Joseph Edward Kurtz

Joseph Edward Kurtz (born August 18, 1946) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He is the fourth and current Archbishop of Louisville, Kentucky, having previously served as Bishop of Knoxville, Tennessee from 1999 to 2007. Kurtz also served as the President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops between 2013 and 2016.

His Excellency, The Most Reverend Joseph Edward Kurtz
Archbishop of Louisville
Archbishop Kurtz in 2016
Archdiocese	Louisville
Appointed	June 12, 2007
Installed	August 15, 2007
Predecessor	Thomas C. Kelly, O.P
Orders
Ordination	March 18, 1972 by Joseph McShea
Consecration	December 8, 1999 by Gabriel Montalvo Higuera, Thomas C. Kelly, and Edward Peter Cullen
Personal details
Birth name	Joseph Edward Kurtz
Born	August 18, 1946 Mahanoy City, Pennsylvania
Nationality	American
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Residence	Louisville, Kentucky
Parents	George and Stella (née Zmijewski) Kurtz
Occupation	Archbishop
Previous post	Bishop of Knoxville (1999–2007) President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (2013–2016)
Alma mater	St. Charles Borromeo Seminary Marywood University
Motto	Hope In The Lord

Styles of Joseph Edward Kurtz
Reference style	His Excellency The Most Reverend
Spoken style	Your Excellency
Religious style	Archbishop

Ordination history of Joseph Edward Kurtz
History Episcopal consecration Consecrated by Gabriel Montalvo Higuera Date December 8, 1999
Episcopal succession Bishops consecrated by Joseph Edward Kurtz as principal consecrator William Medley February 10, 2010 Charles C. Thompson June 29, 2011 John Stowe May 5, 2015 J. Mark Spalding February 2 (Candlemas), 2018

Early life and ministry

Joseph Kurtz was born in Mahanoy City, Pennsylvania, to George and Stella (née Zmijewski) Kurtz. He is of Polish descent.[1] One of five children (Rose Marie, Theresa, George, and Patricia), he entered 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 on March 18, 1972, and did his post-graduate work at Marywood University in Scranton, earning a master's in social work.

During his priestly ministry in the Diocese of Allentown, Kurtz served as a high school and college teacher, an administrator, and a pastor in Catasauqua and Bethlehem. He was raised to the rank of Monsignor in 1986. Prior to becoming Archbishop (with his brother's death) he had a close bond with his brother George. George would have a large impact on him and his church community forming relationships with staff and parishioners.

Episcopacy

Bishop of Knoxville

On October 26, 1999, Kurtz was appointed the second Bishop of Knoxville, Tennessee, by Pope John Paul II. He received his episcopal consecration on the following December 8 from Archbishop Gabriel Montalvo Higuera, with Archbishop Thomas Kelly, OP, and Bishop Edward Cullen serving as co-consecrators, before a crowd of approximately 5,000 people at the Knoxville Convention Center.

Archbishop of Louisville

Kurtz was later named Archbishop of Louisville, Kentucky, on June 12, 2007. His installation took place on August 15 at Louisville Gardens.

Archbishop Kurtz, in addition to his diocesan duties, also serves as Chairman of the Committee on Marriage and Family Life of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Kurtz was elected as the Vice President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in November 2010.[2]

On November 11, 2013, Kurtz was elected as President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

On February 19, 2014 he was appointed a member of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches.[3]

On Friday, November 14, 2014, during the fall meeting of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, of which he then was President, he was elected as one of the delegates to the 2015 Synod of Bishops on the Family, pending Vatican approval.[4]

Illness

In July 2019, Archbishop Kurtz revealed he was suffering from urothelial cancer (a type of transitional cell carcinoma), a type of bladder cancer, that was affecting the bladder and prostate. The precise stage and level of aggressiveness and spread were not indicated. He will receive as-yet unspecified chemotherapy and immunotherapy for 12 weeks- a 3 month absence from the Archdiocese (though he will remain in close contact with officials there; the article did not say if he would temporarily transfer some or all powers to a temporary administrator). He has informed the Vatican, through the Apostolic Nuncio to the U.S., Archbishop Christophe Pierre, of the situation, and has received their support. Care is being provided through the chief oncologist of the Duke Cancer Institute.[5]

Doctrinal positions

Kurtz is generally seen as a conservative and a firm follower of Vatican directives on doctrine and liturgy. The Rev. Thomas J. Reese indicates that Kurtz fits the mold of a "smiling conservative" in the vein of New York's Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan, who is "very gracious but still holds the same positions" as a cleric like Philadelphia's Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, who has not hesitated to call out Catholic politicians who dissent from church teachings on abortion.[6]

Coat of arms of Joseph Edward Kurtz

Notes The coat of arms was designed and adopted when he was installed as the Archbishop of Louisville Adopted 2007 Escutcheon The arms of his jurisdiction, the Archdiocese of Louisville, is seen in the dexter impalement (left side) of the design. On the right side of the shield is a gold cross, surrounded at the center by a white ring. A white lily on the top left of the cross and an anchor at the bottom left are also found. Motto Hope in the Lord Symbolism The gold cross on the right side of the shield symbolizes faith. The center white ring is a symbol of Kurtz's native Diocese of Allentown, which is in turn a tribute to its patroness, St. Catherine of Siena, who is said to have been wedded to Christ. The white lily is a symbol of St. Joseph, the archbishop's patron saint, for whom he was named. The anchor is a traditional symbol of hope and fits with Kurtz's motto, "Hope in the Lord."

References

1. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on September 18, 2011. Retrieved February 3, 2014.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
2. Crisis Magazine: getting to know the new VP" November 10, 2010
3. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved November 13, 2014.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
4. "US bishops elect delegates to synod: Kurtz, Chaput, DiNardo, Gomez". Catholic News Agency. November 14, 2014. Retrieved July 21, 2017.
5. "Message from the Archbishop to the Catholic People". July 10, 2019.
6. Louisville Courier Journal: "Archbishop Joseph Kurtz's star is rising: Kurtz's growing prominence stirs speculation about higher posts" October 2, 2011

External links

• Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Louisville Official Site