Pope Francis send message of sympathy to Archdiocese of New Orleans on death of Archbishop Schulte

Pope Francis expresses sympathy for death of Archbishop Schulte

Pope Francis holds the pastoral staff during a Mass in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. The Pope has offered his condolences for the death of retired New Orleans Archbishop Francis Schulte. ((AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia))

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By Kim Chatelain, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune The Times-Picayune  
 
on January 29, 2016

 

Pope Francis was among those expressing condolences for the death of retired Archbishop Francis Bible Schulte, who was buried at St. Louis Cathedral following a funeral Mass on Thursday (Jan. 28). After the Mass, Archbishop Gregory Aymond read a message from Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, who performs the political and diplomatic functions of the Vatican City, expressing the pope's sympathy.
Schulte, who died Jan. 17 at age 89, served as Archbishop of New Orleans for 12 years before retiring in 2002. He was eulogized as a quiet, humble leader of Roman Catholic faith.
Parolin's correspondence to Aymond reads as follows:
The Holy Father was saddened to learn of the death of Archbishop Emeritus Francis B. Schulte and he offers heartfelt condolences to you and to the clergy, religious and laity of the Archdiocese. In commending the late Archbishop to the love and mercy of Christ the Good Shepherd, he joins in your prayer of thanksgiving for the many graces which accompanied his years of episcopal ministry to the Church in New Orleans. To all who mourn Archbishop Schulte in the sure hope of the Resurrection, His Holiness cordially imparts his Apostolic Blessing as a pledge of consolation and peace in the Lord.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin
Secretary of State

Archbishop Schulte is laid to rest; well done good and faithful servant; Archbishop of New Orleans 1988-2002

Francis Bible Schulte, quiet servant of God, is laid to rest

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By Kim Chatelain, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune The Times-Picayune  
 
on January 28, 2016 at 5:27 PM, updated January 28, 2016 at 6:40 PM

 

 

In a sanctuary steeped in history and populated with youngsters in school uniforms, retired Archbishop Francis Bible Schulte was laid to rest Thursday (Jan. 28), eulogized as a distinguished educator who shepherded local Roman Catholics for 12 years with quiet dignity and unwavering commitment to his faith. Schulte, who led the Archdiocese of New Orleans from December 1988 to January 2002, died Jan. 17 at age 89 in his native Philadelphia.
"We thank God for the life and ministry of Archbishop Schulte," current Archbishop Gregory Aymond said, starting the 90-minute funeral Mass at St. Louis Cathedral. He characterized Schulte as a quiet, gentle, unselfish and humble leader of the faith, one who "left his fingerprints ... but really the heart prints are on this local church."
After the Mass, clergy members moved Schulte's casket into a crypt on the right side of the sanctuary, making him the 13th leader of the archdiocese to be interred beneath the floor of the historic cathedral. That practice began in the 1800s.

New Orleans Archbishop Schulte remembered for foresight

He spent his time preparing the Archdiocese of New Orleans for changing patterns of parish life.

White-robed clergy from throughout the region filled pews of the cathedral for the 2 p.m. Mass, which followed a visitation that began at 9 a.m. A hearse from Jacob Schoen & Sons Funeral Home, which has handled arrangements for all previous archbishops, remained parked in front of the cathedral as French Quarter tourists walked by and musicians played nearby.
Throughout the morning, people ambled up to Schulte's open casket near the sanctuary, some stopping to say a prayer. Shortly before the service began, students from local Catholic schools began to file into pews, a testament to Schulte's drive to streamline and improve archdiocesean education. Before coming to New Orleans, Schulte had served as superintendent of Philadelphia archdiocesan schools, and he spent eight years as a classroom teacher in the 1950s. A large arrangement of yellow flowers from a Catholic elementary school in Philadelphia sat next to his casket.

Aymond celebrated the Mass, and the Rev. Robert Muench, bishop of Baton Rouge, gave the homily. Muench, a close associate of Schulte, said the late archbishop's organizational skills helped him streamline archdiocesean finances and retire $12 million of debt.

Well done good and faithful servant. Come share your master's joy."

After Schulte was appointed to lead the New Orleans archdiocese in 1988, but before he was installed, Muench said, the Pennsylvania native was a virtual stranger in the New Orleans Catholic community. Schulte came to the city after serving as bishop of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston, W.Va.. Before that, he was an auxiliary bishop in Philadelphia.
"Locally, he was unknown," said Muench, who was often queried by local clergy about incoming archbishop's management style. "My standard answer became, it's good news and bad news. The good news is he's organized. The bad news is he's very organized."
Muench said Schulte was "a genius at collaboration and consultation" and had a special talent for "picking people's brains." In dealing with people, the late archbishop always exhibited a "warm heart and personal style."
He also had a penchant for improvised prayer. One, in particular, stuck with Muench: "We pray for those we need and those who need us."
One of those visiting Schulte's casket before the Mass was Connie Guise Dempsey, who came from San Diego to attend the funeral. Dempsey described Schulte as a close friend of her first husband and an important part of her family's life when they lived in Philadelphia. Schulte gave the eulogy at the funeral of her husband, who died years ago in a car wreck.
She said Schulte and her late husband played tennis on Friday evenings and joined her family for supper afterwards. He was so close to the family that her four children called him "Uncle Frank." He would "stand in the kitchen, watch me cook and occasionally sample things while still in the pot."
Although she was unable to attend a recent memorial service for Schulte in Philadelphia, Dempsey said she could not miss his funeral in New Orleans. "When you love people, you have to be able to say goodbye," she said.
Muench recalled that at Schulte's installation Mass in New Orleans on Feb. 14, 1989, the Philadelphia native said of arriving in the Crescent City, "I am home." The bishop closed his homily by saying, "Today, archbishop, I reapply those words back to you.
"Yes, archbishop, you are home. ... here in this historic house of God where your earthly remains will be placed. But also in your heavenly home to hear the words 'well done good and faithful servant. Come share your master's joy.'

Archbishop Schulte to be laid to rest with 12 other Bishops beneath St. Louis Cathedral

Who lies beneath St. Louis Cathedral?

Jimmie Dorsey holds the trap door up as The Rev. Crosby Kern, right, shows where bishops and auxiliary bishops are buried beneath the floor at St. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans on Friday, September 30, 2011. (SUSAN POAG, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune archives)

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By Kim Chatelain, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune The Times-Picayune
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When retired Archbishop Francis Bible Schulte is interred after his funeral Mass on Thursday (Jan. 28), he will join 12 other local Roman Catholic leaders put to rest beneath floor of the St. Louis Cathedral. Here are some facts provided by the Archdiocese of New Orleans about bishops buried in the cathedral:

• Bishop Leo de Neckere was this first bishop buried in the cathedral, in 1833. 

• Since 1850, the New Orleans archdiocese has had 14 archbishops. Ten were buried in the cathedral. Two are buried elsewhere: Napoleon Perche, who died in Ambierle, France in 1870, and John Cody, who died as cardinal archbishop of Chicago in 1982. Two archbishops, Gregory Aymond and Alfred Hughes, are still alive.

• Francis Janssens, the fourth archbishop of New Orleans, died at sea in 1897 and his body was returned to New Orleans for burial. Janssens died aboard the steamboat Creole, which was bound for New York. He was 53.

• Two archbishops died of yellow fever: Leo de Neckere and Placide Louis Chapelle. Chapelle, for whom a Metairie high school is named, died in New Orleans' last yellow fever outbreak in 1906.

• All of the archbishops are buried in the cathedral sanctuary, not the side chapels.

• Tombstones or commemorative plaques of the archbishops and bishops buried in the cathedral are on the walls of the cathedral. They provide brief biographical information for each.

• These clergy will serve as pallbears for Schulte's funeral: the Rev. Walter Austin, the Rev. Paul Desrosiers, the Rev. Rodney Bourg, the Rev. Michael Kettenring, Msgr. Henry Bugler, the Rev. Anthony Gifoli, Msgr. John Cisewski and the Rev. John Talamo.

New Orleans Archbishop Aymond reflects on life/service of Archbishop Schulte

Archbishop Schulte was a faithful servant of the Lord

Published on Tuesday, 26 January 2016 12:00 | Written by Archbishop Gregory M. Aymond | |

Archbishop Francis Schulte died on Jan. 17 in Philadelphia. Can you reflect on your relationship with him during the time he served as archbishop (from 1988 to 2002) and what you think his legacy is? He and I got along very well and worked very closely together. Archbishop Schulte brought a real fidelity to church teaching, and he also brought a keen sense of pastoral care. He was very committed to Catholic education, which was the focus of his priestly ministry for about 25 years in Philadelphia. He served as the assistant director and then the director of Catholic school education in Philadelphia for 20 years, so he was well-versed on the importance of providing families with the faith and values of a Catholic education. When he came to the Archdiocese of New Orleans in 1988, he helped stabilize our nances and then used his administrative expertise to tailor the structure of the central administrative of- ces so that they could be more effective in fulfilling the mission of Christ. That new structure was something we needed. One of the hallmarks of his leadership style was consultation. He was someone who worked very collaboratively with others. Two great examples of that were the preparations for our bicentennial celebration in 1993 and the Catholic Life: 2000 pastoral planning process, which started at the parish level to gather wide input and then moved from there to the deanery and archdiocesan levels. He was very meticulous in his planning, and the archdiocese bene tted greatly from his careful leadership.

As someone who knew him well, what was he like as a person?
He was a very quiet man and someone who did not relish the public spotlight, but he bore that challenge very well. He was a very faithful bishop.

What had you heard recently about his health?
I knew his health had been declining. His good friend, Bishop Robert Maginnis of Philadelphia, had been keeping me informed and called me about a month ago and said the decision had been made to place him in hospice care.

How often had you seen him since you became archbishop in 2009?
Since I've been in New Orleans, when I would travel to the bishops' meetings in Washington, I would try to make a side trip to Philadelphia to see him. I went three times to see him at Villa St. Joseph, which is the assisted living facility for priests and religious in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. The last time I saw him I could tell he was becoming frailer and his mind was not as sharp. But it was wonderful seeing him again. We always concluded our visit with a prayer of gratitude to God for all he accomplished for the people of the Archdiocese of New Orleans.

What do you think it was like for someone who might be considered a bit of an introvert to follow someone with such a large personality such as Archbishop Hannan?
He was a quiet man but very re ective. He enjoyed people. Many people do not realize what a wonderful sense of humor Archbishop Schulte had, especially when he was sharing stories about his days involved in Catholic education and with Cardinal John Krol. He was a man of deep prayer and sharp intellect, and he also had a very good sense of humor.

You were appointed auxiliary bishop of New Orleans during his tenure as archbishop. Can you recall how that happened?
I was working at Notre Dame Seminary as rector, and I remember receiving a call from him one day during the annual United States bishops’ meeting in 1996. We talked for a few seconds, and then Archbishop Schulte said, “The nuncio (Archbishop Agostino Cacciavillan) wants to talk to you.” So, the nuncio came on the phone and told me that the Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, had appointed me as auxiliary bishop of New Orleans. Then he went on to say that I would continue to serve as the rector of the seminary. I thought to myself, “I know Archbishop Schulte has already been talking to him!” So then Archbishop Schulte got back on the phone and congratulated me and said he was looking forward to ordaining me as a bishop. Then he reiterated I was staying at Notre Dame Seminary. So, it was very clear that I wasn’t going to have less to do. He was giving me more to do! We worked very well together.

How would you sum up his tenure in New Orleans?
He gave the archdiocese a shepherd’s care. He was a wise leader. His unwavering commitment to Christ and his church was an unwavering source of inspiration to me. We thank God for providing us with a shepherd after the heart of Jesus Christ.

- See more at: http://clarionherald.info/clarion/index.php/archbishop-aymond/5208-archbishop-schulte-was-a-faithful-servant-of-the-lord#sthash.mNPCurZI.dpuf.

Archbishop Schulte will be laid to rest next week at St. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans

Funeral arrangements set for Archbishop Schulte

Communications • Tue, Jan 19 2016

 

• Funeral arrangements set for Archbishop Schulte

Four Archbishops of New Orleans in 2009

 

The Funeral Mass for retired Archbishop Francis Bible Schulte will take place on Thursday, January 28 at 2 pm at St. Louis Cathedral. Archbishop Aymond will receive the body at 3 pm on Wednesday, January 27 at Notre Dame Seminary with a wake following there until 8 pm. Visitation will continue at St. Louis Cathedral beginning at 9 am until 1 pm at St. Louis Cathedral on January 28.  Archbishop Schulte died Sunday, January 17, 2016 after several weeks of Hospice Care in his native Philadelphia, where he lived full-time in recent years.
“I think he brought a real fidelity to church teaching,” Archbishop Aymond said of Archbishop Schulte, who was archbishop when Archbishop Aymond was named an auxiliary bishop of New Orleans in 1996 by St. John Paul.
Archbishop Schulte was born Dec. 23, 1926, in Philadelphia. He grew up in Philadelphia as an only child. His father, who ran the family pharmacy, died when he was 11. His mother, Katharine Bible Schulte imbued in him a love for the church.
He was ordained to the priesthood on May 10, 1952, and served from 1960-70 as assistant superintendent of Catholic schools in Philadelphia and then as superintendent from 1970-80.

He was ordained auxiliary bishop of Philadelphia in 1981 and was appointed bishop of Wheeling-Charleston, West Virginia in 1985. He was named to succeed New Orleans Archbishop Philip M. Hannan as the 12th archbishop of New Orleans on Dec. 13, 1988 and ministered as Archbishop of New Orleans until one year after Archbishop Alfred Hughes was appointed coadjutor archbishop of New Orleans in 2001. Archbishop Schulte officially retired on Jan. 3, 2002.
“He also brought a sense of pastoral care,” Archbishop Aymond added. “He was very committed to Catholic education since he had been a superintendent in Philadelphia and knew a lot about it. He also helped to stabilize the finances in our archdiocese. He redid the structure of our administrative offices. That was something that was needed, and I thought he did it very well.”
Archbishop Hughes said Archbishop Schulte's biggest contribution to the Archdiocese of New Orleans was "to bring an organizational structure to the archdiocese. He was very consultative, and he introduced consultative bodies as genuine consultative bodies. He developed the cabinet structure. That basic structure I inherited and did very little tweaking of it.
"Archbishop Schulte also was truly committed to Catholic education, especially Catholic school education. That was a significant investment of his priestly life and ministry when he was in Philadelphia, and he brought an appreciation for that to New Orleans and did everything that he could to strengthen the schools."
In his retirement, Archbishop Schulte remained in New Orleans until after Katrina when he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, and doctors encouraged him to return to Philadelphia for successful radiation treatment.
His last visit to New Orleans was for the 2009 ordination of Archbishop Aymond, at which time a historic photo was taken of the four living archbishops of New Orleans: Archbishops Hannan, Schulte, Hughes and Aymond.
Funeral Arrangements are as follows:

Wednesday, January 27

3:00pm                                  Reception of the body at Notre Dame Seminary
3:30pm – 8:00pm             Wake at Notre Dame Seminary

Thursday, January 28

9:00am – 1:30pm              Wake at St. Louis Cathedral
2:00pm                                 Funeral Mass and Burial at the Cathedral

The funeral Mass will be live streamed via http://nolacatholic.org. Visit the memorial page to send your prayers and condolences as well as share your memories of Archbishop Schulte here.

Breaking today: The death of the 12th Archbishop of New Orleans, Francis Bible Schulte

Former Abp. Francis Schulte dies at 89

Monday, 18 January 2016 12:55 | Written by Peter Finney Jr. 

Former Archbishop Francis Bible Schulte, who served as the 12th archbishop of New Orleans from 1988 to 2002, died Jan. 17 after several weeks in hospice care at Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital in Darby, Pennsylvania, a Philadelphia suburb.

Archbishop Schulte, 89, passed away about 9 p.m., said Archbishop Gregory Aymond. Funeral arrangements are pending, but the funeral Mass will be celebrated in St. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans. Archbishop Schulte will be buried in a crypt near the main altar of the cathedral.

“I think he brought a real fidelity to church teaching,” Archbishop Aymond said of Archbishop Schulte, who was archbishop when Archbishop Aymond was named an auxiliary bishop of New Orleans in 1996 by St. John Paul.

“He also brought a sense of pastoral care,” Archbishop Aymond added. “He was very committed to Catholic education since he had been a superintendent in Philadelphia and knew a lot about it. He also helped to stabilize the finances in our archdiocese. He redid the structure of our administrative offices. That was something that was needed, and I thought he did it very well.”


Archbishop Schulte was born Dec. 23, 1926, in Philadelphia. He was ordained to the priesthood on May 10, 1952, and served from 1960-70 as assistant superintendent of Catholic schools in Philadelphia and then as superintendent from 1970-80.

He was ordained auxiliary bishop of Philadelphia in 1981 and was appointed bishop of Wheeling-Charleston, West Virginia in 1985. He was named to succeed New Orleans Archbishop Philip M. Hannan as the 12th archbishop of New Orleans on Dec. 13, 1988.

A year after Archbishop Alfred Hughes was appointed coadjutor archbishop of New Orleans in 2001, Archbishop Schulte officially retired on Jan. 3, 2002.

“I don’t think there was a time in my life before ordination that I was not thinking of the priesthood,” Archbishop Schulte said in a 2002 interview with the Clarion Herald upon his 50^th anniversary of ordination to the priesthood and retirement as archbishop. “From a young age, it was always there.”

Archbishop Schulte grew up in Philadelphia as an only child. His father, who ran the family pharmacy, died when Frank was only 11. His mother, Katharine Bible Schulte (named for Philadelphia heiress St. Katharine Drexel, who founded Xavier University of Louisiana) imbued in him a love for the church.

His great uncle and uncle, both named Augustine, were diocesan priests in Philadelphia.

“They used to call them Old Gus and Young Gus,” Archbishop Schulte said. “My great uncle was rector of the North American College in Rome for two years and then came back to teach at St. Charles Seminary, my alma mater, for 53 years.

“My Uncle, Young Gus, was a great parish priest and an avid hunter. In the 1920s when the KKK was strong in that area, they burned a cross on church property. As the story goes, he took out his gun and shot it out the window of the rectory. That was the end of the cross burning.”

Archbishop Schulte often used a construction analogy to describe the influence of the local Catholic Church on the wider community: there are “four pillars” – representing Catholic schools, Catholic Charities, the Social Apostolate and Christopher Homes – that support the fabric of the community.

“I wanted to make all of us aware of the great contribution the church has made through these four pillars of social infrastructure. The greatest contribution of the archdiocese is to the religious and moral fiber of our community. These efforts of the church go all the way back to 1727, and each one has developed over the years.”

Archbishop Schulte said one of the highlights of his tenure in New Orleans was announcing to Pope John Paul II in St. Peter’s Square the virtues of Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos, who was beatified in 2000.

Archbishop Hughes said Archbishop Schulte's biggest contributions to the Archdiocese of New Orleans was "to bring an organizational structure to the archdiocese. He was very consultative, and he introduced consultative bodies as genuine consultative bodies. He developed the cabinet structure. That basic structure I inherited and did very little tweaking of it.

"Archbishop Schulte also was truly committed to Catholic education, especially Catholic school education. That was a significant investment of his priestly life and ministry when he was in Philadelphia, and he brought an appreciation for that to New Orleans and did everything that he could to strengthen the schools."

In his retirement, Archbishop Schulte remained in New Orleans until Hurricane Katrina struck in August 2005. He had been diagnosed with prostate cancer, and doctors encouraged him to return to Philadelphia for successful radiation treatment.

However, in 2006, Archbishop Schulte had three falls within a short time frame, and doctors insisted that he be sent to an assisted living facility, Villa St. Joseph, which was home to retired priests.


His last visit to New Orleans was for the 2009 ordination of Archbishop Aymond, at which time a historic photo was taken of the four living archbishops of New Orleans: Archbishops Hannan, Schulte, Hughes and Aymond.

- See more at: http://clarionherald.info/clarion/index.php/news/latest-news/155-breaking-news/5189-former-abp-francis-schulte-dies-at-89#sthash.sz4L25fT.dpuf.