Robert William Muench
Encyclopedia
Robert William Muench is an American
prelate
of the Roman Catholic Church
. He is the fifth and current Bishop of Baton Rouge
, having previously served as Bishop of Covington
from 1996 to 2002.
, Kentucky
, to William Anthony and Mary Kathryn (née Allgeier) Muench; he has three sisters, Jo Ann, Mary Alice, and Marsha. At age 3, he and his family moved to New Orleans
, Louisiana
. He entered St. Joseph Seminary
in 1956, and then Notre Dame Seminary
in 1962, from where he obtained a Bachelor's degree in Philosophy
.
From 1964 to 1968, Muench studied at the Catholic University of America
in Washington, D.C.
, earning an Master's in Education
. He also attended courses at Loyola University
and the University of New Orleans
.
to the priesthood
on May 18, 1968. He then sat on the faculty of St. John Vianney Preparatory School until 1977, serving as religion
teacher
, liturgy
director, guidance counselor
, and eventually rector
. During this time, Muench also assisted at various parishes
in New Orleans. He was associate pastor
and later co-pastor
of St. Matthias Church between 1976 to 1982.
Muench served as Vicar
for Christian Formation
(1977-1981) and Director of Vocations (1981-1983) for the Archdiocese of New Orleans
. He was named Director of the Pope John XXIII House for Vocation Discernment and Executive Assistant to Archbishop Philip Hannan
in 1983. After becoming a Honorary Prelate of His Holiness
in 1985, he was made Vicar General
(1989) and Moderator of the Curia
(1990) for the archdiocese.
of New Orleans and Titular Bishop
of Mactaris
by Pope John Paul II
. He received his episcopal consecration
on the following June 29 from Archbishop Francis Schulte
, with Archbishop Hannan and Bishop John Favalora serving as co-consecrators
. He selected as his episcopal motto
, "Jesus Must Increase" .
, Kentucky
, on January 5, 1996, being formally installed
on the following March 19. During his tenure, he oversaw the repair and renovation of the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption
.
He was also a member on the Boards of St. Elizabeth Medical Center and Edgewood Hospital, Chancellor
of Thomas More College, and a member of the Committee on Priestly Formation within the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
.
, Louisiana, on December 15, 2001. His installation took place at its St. Joseph Cathedral
on March 14, 2002.
Following the devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina
in 2005, Muench joined Archbishop Alfred Hughes
and Governor Kathleen Blanco
in a televised appearance declaring a day of prayer
for the state of Louisiana. He has also restricted the Legion of Christ
and its lay
branch, Regnum Christi
, within the diocese because of the Legion's controversial recruiting practices.
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 is the fifth and current Bishop of Baton Rouge
Roman Catholic Diocese of Baton Rouge
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Baton Rouge, officially in Latin Dioecesis Rubribaculensis, is a Latin Rite diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of New Orleans....
, having previously served as Bishop of Covington
Roman Catholic Diocese of Covington
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Covington is a Roman Catholic diocese in Northern Kentucky, covering that includes the city of Covington and the following Kentucky counties: Boone, Kenton, Campbell, Gallatin, Carroll, Grant, Owen, Pendleton, Harrison, Bracken, Robertson, Mason, Fleming, and Lewis. ...
from 1996 to 2002.
Early life and education
Robert Muench was born in LouisvilleLouisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
, Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
, to William Anthony and Mary Kathryn (née Allgeier) Muench; he has three sisters, Jo Ann, Mary Alice, and Marsha. At age 3, he and his family moved to New Orleans
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
. He entered St. Joseph Seminary
Saint Joseph Seminary College
Saint Joseph Seminary College, also known as St. Ben or St. Ben's, is a private four-year seminary college founded in 1891. It is operated by the Benedictine Monks of Saint Joseph Abbey and the dioceses of the ecclesiastical provinces of New Orleans and Mobile, Alabama. The piney woods campus is...
in 1956, and then Notre Dame Seminary
Notre Dame Seminary
Notre Dame Seminary is a resident, accredited graduate theological school in New Orleans, Louisiana, founded in 1923 for the education of men to be priests of the Roman Catholic Church. The building, located at 2901 South Carrollton Avenue, was constructed between 1922-1923, and was designed by...
in 1962, from where he obtained a Bachelor's degree in Philosophy
Bachelor of Philosophy
Bachelor of Philosophy is the title of an academic degree. The degree usually involves considerable research, either through a thesis or supervised research projects...
.
From 1964 to 1968, Muench studied at the Catholic University of America
The Catholic University of America
The Catholic University of America is a private university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States. It is a pontifical university of the Catholic Church in the United States and the only institution of higher education founded by the U.S. Catholic bishops...
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....
, earning an Master's in Education
Master of Education
The Master of Education is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in a large number of countries. This degree in education often includes the following majors: curriculum and instruction, counseling, and administration. It is often conferred for educators advancing in...
. He also attended courses at Loyola University
Loyola University New Orleans
Loyola University New Orleans is a private, co-educational and Jesuit university located in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Originally established as Loyola College in 1904, the institution was chartered as a university in 1912. It bears the name of the Jesuit patron, Saint Ignatius of Loyola...
and the University of New Orleans
University of New Orleans
The University of New Orleans, often referred to locally as UNO, is a medium-sized public urban university located on the New Orleans Lakefront within New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. It is a member of the LSU System and the Urban 13 association. Currently UNO is without a proper chancellor...
.
Priesthood
Muench 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....
on May 18, 1968. He then sat on the faculty of St. John Vianney Preparatory School until 1977, serving as religion
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
, liturgy
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...
director, guidance counselor
School counselor
A school counselor is a counselor and an educator who works in elementary, middle, and high schools to provide academic, career, college access, and personal/social competencies to K-12 students...
, and eventually rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
. During this time, Muench also assisted at various 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...
in New Orleans. He was associate pastor
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...
and later co-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. Matthias Church between 1976 to 1982.
Muench served as Vicar
Vicar
In the broadest sense, a vicar is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior . In this sense, the title is comparable to lieutenant...
for Christian Formation
Spiritual formation
Spiritual formation is the growth and development of the whole person by an intentional focus on one’s* spiritual and interior life* interactions with others in ordinary life...
(1977-1981) and Director of Vocations (1981-1983) for the Archdiocese of New Orleans
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans, officially in Latin Archidioecesis Novae Aureliae, is an ecclesiastical division of the Roman Catholic Church administered from New Orleans, Louisiana...
. He was named Director of the Pope John XXIII House for Vocation Discernment and Executive Assistant to Archbishop Philip Hannan
Philip Hannan
Philip Matthew Hannan was an American Roman Catholic Archbishop. Archbishop Hannan, in his episcopal career, served as Auxiliary Bishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington and later as the Eleventh Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans from September 29, 1965 to...
in 1983. After becoming a Honorary Prelate of His Holiness
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 1985, he was made 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...
(1989) and Moderator of the Curia
Curia (Roman Catholic Church)
In Roman Catholicism, a curia consists of a group of officials who assist in the governance of a particular Church. These curias range from the relatively simple diocesan curia, to the larger patriarchal curias, to the Roman Curia, which is the central government of the Catholic Church.Other...
(1990) for the archdiocese.
Episcopal career
On May 8, 1990, Muench 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 New Orleans 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 Mactaris
Maktar
Maktar , or Makthar, is a town and Roman site in Siliana Governorate, Tunisia, located at . It is 140 km southwest of Tunis and 60 km southeast of El Kef. The population in 2004 was 12,942....
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 ...
. 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 June 29 from Archbishop Francis Schulte
Francis B. Schulte
Francis Bible Schulte is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Wheeling-Charleston from 1985 to 1988, and Archbishop of New Orleans from 1989 to 2001.-Biography:...
, with Archbishop Hannan and Bishop John Favalora 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...
, "Jesus Must Increase" .
Bishop of Covington
Muench was later named the ninth Bishop of CovingtonRoman Catholic Diocese of Covington
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Covington is a Roman Catholic diocese in Northern Kentucky, covering that includes the city of Covington and the following Kentucky counties: Boone, Kenton, Campbell, Gallatin, Carroll, Grant, Owen, Pendleton, Harrison, Bracken, Robertson, Mason, Fleming, and Lewis. ...
, Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
, on January 5, 1996, being 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 the following March 19. During his tenure, he oversaw the repair and renovation of the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption
Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption, Covington
The Roman Catholic Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption in Covington, Kentucky, is a minor basilica in the United States. The cathedral was started by the Diocese of Covington's third bishop, Camillus Paul Maes, in 1894. The cathedral project was terminated in 1915, though it is incomplete, even...
.
He was also a member on the Boards of St. Elizabeth Medical Center and Edgewood Hospital, Chancellor
Chancellor (education)
A chancellor or vice-chancellor is the chief executive of a university. Other titles are sometimes used, such as president or rector....
of Thomas More College, and a member of the Committee on Priestly Formation within the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
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...
.
Bishop of Baton Rouge
John Paul II appointed Muench the fifth Bishop of Baton RougeRoman Catholic Diocese of Baton Rouge
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Baton Rouge, officially in Latin Dioecesis Rubribaculensis, is a Latin Rite diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of New Orleans....
, Louisiana, on December 15, 2001. His installation took place at its St. Joseph Cathedral
St. Joseph Cathedral (Baton Rouge, Louisiana)
St. Joseph Cathedral is a Catholic cathedral located in downtown Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States. It is the seat of the Diocese of Baton Rouge, and it has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1990. -History:...
on March 14, 2002.
Following the devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
in 2005, Muench joined Archbishop Alfred Hughes
Alfred Clifton Hughes
Alfred Clifton Hughes is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the 13th Archbishop of New Orleans, having previously served as Bishop of Baton Rouge from 1993 to 2002. On June 12, 2009, Pope Benedict XVI appointed Bishop Gregory M...
and Governor Kathleen Blanco
Kathleen Blanco
Kathleen Babineaux Blanco was the 54th Governor of Louisiana, having served from January 2004 until January 2008. She was the first woman to be elected to the office of governor of Louisiana....
in a televised appearance declaring a day of prayer
Day of Prayer
A Day of Prayer is a day allocated to prayer, either by leaders of religions or the general public, for a specific purpose. Such days are usually ecumenical in nature.-World Day of Prayer for Peace:...
for the state of Louisiana. He has also restricted the Legion of Christ
Legion of Christ
The Legion of Christ is a Roman Catholic congregation of pontifical right, made up of priests and seminarians studying for the priesthood. It was founded in Mexico in 1941, by Fr. Marcial Maciel, who directed the congregation as its General Superior until January 2005...
and its lay
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...
branch, Regnum Christi
Regnum Christi
Regnum Christi is an international Roman Catholic lay ecclesial movement associated with the Legion of Christ, founded by Fr. Marcial Maciel. Regnum Christi is dedicated to promoting the Catholic faith. Their motto is "Love Christ, Serve People, Build the Church."-History:The first draft of the...
, within the diocese because of the Legion's controversial recruiting practices.