William Edwin Franklin

American prelate

His Excellency, The Most Reverend William Edwin Franklin DD
Bishop Emeritus of Davenport
Church	Catholic Church
Diocese	Davenport
Appointed	November 12, 1993
Installed	January 20, 1994
Retired	October 12, 2006
Predecessor	Gerald Francis O'Keefe
Successor	Martin John Amos
Orders
Ordination	February 4, 1956 by Leo Binz
Consecration	April 1, 1987 by Daniel Kucera, James Joseph Byrne, and Francis John Dunn
Personal details
Born	(1930-05-03) May 3, 1930 (age 94) Parnell, Iowa
Previous post(s)	Auxiliary Bishop of Dubuque and Titular Bishop of Surista (1987-1994)
Motto	Faith Hope Love

William Edwin Franklin (born May 3, 1930) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church, He served as an auxiliary bishop of Archdiocese of Dubuque in Iowa from 1987 to 1993, and as bishop of the Diocese of Davenport, also in Iowa, from 1993 to 2006.

Biography

Early life

Franklin was born on May 3, 1930, in Parnell, Iowa, the son of John and Matilda (Milholin) Franklin.^[1] He was educated in the local parochial school and at the former St. Patrick High School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He graduated from Loras College in Dubuque, and studied for the priesthood at Mount St. Bernard's Seminary in Dubuque.^[2]

Priesthood

Franklin was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Dubuque on February 4, 1956, by Archbishop Leo Binz in St. Raphael's Cathedral in Dubuque.^[3] His initial assignment after ordination was as secretary to Archbishop Emeritus Henry Rohlman before being named associate pastor of St. John's Parish in Independence, Iowa.^[4]From 1959 to 1974, Franklin was a faculty member at Wahlert High School in Dubuque. From 1974 to 1976 he served as associate pastor of St. Mary's Parish and a member of the faculty of Columbus High School, both in Waterloo, Iowa.

Franklin served as the pastor of St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Fayette, Iowa and St. Francis Xavier Parish in Hawkeye, Iowa from 1976 to 1980. Franklin became pastor in 1980 of Immaculate Conception Parish in Gilbertville, Iowa before becoming pastor of St. Edward Parish in Waterloo, Iowa. In 1984, he was assigned as dean of the Waterloo Deanery.^[1]^[5]

Auxiliary Bishop of Dubuque

On January 29, 1987, Franklin was named titular bishop of Surista and as an auxiliary bishop of Dubuque by Pope John Paul II. He was ordained a bishop by Archbishop Daniel Kucera on April 1, 1987, in St. Raphael's Cathedral in Dubuque. Archbishop Emeritus James Byrne and Auxiliary Bishop Francis Dunn acted as the principal co-consecrators.^[3] After his ordination, Franklin was assigned to be the episcopal vicar of the Waterloo Region of the archdiocese.^[6] His office was in St. Joseph Rectory in Waterloo.^[1]

Bishop of Davenport

On November 12, 1993, John Paul II named Franklin as the seventh bishop of the Diocese of Davenport. He was installed January 20, 1994, by Archbishop Kucera in Sacred Heart Cathedral in the presence of the apostolic nuncio to the United States, Archbishop Agostino Cacciavillan.^[3]^[2]

Franklin revised the diocesan staff, creating an Office of Pastoral Services that combined the ministries of liturgy, education, and social action into the same office to facilitate better communication. He replaced the diocesan pastoral council with a pastoral council convocation. The convocation drew together clergy, religious orders, and parishioners for their input and formation. Franklin also restructured the deaneries to include deanery councils, again to better facilitate communication between the diocese and its parishioners.

In 2002, Franklin received allegations of sexual abuse of minors in the 1970's by William Wiebler. After Wiebler confessed his crimes to Franklin, the bishop sent him to the Vianney Renewal Center, a treatment facility for priests in Dittmer, Missouri. Wiebler later checked out of the facility, however, and moved into a private residence in University City, Missouri, outside the diocese. In 2004, the diocese settled the claims of 37 sexual abuse victims for $9 million dollars; one of the priests named in the settlement was Wiebler. He was laicized in January 2006, several months before his death.^[7]

On October 10, 2006, the diocese filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. According to Franklin, this was to properly managed the settlement of sexual abuse lawsuits facing the diocese.^[8]

Retirement and legacy

On October 12, 2006, Pope Benedict XVI accepted Franklin's letter of resignation as Bishop of Davenport.^[3] Franklin Hall, a residence hall at St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa is named in his honor.

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Sr. Mary Kevin Gallagher, BVM, ed. (1987). Seed/Harvest: A History of the Archdiocese of Dubuque. Duduque, Iowa: Archdiocese of Dubuque Press. p. 163.
^ ^a ^b Bunson, Matthew (2010). 2010 Catholic Almanac. Huntington, Indiana: Our Sunday Visitor. p. 401. ISBN 9781592766147.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Bishop William Edwin Franklin". Catholic-Hierarchy. Retrieved 2008-06-20.
^ "Honoring a bishop of 25 years". The Catholic Messenger. 2012-03-29. Retrieved 2023-11-01.
^ "Franklin, William Edward (sic)". Encyclopedia Dubuque. Retrieved 2010-05-11.
^ "Kucera, Daniel". Encyclopedia Dubuque. Retrieved 2010-05-11.
^ "Abusive priest, from Iowa, dies in St. Louis-area hospice". STLPR. 2006-10-04. Retrieved 2022-01-19.
^ "Diocese in Iowa files for bankruptcy". NBC News. Retrieved 2022-01-19.

Catholic Church titles
Preceded by Gerald Francis O'Keefe	Bishop of Davenport 1994-2006	Succeeded by Martin John Amos

Roman Catholic Diocese of Davenport

Bishops

Ordinaries: John McMullen; Henry Cosgrove; James J. Davis; Henry P. Rohlman; Ralph L. Hayes; Gerald F. O’Keefe; William E. Franklin; Martin J. Amos; Thomas R. Zinkula

Auxiliary: Edward Howard

Churches

List: List of churches in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Davenport

Cathedral: Sacred Heart Cathedral

Parishes: Church of St. John the Baptist, Burlington; St. Paul's Church, Burlington; St. Anthony’s Church, Davenport; Holy Family Parish, Fort Madison; St. Patrick's Church, Georgetown; St. Mary’s Church, Iowa City; St. Patrick's Church, Iowa City; Church of All Saints, Keokuk; St. Mary's Church, Nichols; St. Mary of the Visitation Church, Ottumwa; St. Mary's Church, Riverside

Former parishes: St. Joseph's Church, Bauer; Saints Peter and Paul Church, Clear Creek; St. Boniface Church, Clinton; St. Irenaeus Church, Clinton; St. Joseph's Church, Davenport; St. Mary’s Church, Davenport; St. Joseph's Church, Fort Madison; St. Michael's Church, Holbrook; Saints Peter and Paul Church, Solon

Education

Higher education: St. Ambrose University

High schools: Assumption High School, Davenport; Holy Trinity Catholic Schools (HS), Fort Madison; Notre Dame High School, Burlington; Prince of Peace Preparatory, Clinton; Regina High School, Iowa City

Former: Aquinas Schools, Fort Madison; Cardinal Stritch High School, Keokuk; Immaculate Conception Academy, Davenport; Marquette Catholic Schools (HS), West Point; Marycrest College; St. Mary’s Academy

Priests

Miscellany

Catholicism portal

v t e Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dubuque
Ordinaries	Bishops Mathias Loras Clement Smyth Archbishops John Hennessy John Keane James Keane Francis Beckman Henry Rohlman Leo Binz James Byrne Daniel Kucera Jerome Hanus Michael Jackels Thomas Robert Zinkula
Auxiliary bishops	Edward Aloysius Fitzgerald Loras Thomas Lane George Biskup Loras Joseph Watters Francis John Dunn William Edwin Franklin
Churches	Cathedral St. Raphael's Cathedral, Dubuque Parishes Basilica of St. Francis Xavier, Dyersville St. John XXIII, Cedar Rapids Holy Ghost, Dubuque Holy Trinity, Luxemburg Sacred Heart, Dubuque Sacred Heart, Fillmore St. Boniface, New Vienna St. Donatus, St. Donatus St. Joseph, Elkader St. Joseph, Key West Saint Joseph the Worker, Dubuque St. Martin, Cascade St. Mary, Guttenberg St. Patrick, Dubuque St. Patrick, Garryowen St. Lawrence, Otter Creek St. Paul, Worthington Saints Peter and Paul, Petersburg Former parishes Saint Joseph's Prairie Church St. Mary, Dubuque St. Joseph, Stone City
Education	Higher education Clarke University Divine Word College Loras College Mount Mercy University St. Pius X Seminary, Dubuque High schools Beckman High School, Dyersville Columbus High School, Waterloo Don Bosco High School, Gilbertville Marquette High School, Bellevue Newman Catholic High School, Mason City Wahlert High School, Dubuque Xavier High School, Cedar Rapids Primary schools Mazzuchelli Middle School, Dubuque Holy Family Catholic Schools, Dubuque St. Mary's School, Guttenberg Former schools Sacred Heart School, Dubuque St. Luke's School, St. Lucas
Religious orders	New Melleray Abbey Our Lady of the Mississippi Abbey Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Priests	John George Alleman John Patrick Carroll James Vincent Casey Joseph Crétin Justin Albert Driscoll Thomas William Drumm Raymond Philip Etteldorf Daniel Mary Gorman Edward Howard William Michael Joensen Louis Benedict Kucera Mathias Clement Lenihan Thomas Mathias Lenihan J. A. M. Pelamourgues Aloysius Schmitt Joseph Clement Willging Thomas Zinkula
Miscellany	Mount Saint Bernard Seminary and Barn Our Mother of Sorrows Grotto Historic District
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