Loras Thomas Lane

Most Reverend

Loras Thomas Lane

JCD
Most Reverend; Loras Thomas Lane; JCD
Bishop of Rockford
Church	Catholic Church
See	Diocese of Rockford
In office	1956–1968
Predecessor	Raymond Peter Hillinger
Successor	Arthur Joseph O'Neill
Previous post(s)	Auxiliary Bishop of Dubuque
Orders
Ordination	March 19, 1937; by Francesco Marchetti Selvaggiani
Consecration	August 20, 1951; by Leo Binz
Personal details
Born	October 19, 1910; Cascade, Iowa, United States
Died	July 22, 1968 (aged 57); Chicago, Illinois, United States
Motto	Via Veritas (The Way of Truth)

Loras Thomas Lane (October 19, 1910 – July 22, 1968), was an American bishop of the Catholic Church. He served as the Auxiliary Bishop of Dubuque from 1951 to 1956 and the Bishop of Rockford from 1956 until his death in 1968.

Biography

Early life and ministry

Loras Lane was born in Cascade, Iowa, to Thomas and Josephine (née Barrett) Lane.^[1] His early eductation was at St. Martin's grade and high schools in Cascade.^[2] After graduating from the University of Notre Dame in 1932, he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Loras College in 1933 and furthered his studies in Rome at the Pontifical Gregorian University, from where he earned a Licentiate of Sacred Theology in 1937. Lane was ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Dubuque by Cardinal Francesco Marchetti Selvaggiani on March 19, 1937 in Rome.^[3]

Upon his return to Iowa in 1937, Lane served as a curate at Nativity Parish in Dubuque until 1940. He took further studies at the University of Iowa before earning a doctorate in canon law from The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. Lane became an instructor in Spanish and economics, and was Dean of Men at Loras College. He became the secretary to Archbishop Henry Rohlman and vice-chancellor and then chancellor of the Archdiocese of Dubuque.^[1]^[2] In 1949 Pope Pius XII named Lane a Domestic Prelate.

Auxiliary Bishop of Dubuque

On May 29, 1951, Lane was appointed Titular Bishop of Bencenna and Auxiliary Bishop of Dubuque by Pope Pius XII.^[4] He received his episcopal consecration on the following August 20 from Archbishop Leo Binz of Dubuque in St. Raphael Cathedral. Bishops Joseph Willging of Pueblo and Edward Fitzgerald of Winona were the co-consecrators.^[4] While he was the auxiliary bishop he also served as president of Loras College.^[2]

Bishop of Rockford

Lane was named Bishop of Rockford, Illinois, on October 11, 1956. He was installed on November 20 at St. James Pro-Cathedral by Cardinal Samuel Stritch of Chicago. He attended all four sessions of the Second Vatican Council between 1962 and 1965.

Bishop Lane was the uncle of Michael A. Hess and was involved in his adoption, as accounted by Martin Sixsmith in his book The lost child of Philomena Lee (see also the movie Philomena). In this book, it is said that Lane had "earn[ed] a reputation among his clerical contemporaries for being hugely ambitious and more than a little cocky".^[5]

A long-standing kidney ailment began to affect his health a year before his death.^[3] Bishop Lane died at Michael Reese Hospital in Chicago on July 22, 1968, at the age of 57. His funeral was celebrated by Cardinal John Cody at St. James Pro-Cathedral with Archbishop Binz, now the Archbishop of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, as the homilist. He was buried in Calvary Cemetery, west of Rockford.

References

^ ^a ^b Curtis, Georgina Pell (1961). The American Catholic Who's Who. Vol. XIV. Grosse Pointe, Michigan: Walter Romig.
^ ^a ^b ^c Gallagher, BVM, Mary Kevin (ed.) (1987). Seed/Harvest: A History of the Archdiocese of Dubuque. Duduque, Iowa: Archdiocese of Dubuque Press. p. 161. {{cite book}}: |first= has generic name (help)
^ ^a ^b "Bishop Loras T. Lane". Diocese of Rockford. Retrieved 2019-04-09.
^ ^a ^b David M. Cheney. "Bishop Loras Thomas Lane". Catholic-Hierarchy.org.
^ Martin, Sixsmith (24 October 2013). "Philomena: The True Story of a Mother and the Son She Had to Give Away (film Tie-in Edition)". Pan Macmillan. p. 118. ISBN 978-1447245223 – via Google Books.

Catholic Church titles
Preceded by Raymond Peter Hillinger	Bishop of Rockford 1956–1968	Succeeded by Arthur Joseph O'Neill

[curtis-1] Curtis, Georgina Pell (1961). The American Catholic Who's Who. Vol. XIV. Grosse Pointe, Michigan: Walter Romig.

[Gallagher-2] Gallagher, BVM, Mary Kevin (ed.) (1987). Seed/Harvest: A History of the Archdiocese of Dubuque. Duduque, Iowa: Archdiocese of Dubuque Press. p. 161. {{cite book}}: |first= has generic name (help)

[Rockford-3] "Bishop Loras T. Lane". Diocese of Rockford. Retrieved 2019-04-09.

[hierarchy-4] David M. Cheney. "Bishop Loras Thomas Lane". Catholic-Hierarchy.org.

[5] Martin, Sixsmith (24 October 2013). "Philomena: The True Story of a Mother and the Son She Had to Give Away (film Tie-in Edition)". Pan Macmillan. p. 118. ISBN 978-1447245223 – via Google Books.

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v t e Roman Catholic Diocese of Rockford
Bishops	Ordinaries Peter Muldoon Edward Francis Hoban John Joseph Boylan Raymond Peter Hillinger Donald Martin Carroll (*) Loras Thomas Lane Arthur Joseph O'Neill Thomas G. Doran David John Malloy
Churches	Cathedral Cathedral of Saint Peter Parishes St. Mary's Church, Gilberts St. Michael's Church, Galena Abbey Marmion Abbey
Education	High schools Aquin Catholic Schools (Junior-Senior High Campus), Freeport Aurora Central Catholic High School, Aurora Boylan Catholic High School, Rockford Marian Central Catholic High School, Woodstock Marmion Academy, Aurora Newman Central Catholic High School, Sterling Rosary High School, Aurora St. Edward Central Catholic High School, Elgin Elementary school St. Thomas More School, Elgin
Priests	Leo Binz David Kagan
(*) resigned before his consecration as bishop Catholic Church 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 William Menster 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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