Raymond Alphonse Lucker
Encyclopedia
Raymond Alphonse Lucker (February 24, 1927—September 19, 2001) was an American
prelate
of the Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of New Ulm
from 1976 to 2000.
, Minnesota
, the third of six children of Alphonse J. and Josephine Theresa (née Schiltgen) Lucker. His father, a railroad worker, died in 1940 at age 42, the day before Raymond began the eighth grade. His mother (1899-1999), who was the daughter of a farmer, later married Joseph Stephen Mayer in 1948. He spent many of his childhood summers working on his grandparents' farm east of the Twin Cities.
He received his early education at the parochial school
of Sacred Heart Church, and entered Nazareth Hall Preparatory Seminary in 1941. He then studied at St. Paul Seminary
, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts
degree in Philosophy (1948) and a Master of Arts degree in Church history (1952). He earned his Master's degree with a thesis
entitled: "Some Aspects of the Life of Thomas Langdon Grace, Second Bishop of St. Paul".
to the priesthood
by Bishop James J. Byrne at the Cathedral of St. Paul. His first assignment was as assistant director of the Archdiocese's Office of the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine
. He served as assistant director until 1958, when he was named director of the office and professor of catechetics
at St. Paul Seminary, serving in both positions until 1969.
In 1964, Lucker was sent to further his studies at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome
, where he earned a Doctor of Sacred Theology
degree in 1966 with a thesis titled "The Aims of Religious Education in the Early Church and in the American Catechetical Movement". During his studies in Rome, he participated in the Second Vatican Council
. Following his return to Minnesota, he served as superintendent of education for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis from 1966 to 1969. He received a Ph.D.
in Education ("Some Presuppositions of Released Time
") from the University of Minnesota
in 1969. From 1969 to 1971, he worked in Washington, D.C.
as the director of the Department of Education for the newly-created United States Catholic Conference
. During his tenure as director, he was named an honorary prelate
by Pope Paul VI
.
of St. Paul and Minneapolis and Titular Bishop
of Meta by Pope Paul VI. He received his episcopal
consecration
on the following September 8 from Archbishop Luigi Raimondi
, with Archbishops Leo Binz
and Leo Byrne
serving as co-consecrators
. In addition to his episcopal duties, he served as pastor
of St. Austin's Church in Minneapolis (1971-74) and of the Church of the Assumption in St. Paul (1974-76). While at the Church of the Assumption, he also served as director of the Archdiocese's Liturgy Office.
on December 23, 1975. His installation took place on February 19, 1976 at the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in New Ulm
.
During his 25-year tenure, Lucker earned a reputation as one of the most progressive Catholic bishops in the country. He was a pioneer in the national movement to reform Catholic education, helping the nationwide development of the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine and the National Conference of Diocesan Directors. In 1989, he engaged in a public disagreement with Cardinals Joseph Ratzinger (later Pope Benedict XVI
) and John J. O'Connor over the state of catechesis in the United States. During a meeting in Rome, Ratzinger allegedly said, "The developments in catechesis in the post-conciliar period, to a large extent, [have] been turned over to the so-called professional. This, in turn, has led to an excess of experimentation...making it all the more difficult to recognize that of the Gospel." O'Connor was reported to have said, "Basically confusion and diversity in catechetical materials have left an entire generation in a state of ambiguity. Some bishops are bludgeoned into compliance...and some bishops are browbeaten by directors of religious education so that bishops' feelings of inadequacy are heightened." In response, Lucker declared, "If what the two cardinals say is true, then there is no catechetical renewal and we have to go back to the '50s. Or, if it is not true, then we have an enormous communications problem with our own bishops and with many other people." The following year, he again criticized Cardinal Ratzinger after the Vatican announced it would give the world's bishops five months to express concerns about its draft of a universal catechism for adults; Lucker said, "A textbook is not the center and the focus of catechesis."
Lucker expressed his support of birth control
and the ordination of women
. On the particular issue of women's ordination, he once remarked, "Basically, the Church's argument against the ordination of women—which has been taught for at least 800 years—is that women are inferior. But we don't believe that women are inferior anymore. There is a lack of argumentation for the teaching. And the argumentation is weak." He also opposed clerical celibacy
, supporting the ordination of married men to help alleviate the worldwide shortage of priests.
Lucker was also a harsh critic of the Vatican's bureaucracies, once saying, "I'm convinced that the biggest obstacle to the renewal of the Church is the Roman Curia
." He once placed one of his parishes under interdict
until every member received psychological counseling after the parishioners objected to a nun
, who was trained in New Age
spirituality, decided to replace a crucifix
in the church's sanctuary with a "cosmic pillow."
Lucker also served as episcopal moderator of Pax Christi
; a member of the Catholic Theological Society of America
; and a member of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops' Administrative Committee and the committees on Latin America, Evangelization, Diaconate, Laity, Catechetical Directory, and Charismatic Renewal.
On November 17, 2000, Lucker retired as Bishop of New Ulm after he was diagnosed with malignant melanoma
. He later died at Our Lady of Good Counsel Home in St. Paul, at age 74. He is buried at New Ulm Catholic Cemetery.
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 Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of New Ulm
Roman Catholic Diocese of New Ulm
The Roman Catholic Diocese of New Ulm is a Roman Catholic diocese in Minnesota. It was founded on November 18, 1957, by Pope Pius XII. On July 14, 2008, John M. LeVoir was appointed as Bishop of New Ulm.The past bishops of the diocese are:...
from 1976 to 2000.
Early life and education
Raymond Lucker was born in St. PaulSaint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul is the capital and second-most populous city of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city lies mostly on the east bank of the Mississippi River in the area surrounding its point of confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Minneapolis, the state's largest city...
, 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...
, the third of six children of Alphonse J. and Josephine Theresa (née Schiltgen) Lucker. His father, a railroad worker, died in 1940 at age 42, the day before Raymond began the eighth grade. His mother (1899-1999), who was the daughter of a farmer, later married Joseph Stephen Mayer in 1948. He spent many of his childhood summers working on his grandparents' farm east of the Twin Cities.
He received his early education at the 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:...
of Sacred Heart Church, and entered Nazareth Hall Preparatory Seminary in 1941. He then studied 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,...
, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree in Philosophy (1948) and a Master of Arts degree in Church history (1952). He earned his Master's degree with a thesis
Thesis
A dissertation or thesis is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings...
entitled: "Some Aspects of the Life of Thomas Langdon Grace, Second Bishop of St. Paul".
Priesthood
On June 7, 1952, Lucker was ordainedHoly 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 James J. Byrne at the Cathedral of St. Paul. His first assignment was as assistant director of the Archdiocese's Office of the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine
Confraternity of Christian Doctrine
The Confraternity of Christian Doctrine was an association established at Rome in 1562 for the purpose of giving religious education. Its modern usage, often abbreviated CCD or C.C.D., is a religious education program of the Catholic Church, normally designed for children.-History:Until the...
. He served as assistant director until 1958, when he was named director of the office and professor of catechetics
Catechism
A catechism , i.e. to indoctrinate) is a summary or exposition of doctrine, traditionally used in Christian religious teaching from New Testament times to the present...
at St. Paul Seminary, serving in both positions until 1969.
In 1964, Lucker was sent to further his studies at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas 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 earned a Doctor of 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....
degree in 1966 with a thesis titled "The Aims of Religious Education in the Early Church and in the American Catechetical Movement". During his studies in Rome, he participated in 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...
. Following his return to Minnesota, he served as superintendent of education for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis from 1966 to 1969. He received a Ph.D.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
in Education ("Some Presuppositions of Released Time
Released Time
Released Time is a concept used in the United States public school system wherein pupils enrolled in the public schools are permitted by law to receive religious instruction...
") from the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
in 1969. From 1969 to 1971, he worked in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
as the director of the Department of Education for the newly-created United States Catholic Conference
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is the episcopal conference of the Catholic Church in the United States. Founded in 1966 as the joint National Conference of Catholic Bishops and United States Catholic Conference, it is composed of all active and retired members of the Catholic...
. During his tenure as director, he was named an honorary 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"...
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...
.
Auxiliary Bishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis
On July 12, 1971, Lucker was appointed Auxiliary BishopAuxiliary 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 and Minneapolis 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 Meta by Pope Paul VI. 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 September 8 from Archbishop Luigi Raimondi
Luigi Raimondi
Luigi Raimondi was an Italian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Prefect of the Sacred Congregation for the Causes of Saints from 1973 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1973....
, with Archbishops Leo Binz
Leo Binz
-External links:*...
and Leo Byrne
Leo Christopher Byrne
Leo Christopher Byrne was the Roman Catholic Coadjutor Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, in Minneapolis-Saint Paul, Minnesota....
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 addition to his episcopal duties, he served as 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 St. Austin's Church in Minneapolis (1971-74) and of the Church of the Assumption in St. Paul (1974-76). While at the Church of the Assumption, he also served as director of the Archdiocese's Liturgy Office.
Bishop of New Ulm
Lucker was named the second Bishop of New UlmRoman Catholic Diocese of New Ulm
The Roman Catholic Diocese of New Ulm is a Roman Catholic diocese in Minnesota. It was founded on November 18, 1957, by Pope Pius XII. On July 14, 2008, John M. LeVoir was appointed as Bishop of New Ulm.The past bishops of the diocese are:...
on December 23, 1975. His installation took place on February 19, 1976 at the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in New Ulm
New Ulm, Minnesota
New Ulm is a city in Brown County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 13,522 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Brown County....
.
During his 25-year tenure, Lucker earned a reputation as one of the most progressive Catholic bishops in the country. He was a pioneer in the national movement to reform Catholic education, helping the nationwide development of the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine and the National Conference of Diocesan Directors. In 1989, he engaged in a public disagreement with Cardinals Joseph Ratzinger (later 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...
) and John J. O'Connor over the state of catechesis in the United States. During a meeting in Rome, Ratzinger allegedly said, "The developments in catechesis in the post-conciliar period, to a large extent, [have] been turned over to the so-called professional. This, in turn, has led to an excess of experimentation...making it all the more difficult to recognize that of the Gospel." O'Connor was reported to have said, "Basically confusion and diversity in catechetical materials have left an entire generation in a state of ambiguity. Some bishops are bludgeoned into compliance...and some bishops are browbeaten by directors of religious education so that bishops' feelings of inadequacy are heightened." In response, Lucker declared, "If what the two cardinals say is true, then there is no catechetical renewal and we have to go back to the '50s. Or, if it is not true, then we have an enormous communications problem with our own bishops and with many other people." The following year, he again criticized Cardinal Ratzinger after the Vatican announced it would give the world's bishops five months to express concerns about its draft of a universal catechism for adults; Lucker said, "A textbook is not the center and the focus of catechesis."
Lucker expressed his support of birth control
Birth control
Birth control is an umbrella term for several techniques and methods used to prevent fertilization or to interrupt pregnancy at various stages. Birth control techniques and methods include contraception , contragestion and abortion...
and the ordination of women
Catholic Church doctrine on the ordination of women
The Roman Catholic Church doctrine on the ordination of women, as expressed in the current canon law and the Catechism of the Catholic Church, is that: "Only a baptized man validly receives sacred ordination." Insofar as priestly and episcopal ordination are concerned, the Church teaches that this...
. On the particular issue of women's ordination, he once remarked, "Basically, the Church's argument against the ordination of women—which has been taught for at least 800 years—is that women are inferior. But we don't believe that women are inferior anymore. There is a lack of argumentation for the teaching. And the argumentation is weak." He also opposed clerical celibacy
Clerical celibacy (Catholic Church)
Clerical celibacy is the discipline by which, in some Churches, only unmarried men are, as a rule, to be ordained to the priesthood. The same discipline holds in some other Churches for ordination to the episcopate....
, supporting the ordination of married men to help alleviate the worldwide shortage of priests.
Lucker was also a harsh critic of the Vatican's bureaucracies, once saying, "I'm convinced that the biggest obstacle to the renewal of the Church is the Roman Curia
Roman Curia
The Roman Curia is the administrative apparatus of the Holy See and the central governing body of the entire Catholic Church, together with the Pope...
." He once placed one of his parishes under interdict
Interdict
The term Interdict may refer to:* Court order enforcing or prohibiting a certain action* Injunction, such as a restraining order...
until every member received psychological counseling after the parishioners objected to a nun
Nun
A nun is a woman who has taken vows committing her to live a spiritual life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...
, who was trained in New Age
New Age
The New Age movement is a Western spiritual movement that developed in the second half of the 20th century. Its central precepts have been described as "drawing on both Eastern and Western spiritual and metaphysical traditions and then infusing them with influences from self-help and motivational...
spirituality, decided to replace a crucifix
Crucifix
A crucifix is an independent image of Jesus on the cross with a representation of Jesus' body, referred to in English as the corpus , as distinct from a cross with no body....
in the church's sanctuary with a "cosmic pillow."
Lucker also served as episcopal moderator of Pax Christi
Pax Christi
-History:Pax Christi was established in France in 1945 as a reconciliation work between the French and the Germans after the Second World War. In 2007, it existed in more than 60 countries...
; a member of the Catholic Theological Society of America
Catholic Theological Society of America
The Catholic Theological Society of America is a professional association mostly in the United States and Canada. It is a "Catholic" organization that was founded in 1946 to promote studies and research in theology within the Catholic tradition...
; and a member of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops' Administrative Committee and the committees on Latin America, Evangelization, Diaconate, Laity, Catechetical Directory, and Charismatic Renewal.
On November 17, 2000, Lucker retired as Bishop of New Ulm after he was diagnosed with malignant melanoma
Melanoma
Melanoma is a malignant tumor of melanocytes. Melanocytes are cells that produce the dark pigment, melanin, which is responsible for the color of skin. They predominantly occur in skin, but are also found in other parts of the body, including the bowel and the eye...
. He later died at Our Lady of Good Counsel Home in St. Paul, at age 74. He is buried at New Ulm Catholic Cemetery.