Joseph Maximilian Mueller
Encyclopedia
Joseph Maximilian Mueller (December 1, 1894—August 9, 1981) was an American
prelate
of the Roman Catholic Church
. He served as Bishop of Sioux City
from 1948 to 1970.
, Missouri
, to George Fritz and Barbara (née Ziegler) Mueller. After graduating from SS. Peter and Paul School at St. Louis in 1907, he studied at Pontifical College Josephinum
in Columbus
, Ohio
. He was ordained
to the priesthood
on June 14, 1919. He then served as a curate
in Illinois
, serving at Carlyle
, Mount Carmel
, East St. Louis
, and Belleville
. He organized and served as the founding pastor
of Blessed Sacrament Parish (1926–1930). From 1930 to 1947, he was rector
of St. Peter's Cathedral
in Belleville. He was named a Domestic Prelate
in 1939.
On August 20, 1947, Mueller was appointed Coadjutor Bishop
of Sioux City
, Iowa
, and Titular Bishop
of Sinda by Pope Pius XII
. He received his episcopal
consecration
on the following October 16 from Archbishop Amleto Giovanni Cicognani, with Bishops Joseph Henry Leo Schlarman
and Edward Joseph Hunkeler
serving as co-consecrators
. Upon the death of Bishop Edmond Heelan
, Mueller succeeded him as the third Bishop of Sioux City
on September 20, 1948. During his 22-year-long tenure, he presided over a period of great expansion in the diocese. He built several new schools, churches, and other parish facilities. He also attended all four sessions of the Second Vatican Council
between 1962 and 1965.
After reaching the mandatory retirement age of 75, Mueller resigned as Bishop of Sioux City on October 20, 1970; he was appointed Titular Bishop of Simitthu by Pope Paul VI
on the same date. He resigned his titular see
on January 13, 1971. He later died at age 86.
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 Sioux City
Roman Catholic Diocese of Sioux City
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Sioux City is the Roman Catholic diocese for the northwestern quarter of the state of Iowa, US The diocese comprises 24 counties in northwestern Iowa, and it covers an area of ....
from 1948 to 1970.
Biography
Joseph Mueller was born in St. LouisSt. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
, to George Fritz and Barbara (née Ziegler) Mueller. After graduating from SS. Peter and Paul School at St. Louis in 1907, he studied at Pontifical College Josephinum
Pontifical College Josephinum
The Pontifical College Josephinum is a four-year, Roman Catholic liberal arts college and graduate school of theology founded by Monsignor Joseph Jessing in 1888 and located in Columbus, Ohio, USA. The seminary prepares its students to become priests in the Roman Catholic Church. Students come...
in Columbus
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
. 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....
on June 14, 1919. He then served as a curate
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...
in 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,...
, serving at Carlyle
Carlyle, Illinois
Carlyle is a city in Clinton County, Illinois, United States. The population was 3,406 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Clinton County.Carlyle is located approximately 50 miles east of St...
, Mount Carmel
Mount Carmel, Illinois
Mount Carmel is a city in and the county seat of Wabash County, Illinois, United States. At the time of the 2000 census, the population was 7,982, while the next largest town in Wabash County is Allendale, population 528. Located at the confluence of the Wabash, Patoka, and White Rivers, Mount...
, East St. Louis
East St. Louis, Illinois
East St. Louis is a city located in St. Clair County, Illinois, USA, directly across the Mississippi River from St. Louis, Missouri in the Metro-East region of Southern Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 27,006, less than one-third of its peak of 82,366 in 1950...
, and Belleville
Belleville, Illinois
Belleville is a city in St. Clair County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city has a population of 44,478. It is the eighth-most populated city outside of the Chicago Metropolitan Area and the most populated city south of Springfield in the state of Illinois. It is the county...
. He organized and served as the founding pastor
Pastor
The word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....
of Blessed Sacrament Parish (1926–1930). From 1930 to 1947, he was 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 St. Peter's Cathedral
St. Peter's Cathedral
-Canada:*St. Peter's Cathedral Basilica, London, Ontario*St. Peter's Cathedral , Prince Edward Island-Germany:* Bremen Cathedral, dedicated to St. Peter* Regensburg Cathedral, Bavaria, dedicated to St. Peter* Cathedral of St...
in Belleville. He was named a Domestic Prelate
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 1939.
On August 20, 1947, Mueller was appointed Coadjutor Bishop
Coadjutor bishop
A coadjutor bishop is a bishop in the Roman Catholic or Anglican churches who is designated to assist the diocesan bishop in the administration of the diocese, almost as co-bishop of the diocese...
of Sioux City
Roman Catholic Diocese of Sioux City
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Sioux City is the Roman Catholic diocese for the northwestern quarter of the state of Iowa, US The diocese comprises 24 counties in northwestern Iowa, and it covers an area 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...
, and 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 Sinda by Pope Pius XII
Pope Pius XII
The Venerable Pope Pius XII , born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli , reigned as Pope, head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City State, from 2 March 1939 until his death in 1958....
. He received his episcopal
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....
consecration
Consecration
Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service, usually religious. The word "consecration" literally means "to associate with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different groups...
on the following October 16 from Archbishop Amleto Giovanni Cicognani, with Bishops Joseph Henry Leo Schlarman
Joseph Henry Leo Schlarman
Joseph Henry Leo Schlarman was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Peoria from 1930 until his death in 1951.-Biography:...
and Edward Joseph Hunkeler
Edward Joseph Hunkeler
Edward Joseph Hunkeler was an American clergyman of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Grand Island and Archbishop of Kansas City in Kansas .-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...
. Upon the death of Bishop Edmond Heelan
Edmond Heelan
Edmond Heelan was an Irish-born clergyman of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Sioux City from 1920 until his death in 1948.-Biography:...
, Mueller succeeded him as the third Bishop of Sioux City
Roman Catholic Diocese of Sioux City
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Sioux City is the Roman Catholic diocese for the northwestern quarter of the state of Iowa, US The diocese comprises 24 counties in northwestern Iowa, and it covers an area of ....
on September 20, 1948. During his 22-year-long tenure, he presided over a period of great expansion in the diocese. He built several new schools, churches, and other parish facilities. He also attended 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...
between 1962 and 1965.
After reaching the mandatory retirement age of 75, Mueller resigned as Bishop of Sioux City on October 20, 1970; he was appointed Titular Bishop of Simitthu 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...
on the same date. He resigned his titular see
Titular see
A titular see in various churches is an episcopal see of a former diocese that no longer functions, sometimes called a "dead diocese". The ordinary or hierarch of such a see may be styled a "titular bishop", "titular metropolitan", or "titular archbishop"....
on January 13, 1971. He later died at age 86.