John Henry Luers

John Henry Luers ( born April 7, 1819 in Lutten, Oldenburger Munsterland, Germany, † June 29, 1871 in Cleveland, Ohio ) was the first Roman Catholic Bishop of Fort Wayne.

Life

When Johann Heinrich Lüers born, he emigrated in 1833 to the United States, where he first worked as a salesman, assistant cook and writer. Through a meeting with the Bishop of Cincinnati, John Baptist Purcell, opened for him the path to higher education and to the priesthood. Bishop Purcell gave him on 11 November 1846 sacrament of Holy Orders.

Pope Pius IX. appointed him on 22 September 1857, the first Bishop of Fort Wayne. He received his episcopal consecration in the meantime appointed Archbishop John Baptist Purcell on January 10 of the following year; Co-consecrators were the Bishop of Covington, George Aloysius Carrell, SJ, and the Bishop of Vincennes, Jacques- Maurice in the country d' Aussac De Saint Palais.

As Bishop Luers is devoted to the construction of parishes, founded an orphanage and left the Cathedral in Fort Wayne building. During a trip to Cleveland, where he donated ordinations during the Vacant See there, he suffered a stroke and died on the spot.