishop Elden Francis Curtiss...
, Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
, 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 ...
on May 4, 1993. Succeeding the retiring Daniel Sheehan, he was formally installed
Enthronement
An enthronement is a ceremony of inauguration, involving a person—usually a monarch or religious leader—being formally seated for the first time upon their throne. This ritual is generally distinguished from a coronation because there is no crown or other regalia that is physically...
on June 25 of that year.
Curtiss began monitoring the orthodoxy of the teachings at Creighton University
Creighton University
Creighton University is a private, coeducational, Jesuit, Roman Catholic university located in Omaha, Nebraska, United States. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1878, the school is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities. The university is accredited by...
and other Catholic institutions in 1993. In 2007, the director of the Creighton Center for Marriage and Family co-authored an essay in U.S. Catholic magazine that said unmarried couples should be allowed to live together if they planned to get married. Curtiss later denounced the article and severed the archdiocese's ties with the center, saying, "If what [teachers are] teaching is not consistent with the teaching of the Church, somebody has to point that out. And it needs to be the archbishop, the head of the diocese."
In 1996, he declared that Catholics in the archdiocese
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...
could not teach, administer Communion, or serve on parish councils
Parish council (US Catholic Church)
Not to be confused with Pastoral CouncilIn American Roman Catholic parishes, the parish council arose after Vatican II in the new era of lay participation in parish decision making. It was a response to the Vatican II Decree on the Apostolate of Lay People...
if they publicly differed with the Church's teachings on abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
, euthanasia
Euthanasia
Euthanasia refers to the practice of intentionally ending a life in order to relieve pain and suffering....
, or the ordination of women
Ordination of women
Ordination in general religious usage is the process by which a person is consecrated . The ordination of women is a regular practice among some major religious groups, as it was of several religions of antiquity...
. During the 2008 presidential election
United States presidential election, 2008
The United States presidential election of 2008 was the 56th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on November 4, 2008. Democrat Barack Obama, then the junior United States Senator from Illinois, defeated Republican John McCain, the senior U.S. Senator from Arizona. Obama received 365...
, Curtiss implied that Catholics should not vote for Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
nominee Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
because of the latter's position on abortion. While acknowledging that a Catholic may vote for a pro-choice
Pro-choice
Support for the legalization of abortion is centered around the pro-choice movement, a sociopolitical movement supporting the ethical view that a woman should have the legal right to elective abortion, meaning the right to terminate her pregnancy....
candidate "in the presence of proportionate reasons," he added, "I cannot conceive of a proportionate reason that could outweigh the deaths of nearly 50 million children killed by abortion."
During his tenure, Curtiss established three parishes, five churches, and six schools; a Review Board for handling sexual abuse cases; ministries for Hispanic, Sudanese, Korean, Native American, and African American communities; the Annual Appeal; St. Cecilia Institute for Laity Formation; and Institute for Priestly Formation. He also ordained 63 priests during his tenure.
Upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 75, Curtiss submitted his letter of resignation pro forma
Pro forma
The term pro forma is a term applied to practices or documents that are done as a pure formality, perfunctory, or seek to satisfy the minimum requirements or to conform to a convention or doctrine...
to Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
in June 2007, but was allowed to continue his ministry. His resignation was later accepted on June 3, 2009, and his successor, Bishop George Lucas
George Joseph Lucas
George Joseph Lucas is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He is the fifth and current Archbishop of Omaha, having previously served as Bishop of Springfield in Illinois from 1999 to 2009.-Biography:...
took office on July 22, 2009.
Response to sexual abuse claims
During his tenure as the Bishop of Helen, Curtiss chose to reassign a priest who had been accused of pedophilia in 1959, later admitting that he had not properly examined the church's personnel file on the individual concerned. Curtis faced similar criticism in 2001 in regard to a priest accused of accessing child pornography. Curtis, it was alleged, had failed to bring the case to the attention of the authorities, and had chosen to send the priest for counseling and to reassign the priest, removing him from his high-school teaching position but reassigning him to a middle-school.In 2009, Curtiss stated that the bishops had "learned the hard way", but that the church was better now that it had gone through the process of responding to the sexual abuse issues.