Peter Joseph Baltes
Encyclopedia
Peter Joseph Baltes was a German American
prelate
of the Roman Catholic Church
. He served as Bishop of Alton
from 1870 until his death in 1886.
, today divided up between the new German federal-states Rhineland-Palatinate
and Saarland
). Ensheim is now a township of the Saarland capital Saarbrücken
. Peter was the fourth child of the carpenter and tin-smith Andreas Baltes and his wife Susanna née Walljan. 1833 the family emigrated to the United States
, where they settled in Oswego
, New York
. After attending the College of the Holy Cross
in Worcester
, Massachusetts
, he studied at St. Mary of the Lake Seminary
in Chicago, Illinois
and at the Grand Seminary of Montreal
in Québec
, Canada
, where he was ordained
to the priesthood
on May 21, 1853.
Upon his return to the Diocese of Chicago
, Baltes was assigned to Waterloo
, Monroe County
. He was later transferred to Belleville
, St. Clair County
, in 1855. While in Belleville, he placed both the local parochial school
and the Young Ladies' Academy of the Immaculate Conception under the care of the School Sisters of Notre Dame
, and built St. Peter's Church (which later became the cathedral
of the Diocese of Belleville
). In 1866 he was named vicar general
of the diocese and attended the Second Plenary Council of Baltimore
as Bishop Henry Damian Juncker
's theologian
. Following the death of Bishop Juncker in October 1868, Baltes became apostolic administrator
of the diocese; during his administration, he obtained from the Illinois General Assembly
the passage of a law under which the Catholic congregations and institutions could be incorporated
.
On September 24, 1869, Baltes was named the second Bishop of Alton
by Pope Pius IX
. He received his episcopal consecration
on January 23, 1870 from Bishop John Henry Luers
, assisted by Bishops Augustus Toebbe and Patrick John Ryan
, at St. Peter's in Belleville. He held annual spiritual retreats with his clergy, introduced the Gregorian chant
and Cecilian music
into the diocesan liturgical
practices, and condemned Catholic newspaper
s that challenged his authority. By the end of his tenure, the diocese included 109,000 Catholics, 177 priests, 126 parishes
and 77 missions
, 13 hospital
s, three orphanage
s, two homes for the elderly, two men's college
s, a boys' high school
, nine girls' academies
, and 102 parochial school
s with 11,000 students.
In 1878 Bishop Baltes visited his home-village and celebrated also a mass in the Speyer Cathedral
of his German home-diocese.
Long suffering from diseases of the kidneys
, bladder
, and liver
, Baltes was unable to attend the Third Plenary Council of Baltimore
in 1884 due to ill health. After spending a few months in hospitals at New York and Montreal, he returned to Illinois and, after suffering from an inflammation of the liver, later died at age 58.
German American
German Americans are citizens of the United States of German ancestry and comprise about 51 million people, or 17% of the U.S. population, the country's largest self-reported ancestral group...
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 Alton
Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield in Illinois
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield in Illinois is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the south central Illinois region of the United States...
from 1870 until his death in 1886.
Biography
Peter Baltes was born in Ensheim, Rhenish Palatinate, Diocese of Speyer (in that time political a part of BavariaBavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
, today divided up between the new German federal-states Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate is one of the 16 states of the Federal Republic of Germany. It has an area of and about four million inhabitants. The capital is Mainz. English speakers also commonly refer to the state by its German name, Rheinland-Pfalz ....
and Saarland
Saarland
Saarland is one of the sixteen states of Germany. The capital is Saarbrücken. It has an area of 2570 km² and 1,045,000 inhabitants. In both area and population, it is the smallest state in Germany other than the city-states...
). Ensheim is now a township of the Saarland capital Saarbrücken
Saarbrücken
Saarbrücken is the capital of the state of Saarland in Germany. The city is situated at the heart of a metropolitan area that borders on the west on Dillingen and to the north-east on Neunkirchen, where most of the people of the Saarland live....
. Peter was the fourth child of the carpenter and tin-smith Andreas Baltes and his wife Susanna née Walljan. 1833 the family emigrated to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, where they settled in Oswego
Oswego, New York
Oswego is a city in Oswego County, New York, United States. The population was 18,142 at the 2010 census. Oswego is located on Lake Ontario in north-central New York and promotes itself as "The Port City of Central New York"...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. After attending the College of the Holy Cross
College of the Holy Cross
The College of the Holy Cross is an undergraduate Roman Catholic liberal arts college located in Worcester, Massachusetts, USA...
in Worcester
Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester is a city and the county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, as of the 2010 Census the city's population is 181,045, making it the second largest city in New England after Boston....
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, he studied at St. Mary of the Lake Seminary
University of Saint Mary of the Lake
University of Saint Mary of the Lake, also called Mundelein Seminary, is the principal seminary and school of theology for the formation of priests in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago, governed from Chicago, Illinois in the United States. It is recognized as the first institution of higher...
in Chicago, 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,...
and at the Grand Seminary of Montreal
Grand séminaire de Montréal
The Grand séminaire de Montréal is the sacerdotal school of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Montreal. The institution was founded by the sulpicians in 1840 on the demands of Ignace Bourget. A branch of Université Laval's faculty of theology was installed in the seminar in 1878...
in Québec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, where 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 May 21, 1853.
Upon his return to the Diocese of Chicago
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago
The Archdiocese of Chicago was established as a diocese in 1843 and as an Archdiocese in 1880. It serves more than 2.3 million Catholics in Cook and Lake counties in Northeastern Illinois, a geographic area of 1,411 square miles. The Archdiocese is divided into six vicariates and 31 deaneries...
, Baltes was assigned to Waterloo
Waterloo, Illinois
Waterloo is a city in Monroe County, Illinois, United States. The population was 7,614 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Monroe County.-Geography:Waterloo is located at ....
, Monroe County
Monroe County, Illinois
Monroe County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 32,957, which is an increase of 19.3% from 27,619 in 2000. Its county seat is Waterloo...
. He was later transferred to 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...
, St. Clair County
St. Clair County, Illinois
St. Clair County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. In 1970, the U.S. Census Bureau placed the mean center of U.S. population in St. Clair County. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 270,056, which is an increase of 5.5% from 256,082 in 2000. Its county seat is...
, in 1855. While in Belleville, he placed both the local parochial school
Parochial school
A parochial school is a school that provides religious education in addition to conventional education. In a narrower sense, a parochial school is a Christian grammar school or high school which is part of, and run by, a parish.-United Kingdom:...
and the Young Ladies' Academy of the Immaculate Conception under the care of the School Sisters of Notre Dame
School Sisters of Notre Dame
School Sisters of Notre Dame is a worldwide order of Roman Catholic nuns devoted to primary, secondary, and post-secondary education. Their life in mission centers on prayer, community life and ministry...
, and built St. Peter's Church (which later became the cathedral
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
of the Diocese of Belleville
Roman Catholic Diocese of Belleville
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Belleville is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the southern Illinois region of the United States. It comprises the southern counties of the state of Illinois and is administered from the City of Belleville. The prelate is a...
). In 1866 he was named 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 diocese and attended the Second Plenary Council of Baltimore
Plenary Councils of Baltimore
The Plenary Councils of Baltimore were three national meetings of Roman Catholic bishops in the 19th century in Baltimore, Maryland.During the early history of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States all of the dioceses were part of one ecclesiastical province under the Archbishop of Baltimore...
as Bishop Henry Damian Juncker
Henry Damian Juncker
Henry Damian Juncker was a French-born prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He was the first Bishop of Alton, Illinois, serving between 1857 and his death in 1868....
's theologian
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
. Following the death of Bishop Juncker in October 1868, Baltes became apostolic administrator
Apostolic Administrator
An apostolic administrator in the Roman Catholic Church is a prelate appointed by the Pope to serve as the ordinary for an apostolic administration...
of the diocese; during his administration, he obtained from the Illinois General Assembly
Illinois General Assembly
The Illinois General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Illinois and comprises the Illinois House of Representatives and the Illinois Senate. The General Assembly was created by the first state constitution adopted in 1818. Illinois has 59 legislative districts, with two...
the passage of a law under which the Catholic congregations and institutions could be incorporated
Incorporation (business)
Incorporation is the forming of a new corporation . The corporation may be a business, a non-profit organisation, sports club, or a government of a new city or town...
.
On September 24, 1869, Baltes was named the second Bishop of Alton
Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield in Illinois
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield in Illinois is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the south central Illinois region of the United States...
by Pope Pius IX
Pope Pius IX
Blessed Pope Pius IX , born Giovanni Maria Mastai-Ferretti, was the longest-reigning elected Pope in the history of the Catholic Church, serving from 16 June 1846 until his death, a period of nearly 32 years. During his pontificate, he convened the First Vatican Council in 1869, which decreed papal...
. 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 23, 1870 from Bishop John Henry Luers
John Henry Luers
John Henry Luers was nominated first bishop of Fort Wayne, Indiana, and consecrated in Cincinnati, Ohio, 10 January 1858....
, assisted by Bishops Augustus Toebbe and Patrick John Ryan
Patrick John Ryan
Patrick John Ryan was an Irish-born prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Philadelphia from 1884 until his death in 1911.-Early life and education:...
, at St. Peter's in Belleville. He held annual spiritual retreats with his clergy, introduced the Gregorian chant
Gregorian chant
Gregorian chant is the central tradition of Western plainchant, a form of monophonic liturgical music within Western Christianity that accompanied the celebration of Mass and other ritual services...
and Cecilian music
Cecilian Movement
The Cecilian Movement of church reform was centered in Italy but received great impetus from Regensburg, Germany, where Franz Xaver Haberl had a world-renowned Kirchenmusicschule...
into the diocesan liturgical
Mass (liturgy)
"Mass" is one of the names by which the sacrament of the Eucharist is called in the Roman Catholic Church: others are "Eucharist", the "Lord's Supper", the "Breaking of Bread", the "Eucharistic assembly ", the "memorial of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection", the "Holy Sacrifice", the "Holy and...
practices, and condemned Catholic newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
s that challenged his authority. By the end of his tenure, the diocese included 109,000 Catholics, 177 priests, 126 parishes
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...
and 77 missions
Mission (Christian)
Christian missionary activities often involve sending individuals and groups , to foreign countries and to places in their own homeland. This has frequently involved not only evangelization , but also humanitarian work, especially among the poor and disadvantaged...
, 13 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....
s, three orphanage
Orphanage
An orphanage is a residential institution devoted to the care of orphans – children whose parents are deceased or otherwise unable or unwilling to care for them...
s, two homes for the elderly, two men's college
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
s, a boys' high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
, nine girls' academies
Academy
An academy is an institution of higher learning, research, or honorary membership.The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 385 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the goddess of wisdom and skill, north of Athens, Greece. In the western world academia is the...
, and 102 parochial school
Parochial school
A parochial school is a school that provides religious education in addition to conventional education. In a narrower sense, a parochial school is a Christian grammar school or high school which is part of, and run by, a parish.-United Kingdom:...
s with 11,000 students.
In 1878 Bishop Baltes visited his home-village and celebrated also a mass in the Speyer Cathedral
Speyer Cathedral
The Speyer Cathedral, officially the Imperial Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption and St Stephen, in Latin: Domus sanctae Mariae Spirae in Speyer, Germany, is the seat of the Roman Catholic Bishop of Speyer and is suffragan to the Archdiocese of Bamberg. The cathedral, which is dedicated to St...
of his German home-diocese.
Long suffering from diseases of the kidneys
Nephropathy
Nephropathy refers to damage to or disease of the kidney. An older term for this is nephrosis.-Causes:Causes of nephropathy include administration of analgesics, xanthine oxidase deficiency, and long-term exposure to lead or its salts...
, bladder
Urinary bladder
The urinary bladder is the organ that collects urine excreted by the kidneys before disposal by urination. A hollow muscular, and distensible organ, the bladder sits on the pelvic floor...
, and liver
Liver disease
Liver disease is a broad term describing any single number of diseases affecting the liver.-Diseases:* Hepatitis, inflammation of the liver, caused mainly by various viruses but also by some poisons , autoimmunity or hereditary conditions...
, Baltes was unable to attend the Third Plenary Council of Baltimore
Plenary Councils of Baltimore
The Plenary Councils of Baltimore were three national meetings of Roman Catholic bishops in the 19th century in Baltimore, Maryland.During the early history of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States all of the dioceses were part of one ecclesiastical province under the Archbishop of Baltimore...
in 1884 due to ill health. After spending a few months in hospitals at New York and Montreal, he returned to Illinois and, after suffering from an inflammation of the liver, later died at age 58.