On Rvnd. John Martin Henni
Entry I: German-American Heroes of the Faith
This short entry is intended to be one of many memorials to the giants of the Catholic faith in the German-American community, many of whom have had their contributions forgotten to time.
The Most Reverend John Martin Henni, D.D. 1844 - 1881
Rvrnd. John Martin Henni was born on June 15, 1805, in Misanenga, Switzerland. He began his priestly service in Ohio and served as an itinerant minister and pastor of predominantly German Catholics in the Ohio Valley region. Henni was chosen as the first bishop of the newly created Diocese of Milwaukee in 1843 and was consecrated a bishop on March 19, 1844, in Cincinnati.
Bishop Henni wrote appeal letters describing life in the new diocese to the Ludwigs-Missionverein, a Bavarian society founded to support missionary activity in the United States. He established the first German-language newspaper in Milwaukee, Der Wahrheitsfreund (The Friend of Truth), and supported the English-language Catholic newspapers as well.
Henni was a German-speaking Swiss who desired to build a strong German Catholic community that preserved language and ethnic traditions, though he still welcomed English-speaking Catholics to develop their own parishes and institutions, despite insinuations to the contrary during the Cahenslyist controversies.
He created a related controversy in 1878 when he requested that fellow German, Michael Heiss, be appointed as his coadjutor with right of succession. English-speaking Catholics protested, but Henni’s request was eventually granted.
Archbishop Henni died on September 7, 1881 in Milwaukee after 37 years of service, having built the Archdiocese from the ground up and ushering in a new era of flourishing for the Wisconsin German community. He is buried in the crypt of the Cathedral of Saint John the Evangelist in Milwaukee, WI.
Sources:Â
Archdiocese of Milwaukee: https://www.archmil.org/ArchdioceseofMilwaukee/history/MC-017-Henni-Letters.pdf
Special Collections Archives and Manuscript Holdings Databases
Magnificent information