Aloisius Cardinal Muench was born on February 18, 1889, ordained a priest on June 8, 1913, consecrated a bishop on October 16, 1935, and elevated to college of Cardinals in December of 1959. He was the first cardinal from the United States to work in the Roman Curia. The fiftieth anniversary of his death is on February 15, 2012.
An article appeared in New Earth which recalled the final days of his life.
The seventy-fifth anniversary of Cardinal Muench’s consecration was celebrated on October 15, 2010.
When he learned that Pope Pius XI wanted to make him the bishop of the Diocese of Fargo, Msgr. Muench’s first response was to refuse the honor. However, his bishop prevailed upon him.
He was appointed bishop of the Diocese of Fargo on August 10, 1935. On October 15, 1935 about 1,600 people attended his episcopal ordination in Milwaukee’s Church of the Gesu. Three weeks later he headed west, and on November 6, 1935, he was installed as the third bishop of the Diocese of Fargo (homilies and addresses). At a banquet the same day, Bishop Muench addressed the priests of the Diocese of Fargo for the first. The next day, the laity held a reception their new bishop, when he invited them to assist him in his work.
The list of the known published works of Cardinal Muench includes his Pastoral Letters, books, pamphlets and articles. He was involved in the publicartion of 3 books. The most well-known is Manifesto on Rural Life (an electronic version is available from ewtn.com), which was published in 1939 and had 3 printings; the last one was in 1950.
From the beginning his episcopacy as the third bishop of the Diocese of Fargo in 1935, Bishop Muench, in imitation of the practice of some European bishops, published an annual pastoral letter. He was installed as bishop in November of 1935, the first Pastoral is dated Lent 1936. Even when later served in Europe Bishop Muench continued the practice of writing a Lenten Pastoral Letter for the faithful of the Diocese of Fargo, and this practice continued until his elevation to the College of Cardinals in 1959. His pastoral letters were read and studied in parishes throughout the diocese. Beginning in 1949, discussion questions were included at the end of the document.
His Lenten Pastoral Letter of 1946, “One World in Charity” was translated into German and read througout Germany. In it he argued that German citizens should not be considered collectively guilty of the crimes of the Nazis, and contrary to the position of some in the United States government, pleads that they be treated humanely. Later that same year he was appointed Apostolic Visitator to post-war Germany.
In the 256th consecutive monthly installment in December of 1959, he wrote on the history of ecumenical councils in the Church, giving background on the new ecumenical council Pope John XXIII convoked. Once he became a cardinal, he was no longer the bishop of the Diocese of Fargo and his monthly column ceased; this article was his final installment. Little did he know that he, as a cardinal of the Roman Curia, would spend the last days of his life preparing for the council he wrote about, now known as the Second Vatican Council.
In 1972 the Diocese of Fargo donated Cardinal Muench’s papers to “The American Catholic History Research Center” of the Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C. A detailed catalog of the contents of the 61 boxes in this collection is available online.
“The various assignments that the Holy Father has given me in the past, I have always accepted in the spirit of humble obedience and with trust in the goodness of divine providence. In this same spirit I accept the office of cardinal which His Holiness has chosen to give me. I shall beg Almighty God to give me the strength I shall need to serve His Church and the Vicar of Christ on earth in accordance with His Holy Will.” – Archbishop Muench after learning that he would be elevated to the College of Cardinals; from his residence in the Apostolic Nunciature, Bad Godesberg, Germany, November 16, 1959.
Pope Pius XI appointed Cardinal Muench the third bishop of the Diocese of Fargo on August 10, 1935. His episcopal ordination was in Milwaukee’s Church of the Gesu on October 15th, and he was installed as bishop in St. Mary’s Cathedral on November 6th. Articles about his ordination and installation:
Soon after he was made a bishop, Bishop Muench preached the sermon on the patronal feast day of St. Paul Seminary, St. Paul, Minnesota. In his sermon to the seminarians on January 25, 1936, he said that “intimacy with Christ” will produce the “cultured and apostolic priests” which the Church needs.
Cardinal Muench’s episcopal motto was “In Omnibus Christus” (“In All Things Christ”). Cardinal Meyer, archbishop of Chicago, reflected on these words in a sermon for the Silver Jubilee of Cardinal Muench’s episcopal ordination in 1960.
A brief biography was made by the Benedictine Nuns of St. Walburga’s Abbey, Eichstätt, Germany on the occasion of Cardinal Muench being named a cardinal. Is was hand-lettered, illustrated and bound, and presented to the cardinal in 1960.
When Cardinal Muench was still alive, Fr. Colman Barry started research on a book about him. In 1969 Saint John's University Press (Collegeville, MN) published Barry’s 379 page American Nuncio: Cardinal Aloisius Muench, a comprehensive biography of Cardinal Muench. It is available in many Catholic university libraries.
To mark the 50th anniversary of Cardinal Muench’s elevation to the College of Cardinals, an article summarizing his life and accomplishments was published in the December 2009 issue of New Earth.
An article describing the events surrounding the episcopal consecration of Bishop Muench was published in the November 2010 issue of New Earth.
An article recalling the final days of Cardinal Muench appeard in the February 2012 issue of New Earth.