Gerald Francis O'Keefe
Encyclopedia
Gerald Francis O'Keefe was a 20th century bishop
of the Catholic Church in the United States
. He served as auxiliary bishop
for the Archdiocese of St. Paul
in the state of Minnesota
from 1961–1966 and bishop of the Diocese of Davenport
in the state of Iowa
from 1966-1993.
. His father worked as a railroad signal man. O'Keefe was educated in the city's public schools. He graduated from the College of Saint Thomas and studied for the priesthood at St. Paul Seminary
in St. Paul, Minnesota. He was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of St. Paul on January 29, 1944. He was assigned to the Cathedral of St. Paul and served briefly as a teacher at St. Thomas Military Academy in St. Paul, after which he served the archdiocese as vice chancellor and then chancellor
. He also served as chaplain
to a convent of Benedictine
Nuns.
On May 5, 1961 Pope
Blessed John XXIII appointed O'Keefe Titular Bishop
of Candyba and Auxiliary Bishop
of St. Paul. He was consecrated by Archbishop William O. Brady on July 2, 1961 in the Cathedral of St. Paul. Bishops James J. Byrne of Boise
and Hillary B. Hacker
of Bismarck
were the principal co-consecrators. He was named rector
of the cathedral parish and in 1962 vicar general
of the archdiocese. While he was one of the auxiliary bishops of St. Paul, Bishop O'Keefe participated in all four sessions of the Second Vatican Council
.
.
had been established just prior to his appointment to the diocese. A Sister's Council, representing the members of religious orders of women in the diocese, was established in 1967 as was the Lay Council. In March 1970 O’Keefe established the first diocesan pastoral council, which included members of the clergy, religious orders and the laity. A Diocesan Board of Education was also established early in his episcopate. Procedures for due process, recommended by the Canon Law Society of America
, were put in place in the late 1960s as well. In 1978 he established the diaconate
in the diocese as its own ministry and not just for those pursuing the priesthood. The first class of deacons was ordained December 13, 1980. A Deacons Council, similar to those for the priests, sisters and laity was also organized.
St. Vincent’s Home, which had taken care of orphaned and abandoned children since 1897, was discontinued in 1968. The following year Catholic Charities
was replaced with the Office of Social Action under the leadership of the Rev. Marvin Mottet
. In 1974 Bishop O’Keefe established the diocesan pastoral center and residence for both retired and active priests in the former St. Vincent's Home. Offices of Religious Education and Family Life were also established.
Ministry to Latinos became a priority in the diocese. As early as the post-World War
I era Spanish-speaking people came into the diocese in noticeable numbers. Their numbers ebbed during the Great Depression
and World War II
. In the 1950s migrant workers entered the diocese to work the farm fields around Muscatine
and their numbers started to increase slowly after that. Bishop O’Keefe joined with Bishops Arthur O’Neil
of Rockford
and John Franz
of Peoria
to create an office that assisted migrant workers with job and education services. In 1972 the Social Action department established an Immigration Office. Priests were also sent to Mexico
to learn Spanish and to be immersed in the culture. Three Spanish-speaking deacons were ordained in 1981.
Bishop O’Keefe called two Diocesan Synod
s into existence, the fourth and fifth for the diocese. The 1974 synod was the first since 1932 and included vowed religious and the laity for the first time. The synod focused on spiritual renewal, unifying and restructuring the diocese. The 1985 synod also focused on restructuring the diocese based on the recent reforms of the Code of Canon Law.
The diocese celebrated its centennial in 1981. Sr. Madeleine Marie Schmidt, CHM wrote a diocesan history, and a large liturgy was celebrated at Sacred Heart Cathedral. In attendance was Cardinal
John Patrick Cody of Chicago. A choir of voices from throughout the diocese was formed to provide the music.
St. Ambrose
and Marycrest
Colleges worked on a merger in the early 1970s, but in the end they decided against it. Both schools became co-educational in the late 1960s. St. Ambrose hired its first lay president, Dr. William Bakrow, in 1973, and started its first Master’s Degree program in Business Administration
in 1979. It continued to grow and became a university in 1987. Marycrest started to decline. In 1990 it began an affiliation with the Teikyo Yamanashi Education and Welfare Foundation of Japan
as a way to stay open and viable. It was renamed Teikyo Marycrest University.
Ottumwa Heights College, like Marycrest, was operated by the Congregation of the Humility of Mary, merged with Indian Hills Community College
in 1979. The Sisters of Humility, who had been headquartered in Ottumwa
since the 1880s, built a new headquarters and convent on the property of St. Vincent Center in Davenport in 1983.
On November 12, 1993 Blessed John Paul II accepted Bishop O’Keefe’s resignation and he was named Bishop Emeritus of Davenport. He retired to an apartment that was created for him on the grounds of St. Vincent Center. He died of a heart attack on April 12, 2000 after having celebrated the Chrism Mass with the clergy and people of the diocese. He was buried during Holy Week
in the Bishop's Circle in Mt. Calvary Cemetery
in Davenport.
The library at St. Ambrose University in Davenport was named in O'Keefe's honor. However, at the request of a victim of sexual abuse, unrelated to the St. Paul incident, his name was removed in 2007.
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
of the Catholic Church in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He served as auxiliary bishop
Auxiliary bishop
An auxiliary bishop, in the Roman Catholic Church, is an additional bishop assigned to a diocese because the diocesan bishop is unable to perform his functions, the diocese is so extensive that it requires more than one bishop to administer, or the diocese is attached to a royal or imperial office...
for the Archdiocese of St. Paul
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the United States. It is led by the prelature of an archbishop which administers the archdiocese from the cities of Saint Paul and Minneapolis...
in the state of Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
from 1961–1966 and bishop of the Diocese of Davenport
Roman Catholic Diocese of Davenport
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Davenport is a diocese of the Catholic Church for the southeastern quarter of the state of Iowa. There are within the diocese...
in the state of Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
from 1966-1993.
Early Life & Ministry
Gerald O’Keefe was born in St. Paul, Minnesota to Francis and Lucille (McDonald) O’Keefe. He had a younger sister and grew up in suburban Wayzata, MinnesotaWayzata, Minnesota
Wayzata is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, a western suburb of Minneapolis. Wayzata came into existence in the center of Chief Shakopee's Indian village.-Early settlement:...
. His father worked as a railroad signal man. O'Keefe was educated in the city's public schools. He graduated from the College of Saint Thomas and studied for the priesthood at St. Paul Seminary
Saint Paul Seminary School of Divinity
The Saint Paul Seminary School of Divinity, located in Saint Paul, Minnesota, was founded by Archbishop John Ireland in 1894, to provide ordained priests for the ever-increasing Catholic population of the Upper Midwest. The seminary now sits on the south campus of the University of St. Thomas,...
in St. Paul, Minnesota. He was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of St. Paul on January 29, 1944. He was assigned to the Cathedral of St. Paul and served briefly as a teacher at St. Thomas Military Academy in St. Paul, after which he served the archdiocese as vice chancellor and then chancellor
Chancellor
Chancellor is the title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the Cancellarii of Roman courts of justice—ushers who sat at the cancelli or lattice work screens of a basilica or law court, which separated the judge and counsel from the...
. He also served as 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...
to a convent of Benedictine
Benedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
Nuns.
On May 5, 1961 Pope
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
Blessed John XXIII appointed O'Keefe Titular Bishop
Titular bishop
A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese.By definition a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop the tradition of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches is that he be ordained for a specific place...
of Candyba and Auxiliary Bishop
Auxiliary bishop
An auxiliary bishop, in the Roman Catholic Church, is an additional bishop assigned to a diocese because the diocesan bishop is unable to perform his functions, the diocese is so extensive that it requires more than one bishop to administer, or the diocese is attached to a royal or imperial office...
of St. Paul. He was consecrated by Archbishop William O. Brady on July 2, 1961 in the Cathedral of St. Paul. Bishops James J. Byrne of Boise
Roman Catholic Diocese of Boise
The Diocese of Boise is an ecclesiastical territory of the Catholic Church in the northwestern U.S., encompassing the entire state of Idaho. It is led by a bishop who serves as pastor of the cathedral, the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Boise...
and Hillary B. Hacker
Hilary Baumann Hacker
Hilary Baumann Hacker was the Roman Catholic Bishop of Bismarck from 1957 to 1982.Hacker was born to Emil and Sophia Hacker in New Ulm, Minnesota. He attended Holy Trinity High School for two years before entering Nazareth Hall Preparatory Seminary. He studied at St...
of Bismarck
Roman Catholic Diocese of Bismarck
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Bismarck is a Roman Catholic diocese in North Dakota. It was founded on December 31, 1909. It is part of the ecclesiastical province of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, which is headquartered in the twin cities of Minneapolis and St...
were the principal co-consecrators. He was named 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 the cathedral parish and in 1962 vicar general
Vicar general
A vicar general is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar general exercises the bishop's ordinary executive power over the entire diocese and, thus, is the highest official in a diocese or other particular...
of the archdiocese. While he was one of the auxiliary bishops of St. Paul, Bishop O'Keefe participated in all four 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...
.
Bishop of Davenport
On October 20, 1966 Bishop O'Keefe was appointed by Pope Paul VI as the sixth bishop of the Diocese of Davenport. He was installed on January 4, 1967 by Archbishop James J. Byrne of Dubuque at Davenport’s Sacred Heart Cathedral. In attendance was the largest gathering of Catholic hierarchy in the cathedral’s history: 4 archbishops, 1 abbot and 41 bishops. There was also 24 Protestant clergy, 300 priests, 200 sisters and two lay people from every parish in the diocese. For the first time in 22 years women were allowed to sing in the choir at the cathedral, after having been banned by Bishop HayesRalph Leo Hayes
Ralph Leo Hayes was a 20th century bishop of the Catholic Church in the United States. He served as the fourth bishop of the Diocese of Helena in the state of Montana from 1933–1935, and as the fifth bishop of the Diocese of Davenport in the state of Iowa from 1944-1966...
.
Period of Reform & Renewal
During his 26 years of service in Davenport, Bishop O’Keefe put into place the reforms and spirit of the Second Vatican Council. The Priests’ SenatePresbyteral Council
The Presbyteral Council or Council of Priests is a group of priests chosen to assist the local ordinary in an advisory capacity in the governance of the diocese. Canon 495 of the Code of Canon Law lays down that every diocese must have such a council...
had been established just prior to his appointment to the diocese. A Sister's Council, representing the members of religious orders of women in the diocese, was established in 1967 as was the Lay Council. In March 1970 O’Keefe established the first diocesan pastoral council, which included members of the clergy, religious orders and the laity. A Diocesan Board of Education was also established early in his episcopate. Procedures for due process, recommended by the Canon Law Society of America
Canon Law Society of America
The Canon Law Society of America is a professional association dedicated to the promotion of both the study and the application of canon law in the Catholic Church. The Society's membership includes over fifteen hundred men and women who reside in forty-three countries...
, were put in place in the late 1960s as well. In 1978 he established the 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...
in the diocese as its own ministry and not just for those pursuing the priesthood. The first class of deacons was ordained December 13, 1980. A Deacons Council, similar to those for the priests, sisters and laity was also organized.
St. Vincent’s Home, which had taken care of orphaned and abandoned children since 1897, was discontinued in 1968. The following year Catholic Charities
Catholic Charities
Catholic Charities is a network of charities whose aim is "to provide service to people in need, to advocate for justice in social structures, and to call the entire church and other people of good will to do the same." It is one of the largest charities in the United States...
was replaced with the Office of Social Action under the leadership of the Rev. Marvin Mottet
Marvin Mottet
Marvin Mottet is a 20th and 21st century Catholic priest in the Diocese of Davenport in the US state of Iowa. He is noted as an advocate of social justice causes.-Early life & Education:...
. In 1974 Bishop O’Keefe established the diocesan pastoral center and residence for both retired and active priests in the former St. Vincent's Home. Offices of Religious Education and Family Life were also established.
Ministry to Latinos became a priority in the diocese. As early as the post-World War
World war
A world war is a war affecting the majority of the world's most powerful and populous nations. World wars span multiple countries on multiple continents, with battles fought in multiple theaters....
I era Spanish-speaking people came into the diocese in noticeable numbers. Their numbers ebbed during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
and World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. In the 1950s migrant workers entered the diocese to work the farm fields around Muscatine
Muscatine, Iowa
Muscatine is a city in Muscatine County, Iowa, United States. The population was 22,886 in the 2010 census, an increase from 22,697 in the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Muscatine County...
and their numbers started to increase slowly after that. Bishop O’Keefe joined with Bishops Arthur O’Neil
Arthur Joseph O'Neill
The Most Reverend Dr. Arthur Joseph O'Neill, D.D. , is an American bishop of the Roman Catholic Church. He is one of oldest American Roman Catholic bishops....
of Rockford
Roman Catholic Diocese of Rockford
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Rockford is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the northern Illinois region of the United States. The prelate is a bishop serving as pastor of the motherchurch, the Cathedral of Saint Peter in the City of Rockford...
and John Franz
John Baptist Franz
John Baptist Franz was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Dodge City and Bishop of Peoria .-Early life and education:...
of Peoria
Roman Catholic Diocese of Peoria
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Peoria is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the central Illinois region of the United States.-Territory:...
to create an office that assisted migrant workers with job and education services. In 1972 the Social Action department established an Immigration Office. Priests were also sent to Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
to learn Spanish and to be immersed in the culture. Three Spanish-speaking deacons were ordained in 1981.
Bishop O’Keefe called two Diocesan Synod
Synod
A synod historically is a council of a church, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. In modern usage, the word often refers to the governing body of a particular church, whether its members are meeting or not...
s into existence, the fourth and fifth for the diocese. The 1974 synod was the first since 1932 and included vowed religious and the laity for the first time. The synod focused on spiritual renewal, unifying and restructuring the diocese. The 1985 synod also focused on restructuring the diocese based on the recent reforms of the Code of Canon Law.
The diocese celebrated its centennial in 1981. Sr. Madeleine Marie Schmidt, CHM wrote a diocesan history, and a large liturgy was celebrated at Sacred Heart Cathedral. In attendance was Cardinal
Cardinal (Catholicism)
A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
John Patrick Cody of Chicago. A choir of voices from throughout the diocese was formed to provide the music.
Changing Demographics
Throughout his years as the bishop of the diocese O'Keefe saw the number of priests and religious serving the diocese decline. At the same time he saw the numbers of lay people active in ministry increase. The population of the diocese, however, remained stable. The economic recession that hit rural America in the 1980s did have an affect on the diocesan population and resources. In 1991 he announced a plan for clustering and closing smaller parishes, which reflected both the decline in the number of priests and the rural population in Iowa. The diocese also witnessed a decline in enrollment in Catholic Schools, which led to the merger or closing of schools across Southeast Iowa. Catholic hospitals were also affected. In 1970 there were ten hospitals in the diocese and by the time O’Keefe left office they were reduced to three.St. Ambrose
Saint Ambrose University
St. Ambrose University is a private, coeducational, liberal arts university affiliated with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Davenport. It is located in a residential area of Davenport, Iowa.-History:...
and Marycrest
Marycrest International University
Marycrest College Historic District is located on a bluff overlooking the West End of Davenport, Iowa, United States. The district encompasses the campus of Marycrest International University, which was a small, private collegiate institution...
Colleges worked on a merger in the early 1970s, but in the end they decided against it. Both schools became co-educational in the late 1960s. St. Ambrose hired its first lay president, Dr. William Bakrow, in 1973, and started its first Master’s Degree program in Business Administration
Master of Business Administration
The Master of Business Administration is a :master's degree in business administration, which attracts people from a wide range of academic disciplines. The MBA designation originated in the United States, emerging from the late 19th century as the country industrialized and companies sought out...
in 1979. It continued to grow and became a university in 1987. Marycrest started to decline. In 1990 it began an affiliation with the Teikyo Yamanashi Education and Welfare Foundation of Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
as a way to stay open and viable. It was renamed Teikyo Marycrest University.
Ottumwa Heights College, like Marycrest, was operated by the Congregation of the Humility of Mary, merged with Indian Hills Community College
Indian Hills Community College
Indian Hills Community College is a two-year public community college, with campuses located in Ottumwa, Iowa and Centerville, Iowa. I.H.C.C. serves both traditional residential students and commuter students.-History:...
in 1979. The Sisters of Humility, who had been headquartered in Ottumwa
Ottumwa, Iowa
Ottumwa is a city in and the county seat of Wapello County, Iowa, United States. The population was 24,998 at the 2000 census. It is located in the southeastern part of Iowa, and the city is split into northern and southern halves by the Des Moines River....
since the 1880s, built a new headquarters and convent on the property of St. Vincent Center in Davenport in 1983.
Later life & Death
In February 1992 Bishop O’Keefe was sued by two women in Minnesota for having sexually abused them when he was rector of St. Paul Cathedral in the early 1960s. Both women were young girls at the time, and credited recovering repressed memories for their accusations. Bishop O’Keefe denied the charges. A year later he was cleared of any wrong doing after it was determined the women suffered from mental illnesses and made up the stories while in therapy.On November 12, 1993 Blessed John Paul II accepted Bishop O’Keefe’s resignation and he was named Bishop Emeritus of Davenport. He retired to an apartment that was created for him on the grounds of St. Vincent Center. He died of a heart attack on April 12, 2000 after having celebrated the Chrism Mass with the clergy and people of the diocese. He was buried during Holy Week
Holy Week
Holy Week in Christianity is the last week of Lent and the week before Easter...
in the Bishop's Circle in Mt. Calvary Cemetery
Mount Calvary Cemetery (Davenport, Iowa)
Mount Calvary Cemetery is located in north-central Davenport, Iowa, United States. It was established as St. Marguerite’s Cemetery in the 1850s on of property donated by Antoine LeClaire. At the time the cemetery lay outside the city of Davenport...
in Davenport.
The library at St. Ambrose University in Davenport was named in O'Keefe's honor. However, at the request of a victim of sexual abuse, unrelated to the St. Paul incident, his name was removed in 2007.