- Joseph Edward Kurtz
infobox bishopstyles
name=Joseph Kurtz
dipstyle=The Most Reverend
offstyle=Your Excellency
relstyle=Archbishop
deathstyle=none |Joseph Edward Kurtz (born
August 18 ,1946 ) is an Americanprelate of theRoman Catholic Church . He is the fourth and current Archbishop of Louisville, having previously served as Bishop of Knoxville from 1999 to 2007.Early life and ministry
Joseph Kurtz was born in Mahanoy City,
Pennsylvania , to George and Stella (née Zmijewski) Kurtz. One of five children (Rose Marie, Theresa, George, and Patricia), he entered [http://www.scs.edu St. Charles Borromeo Seminary] in 1964, from where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and a master’s in divinity. Kurtz was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Joseph McShea onMarch 18 ,1972 , and did his post-graduate work atMarywood University in Scranton, earning a master's in social work.During his priestly ministry in the Diocese of Allentown, Kurtz served as a a
high school andcollege teacher , an administrator, and a pastor in Catasauqua and Bethlehem. He was raised to the rank ofMonsignor in 1986.Episcopacy
On
October 26 ,1999 , Kurtz was appointed the second Bishop of Knoxville,Tennessee , byPope John Paul II . He received his episcopal consecration on the followingDecember 8 from Archbishop Gabriel Montalvo Higuera, with Archbishop Thomas Kelly, OP, and Bishop Edward Cullen serving as co-consecrators, before a crowd of 5,000 people at theKnoxville Convention Center .Kurtz was later named Archbishop of Louisville,
Kentucky , onJune 12 ,2007 . His installation took place onAugust 15 atLouisville Gardens .Archbishop Kurtz, in addition to his diocesan duties, also serves as Chairman of the
Committee on Marriage and Family Life of theUnited States Conference of Catholic Bishops .External links
* [http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bkurtz.html Catholic-Hierarchy]
* [http://whispersintheloggia.blogspot.com/2007/06/into-winners-circle.html "Into the Winner's Circle?"]
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