Daniel Kucera

Daniel William Kucera, OSB (Czech pronunciation [kuˈtsera]; May 7, 1923 – May 30, 2017) was a bishop of the Catholic Church. He served as an auxiliary bishop in Joliet in Illinois (1977–1980), the bishop of Salina in Kansas (1980–1983), and as archbishop of Dubuque in Iowa (1983–1995). Kucera was a member of the Order of Saint Benedict (Benedictines).

Early life

Daniel Kucera was born in a Czech family in Chicago, Illinois, on May 7, 1923.<ref name=dubuque>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> His parents were Joseph F. and Lillian (Petrzelka) Kucera.

Kucera was educated at St. Procopius College in Lisle, Illinois.<ref name=Almanac>Template:Cite book</ref> He took the religious name of Daniel when he professed religious vows to the Benedictines on June 16, 1944, at St. Procopius Abbey in Lisle, Illinois.

Priesthood

On May 26, 1949, Kucera was ordained a priest for the Benedictines at the Cathedral of St. Raymond Nonnatus in Joliet, Illinois, by Bishop Martin Dewey McNamara.<ref name=":0">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> After his ordination, the Benedictines sent Kucera to Washington D.C. to study at Catholic University of America. He earned a Doctor of Education degree in 1954. Over the years, Kucera's background in education led Vatican officials, including the pope , to seek his opinions on educational matters.<ref name="dubuque" /> Kucera served in various administrative positions at St. Procopius College until he was named the college's president.

On July 8, 1964, Kucera was elected abbot of St. Procopius Abbey; he received his abbatial blessing on August 19, 1964.<ref name="OSB">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He served as abbot until June 1, 1971, when he resigned to become the college's president again.<ref name="Almanac" />

Auxiliary Bishop of Joliet

On June 6, 1977, Pope Paul VI named Kucera as titular bishop of tatchesium and auxiliary bishop of Joliet. He was consecrated at the Cathedral of St. Raymond Nonnatus by Bishop Romeo Roy Blanchette . Bishops Andrew Grutka of Gary and Raymond Vonesh, auxiliary bishop of Joliet, served as primary co-consecrators.<ref name=":0" />

Bishop of Salina

On March 5, 1980, Pope John Paul II appointed Kucera as the eighth bishop of Salina. He was installed atSacred Heart Cathedral on May 7, 1980, by Archbishop Ignatius J. Strecker

During his three years in Salina, Kucera established the diocesan Office of Planning, the Bishop's Council for Catholic Education and the Office of Youth Ministries. He hired a business manage, and moved the administrative offices to a larger building in Salina. Marymount College in Salina became a diocesan institution after the Sisters of St. Joseph of Concordia decided they could no longer manage it.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The college closed in 1989.

Archbishop of Dubuque

File:Dan and Ada Rice Athletic Center.jpg

Benedictine University (formerly St. Procopius College), Lisle, Illinois (2011)

On December 20, 1983, Pope John Paul II appointed Kucera as the eighth archbishop of Dubuque.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":0" /> He was installed as archbishop on February 23, 1984, at the Five Flags Civic Center in Dubuque. One of the first decisions he made was to sell the old episcopal residence and move to a more modest house in Dubuque.<ref name="CatholicEncyclopedia">Template:Cite book</ref>

Kucera set about reorganizing the archdiocese. This was accomplished by reorganizing or creating archdiocesan boards, and established the first Archbishop's Cabinet to coordinate the running of the archdiocese. The archdiocese was divided into three regions: Dubuque, Cedar Rapids and Waterloo with a bishop in each region. The number of deaneries were reduced from 16 to 14. Kucera appointed a woman religious chancellor, and two lay people were named to archdiocesan offices.<ref name=CatholicEncyclopedia/> He also had revised guidelines for the Sacrament of Confirmation published in 1986. On November 30, 1986, Kucera issued a proclamation announcing the 150th anniversary of the archdiocese's founding. Various celebrations were held throughout the following year including a large scale liturgy at the Five Flags Center celebrated by Archbishop Pio Laghi, the Papal Pro-Nuncio to the United States. He also approved a controversial renovation of St. Raphael's Cathedral.<ref name=CatholicEncyclopedia/>

In 1994, he requested the appointment of a coadjutor. Bishop Jerome Hanus of Saint Cloud was assigned as Coadjutor Archbishop of Dubuque. On October 16, 1995, Pope John Paul II accepted Kucera's resignation, and he was named archbishop emeritus.<ref name=":0" />

Later life and death

By 2013 Kucera had moved back to Dubuque after living in Aurora, Colorado, for a number of years. On May 3o, 2017, Kucera died at the Stonehill Care Center in Dubuque at age 94.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=":0" /> His funeral was held at St. Raphael's Cathedral in Dubuque, and he was interred in the cemetery of St. Procopius Abbey.

See also

• Catholic Church hierarchy
• Catholic Church in the United States
• Historical list of the Catholic bishops of the United States
• List of Catholic bishops of the United States
• Lists of patriarchs, archbishops, and bishops