Egidius Junger

Egidius Jünger, also spelled Aegidius Junger (April 6, 1833 December 26, 1895), was a German-born clergyman of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Nesqually from 1879 until his death in 1895, the only bishop of Western Washington born in Europe.

His Excellency, the Right Reverend

Egidius Jünger
Bishop of Nesqually
ProvinceOregon City
DioceseNesqually
AppointedAugust 6, 1879
Term endedDecember 26, 1895
PredecessorAugustin-Magloire Blanchet
SuccessorEdward John O'Dea
Orders
OrdinationJune 27, 1862
ConsecrationOctober 28, 1879
by François Norbert Blanchet
Personal details
Born(1833-04-06)April 6, 1833
Burtscheid, Rhine Province, Kingdom of Prussia
(present-day Germany)
DiedDecember 26, 1895(1895-12-26) (aged 62)
Vancouver, Washington, United States
NationalityPrussian
EducationCatholic University of Leuven

Biography

Junger was born in Burtscheid in Rhenish Prussia. He received his early education at the schools of his native city and made his classical studies at the gymnasium of Aachen. In 1853, he entered the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium. He was later ordained to the priesthood in Mechelen on June 27, 1862.[1] He came to the United States as a missionary in October of that year, being stationed at Walla Walla, Washington. He became rector of St. James Cathedral (now a proto-cathedral) in Vancouver in 1864.

On August 6, 1879, Junger was appointed the second Bishop of Nesqually by Pope Leo XIII.[1] He received his episcopal consecration on the following October 28 from Archbishop François Norbert Blanchet in Oregon City, Oregon.[1] The diocese experienced considerable growth under his administration, including an increase in the number of priests and parishes and the number of women religious in the region increased from about 60 to 286. Under his leadership, a large cathedral was built in Vancouver, Washington in 1888 to replace the old wooden church built in 1846 by Bishops François Norbert Blanchet and Modeste Demers, but the $50,000 financial debt the project created weighed upon him.[2]

He died at Vancouver, at the age of 62, on the Feast of St. Stephen, 1895.

References

  1. "Bishop Egidius Junger". Catholic-Hierarchy.org.
  2. O'Connel Killen, Patricia. Abundance of Grace: The History of the Archdiocese of Seattle, 1850 to 2000 (1st ed.). Strasbourg, France: Éditions du Signe. pp. 30–34.
Catholic Church titles
Preceded by
Augustin-Magloire Blanchet
Bishop of Nesqually
18791895
Succeeded by
Edward John O'Dea
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