Joseph Leopold Imesch

Catholic bishop

The Most Reverend

Joseph Leopold Imesch

Bishop of Joliet
See| Diocese of Joliet
In office| August 28, 1979
May 16, 2006
Predecessor| Romeo Roy Blanchette
Successor| J. Peter Sartain
Orders
Ordination| December 16, 1956
by Martin J. O’Connor
Consecration| April 3, 1973
by John Dearden
Personal details
Born| (1931-06-21)June 21, 1931

Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan, USA

Died| December 22, 2015(2015-12-22) (aged 84)
Joliet, Illinois, USA
Denomination| Roman Catholic
Education| Sacred Heart Seminary High School and College
Pontifical North American College

Joseph Leopold Imesch (June 21, 1931 – December 22, 2015) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as bishop of the Diocese of Joliet in Illinois from 1979 to 2006. He previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Detroit in Michigan from 1973 to 1979.

## Contents

* 1 Biography
* 1.1 Early life and education
* 1.2 Ordination and ministry
* 1.3 Auxiliary Bishop of Detroit
* 1.4 Bishop of Joliet
* 1.5 Retirement and legacy
* 2 See also
* 3 References
* 4 External links

## Biography[edit]

### Early life and education[edit]

Joseph Imesch was born on June 21, 1931, in Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan to Dionys and Margaret (née Margelisch) Imesch.[1] After attending St. Ambrose Parish school and St. Paul Elementary School in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, he entered Sacred Heart Seminary High School and College in Detroit. Imesch graduated from Sacred Heart with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1953.[2] He then continued his studies at the Pontifical North American College in Rome.[2][3]

### Ordination and ministry[edit]

While in Rome, Imesch was ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Detroit on December 16, 1956, by Bishop Martin J. O’Connor in the Chapel of the North American College.[3] He earned a Licentiate of Sacred Theology there in 1957.[4] Following his return to Michigan, Imesch served as an assistant pastor at St. Charles Parish in Detroit. In 1959, he became private secretary to Cardinal John Dearden, a position he held until 1971. In 1971, Imesch left his post as private secretary to become pastor of Our Lady of Sorrows Parish in Farmington, Michigan.[1][3]

### Auxiliary Bishop of Detroit[edit]

On February 8, 1973, Imesch was appointed as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Detroit and titular bishop of Pomaria by Pope Paul VI.[4] He received his episcopal consecration on April 3, 1973, from Cardinal Dearden, with Bishops Walter Schoenherr and Thomas serving as co-consecrators.[4] He continued to serve at Our Lady of Sorrows until becoming regional bishop of the Northwest Region of the archdiocese in 1977.[2][3]

### Bishop of Joliet[edit]

On June 30, 1979, Imesch was appointed the third bishop of the Diocese of Joliet by Pope John Paul II.[4] His installation took place at the Cathedral of St. Raymond Nonnatus in Joliet on August 28, 1979.[4] Within the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), he served as chair of the Committee on Women in Society and the Church (1982–1985), the Committee Writing the Pastoral on the Concerns of Women (1983–92), and the Committee for Pastoral Practices (1995–1998). Imesch was also a member of the Marriage and Family Life Committee (1994–1997), the Committee for Stewardship (1995-2002), and the Administrative Board (2001–2003).[2] From 2001 to 2003, he served as chair of Region VII[self-published source], which includes dioceses in Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin.[2]

Soon after arriving in Joliet, Imesch worked with other community leaders to create the Daybreak Shelter for the homeless.  Every month, Imesch would visit the shelter to serve meals and converse with its clients. He started the first Diocesan Annual Appeal in 1986 and in 1996 founded the Joliet Diocesan Catholic Education Foundation. Imesch started a sister relationship with the Diocese of Sucre in Bolivia, helping build and staff a hospital there.[3]

### Retirement and legacy[edit]

Shortly before reaching the mandatory retirement age of 75 for bishops, Imesch resigned as bishop of the Diocese of Joliet on May 16, 2006.[4] He was succeeded by Bishop J. Peter Sartain.[4] After his retirement, Imesch continued to perform confirmations and other pastoral duties. He eventually moved to Our Lady of Angels Retirement Home in Joliet, where he died on December 22, 2015.[3]

During a 2018 sexual abuse case against the Diocese of Joliet, Imesch admitted in sworn depositions to having transferred to different parishes priests accused of sexual abuse of minors. He never suspended any of them from ministry and did not report them to law enforcement. The diocese settled the case for $1.4 million.

## See also[edit]

* Catholicism portal

* Catholic Church hierarchy
* Catholic Church in the United States
* Historical list of the Catholic bishops of the United States
* List of Catholic bishops of the United States
* Lists of patriarchs, archbishops, and bishops

## References[edit]

1. ^ a b "Retired Bishop Joseph L. Imesch". Roman Catholic Diocese of Joliet in Illinois. Archived from the original on 2010-01-12.
2. ^ a b c d e "Farwell and Thank You, Bishop Imesch" (PDF). Serra Club of DuPage County.
3. ^ a b c d e f "The Roman Catholic Diocese of Joliet in Illinois". www.dioceseofjoliet.org. Retrieved 2022-04-26.
4. ^ a b c d e f g "Bishop Joseph Leopold Imesch". Catholic-Hierarchy.org. Retrieved December 23, 2015.[self-published source]

## External links[edit]

* Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit Website
* Roman Catholic Diocese of Joliet
* bishop who led flock of pervert priests dies", patch.com

Catholic Church titles

Preceded by

|  Bishop Emeritus of Joliet
2006-2015  | Succeeded by

Incumbent

Preceded by

Romeo Roy Blanchette

|  Bishop of Joliet in Illinois
1979-2006  | Succeeded by

J. Peter Sartain

Preceded by

|  Auxiliary Bishop of Detroit
1973-1979  | Succeeded by

* v
* t
* e

Roman Catholic Diocese of Joliet

Bishops|

Ordinaries
Martin Dewey McNamara
Romeo Roy Blanchette
Joseph Leopold Imesch
J. Peter Sartain
Robert Daniel Conlon
Ronald Aldon Hicks

Auxiliaries

Raymond James Vonesh
Daniel Kucera
Daniel L. Ryan
Roger Kaffer
James Edward Fitzgerald
Joseph M. Siegel

Churches|

Cathedral

Cathedral of St. Raymond Nonnatus

Parishes

Sacred Heart Church, Lombard
St. Mary's Church, Beaverville

Education|

Higher Education

Benedictine University
Lewis University
University of St. Francis

High Schools

Benet Academy, Lisle
Bishop McNamara High School, Kankakee
Chesterton Academy of the Holy Family, Lisle
IC Catholic Prep, Elmhurst
Joliet Catholic Academy, Joliet
Montini Catholic High School, Lombard
Providence Catholic High School, New Lenox
St. Francis High School, Wheaton

Elementary School

Sacred Heart School, Lombard

* Catholic Church portal

* v
* t
* e

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit

* v
* t
* e

Ordinaries of the Archdiocese of Detroit

Bishops|

* Frederick Rese
* Caspar Borgess
* John Samuel Foley
* Michael Gallagher

Coadjutor bishop|

* Peter Paul Lefevere

Archbishops|

* Edward Aloysius Mooney
* John Francis Dearden
* Edmund Szoka
* Adam Maida
* Allen Henry Vigneron

* Catholicism portal

* v
* t
* e

Churches in the Archdiocese of Detroit

Cathedral|

Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament

Parishes|

| Detroit|

* Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church
* Most Holy Redeemer Church
* Our Lady of the Rosary Church
* Sacred Heart Church
* St. Albertus Church
* Ste. Anne de Detroit Church
* St. Catherine of Siena Church
* St. Charles Borromeo Church
* St. Josaphat's Church
* St. Joseph Church
* St. Mary Church
* St. Patrick Church
* Saints Peter and Paul Church
* St. Stanislaus Bishop and Martyr Church
* Sweetest Heart of Mary Church

|

Monroe County|

* St. Mary's Church, Monroe
* St. Michael's Church, Monroe

Wayne County|

* St. Paul Church, Grosse Pointe Farms
* St. Florian Church, Hamtramck
* Our Lady of the Scapular Parish, Wyandotte

Former|

* St. Boniface Church, Detroit
* St. Theresa of Avila Church, Detroit
* St. Thomas the Apostle Church, Detroit

Shrine|

* National Shrine of the Little Flower, Royal Oak

* v
* t
* e

Education in the Archdiocese of Detroit

Higher education|

* Madonna University
* Marygrove College
* University of Detroit Mercy

Seminaries|

* Sacred Heart Major Seminary
* SS. Cyril and Methodius Seminary

High schools|

| Macomb County|

* De La Salle Collegiate High School, Warren
* Regina High School, Warren
* Austin Catholic High School, Ray Township

|

Monroe County|

* St. Mary Catholic Central High School, Monroe

Oakland County|

* Academy of the Sacred Heart High School, Bloomfield Hills
* Bishop Foley Catholic High School, Madison Heights
* Brother Rice High School, Bloomfield Hills
* Detroit Catholic Central High School, Novi
* Everest Collegiate High School and Academy, Independence Township
* Marian High School, Bloomfield Hills
* Mercy High School, Farmington Hills
* Notre Dame Preparatory, Pontiac
* Our Lady of the Lakes High School, Waterford
* Shrine Catholic High School, Royal Oak
* St. Mary's Preparatory, Orchard Lake Village
* St. Catherine of Siena Academy, Wixom

St. Clair County|

* Cardinal Mooney Catholic High School, Marine City

Wayne County|

* Cabrini High School, Allen Park
* Detroit Cristo Rey High School, Detroit
* Divine Child High School, Dearborn
* Gabriel Richard Catholic High School, Riverview
* Ladywood High School, Livonia
* Loyola High School, Detroit
* University of Detroit Jesuit High School and Academy, Detroit

Former|

| Higher education|

* Duns Scotus College
* Maryglade College

|

High schools|

* Girls Catholic Central High School, Detroit
* Holy Redeemer High School, Detroit
* Notre Dame High School, Harper Woods
* Sacred Heart High School, Roseville
* Our Lady of Mount Carmel High School, Wyandotte

* v
* t
* e

Clergy of the Archdiocese of Detroit

Auxiliary bishops|

* Moses Anderson
* Allen James Babcock
* Gerard William Battersby
* Leonard Paul Blair
* Earl Boyea
* Joseph M. Breitenbeck
* Kevin Michael Britt
* Michael J. Byrnes
* Arturo Cepeda
* Patrick R. Cooney
* Henry Edmund Donnelly
* John Anthony Donovan
* Robert J. Fisher
* Daniel E. Flores
* Thomas Gumbleton
* Donald Hanchon
* Bernard Joseph Harrington
* Walter A. Hurley
* Joseph Leopold Imesch
* Edward D. Kelly
* Arthur Henry Krawczak
* Dale Joseph Melczek
* John Clayton Nienstedt
* Joseph C. Plagens
* John M. Quinn
* Francis R. Reiss
* Paul Fitzpatrick Russell
* Walter Joseph Schoenherr
* Allen Henry Vigneron
* Stephen Stanislaus Woznicki
* Alexander M. Zaleski

Priests|

* Alexander Joseph Brunett
* Solanus Casey
* Charles Coughlin
* Francis Kelley
* Camillus Paul Maes
* Jeffrey Marc Monforton
* William Murphy
* John A. Trese
* Kenneth Edward Untener

* Catholicism portal
* Michigan portal

Authority control |

* VIAF
* 1
* WorldCat

|

* http://patch.com/illinois/joliet/imeschs-failure-ultimately-matter-trust-0

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template