Joseph Maria Koudelka


Joseph Maria Koudelka was a prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as the second Bishop of the Diocese of Superior, Wisconsin.

Biography

Koudelka was born on 7 December 1852 at Chlistov house 59, Bohemia, Austrian Empire. He was baptized Catholic on the same day at the village church as "Josephus Nutritius Koudelka". He attended college at the nearby town of Klatovy and emigrated to America in 1868 to attend St. Francis Seminary in Milwaukee.

Early years in Cleveland and Milwaukee

Koudelka was ordained to the Roman Catholic priesthood November 29, 1875, for the Diocese of Cleveland by Tobias Mullen, bishop of Erie, Pennsylvania.
On November 29, 1907, Pope Pius X appointed him auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Cleveland and he was ordained on February 25, 1908 with a special ministry to the Slavic community.
On June 24, 1911 Pope Pius X appointed him auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. He was ordained as the first auxiliary bishop of Milwaukee on September 4, 1911.

Bishop of Superior, Wisconsin

On August 6, 1913, Pope Pius X appointed Koudelka the second bishop of the Diocese of Superior. He was installed at the pro-cathedral of Sacred Heart in Superior, Wisconsin by Archbishop Sebastian Messmer of Milwaukee.
Fluent in eight languages, Koudelka authored books in Bohemian, German and English. At Superior he added the Ojibwe language to his vocabulary. He commissioned works of art for several church properties.
His greatest accomplishment was forming a social service agency today known as the Catholic Charities Bureau. On September 12, 1917 he dedicated St. Joseph's Children's Home in Superior, an orphanage that housed up to 200 children. He conducted over 100 parish missions around the country and contributed donations to help finance the orphanage.
He died on June 24, 1921 at his residence. The funeral Mass was celebrated at the chapel of St. Joseph's Children's Home by his nephew Fr. Charles Koudelka of Cleveland. The next day, a solemn burial Mass was held at Sacred Heart pro-cathedral. Final services were at St. Michael Church in Cleveland where he was pastor with burial at St. Mary Cemetery.