Richard Henry Ackerman

American Catholic prelate (1903–1992)

Catholic Church
Latin Church

DioceseCovingtonAppointedApril 4, 1960InstalledMay 17, 1960RetiredNovember 28, 1978PredecessorWilliam Theodore MulloySuccessorWilliam Anthony HughesOther post(s)

Bishop Emeritus of Covington (1978‍–‍1992)

OrdersOrdinationAugust 28, 1926
by Maurice Francis McAuliffeConsecrationMay 22, 1956
by John Francis Dearden, Jean Gay [fr], Thomas John McDonnellPersonal detailsBorn(1903-08-30)August 30, 1903

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.

DiedNovember 18, 1992(1992-11-18) (aged 89)
Covington, Kentucky, U.S.Previous post(s)

Auxiliary Bishop of San Diego (1956‍–‍1960)
Titular Bishop of Lares (1956‍–‍1960)

Coat of arms

Richard Henry Ackerman, C.S.Sp. (August 30, 1903 – November 18, 1992) was an American Latin Catholic prelate of the Catholic Church. A member of the Holy Ghost Fathers, he served as the bishop of the Diocese of Covington in Kentucky, U.S. from 1960 to 1978.

Biography

Richard Ackerman was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. to John and Josephine (née Richard) Ackerman.^[1] After graduating from Duquesne University High School, he entered the Duquesne University School of Drama in 1920.^[2] He entered the Congregation of the Holy Ghost in 1921 and made his religious profession at Ridgefield, Connecticut on August 15, 1922.^[2] He was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Maurice F. McAuliffe on August 28, 1926.^[3]

Between 1926 and 1940, Ackerman served as master of novices for the Holy Ghost Fathers, assistant pastor of St. Benedict the Moor Parish in Pittsburgh, assistant to the National Director of the Pontifical Association of the Holy Childhood, assistant to the professor of philosophy at St. Mary Seminary in Norwalk, Connecticut, and assistant pastor at St. Mary Parish in Detroit, Michigan.^[2] He was named National Director of the Holy Childhood Association in 1941, and Vice-President of the Association's Superior Council in 1947. Upon the silver jubilee of his priestly ordination in 1951, he was presented with the Grand Cross Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice by Pope Pius XII.^[2]

On April 6, 1956, Ackerman was appointed an auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of San Diego, California and titular bishop of Lares.^[3] He received his episcopal consecration on the following May 22 from John Dearden, with Jean Gay [fr] and Thomas McDonnell serving as co-consecrators, at St. Paul's Cathedral.^[3] He was later named the seventh Bishop of Covington in Kentucky by Pope John XXIII on April 4, 1960, and installed at the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption on the following May 17.^[3] From 1962 to 1965, he attended the Second Vatican Council, where he was a member of the conservative Coetus Internationalis Patrum.^[4]

Upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 75 and after 18 years of service, Ackerman resigned as bishop on November 28, 1978.^[3] He later died in 1992 at age 89 and is buried at St. Mary Cemetery in Fort Mitchell, Kentucky.^[2]

References

^ Curtis, Georgina Pell (1961). The American Catholic Who's Who. Vol. XIV. Grosse Pointe, Michigan: Walter Romig.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "Most Rev. Richard Henry Ackerman, C.S.Sp., S.T.D." Diocese of Covington. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved July 1, 2009.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "Bishop Richard Henry Ackerman". Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. February 25, 2024. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
^ Tissier de Mallerais, Bernard. "Members of the Coetus Internationalis Patrum". The Biography of Marcel Lefebvre, 2004.

Episcopal succession

Catholic Church titles
Preceded by William Theodore Mulloy	Bishop of Covington 1960–1978	Succeeded by William Anthony Hughes
Preceded by –	Auxiliary Bishop of San Diego 1956–1960	Succeeded by –

Roman Catholic Diocese of Covington

Ordinaries

Bishops: George Aloysius Carrell; Augustus Toebbe; Camillus Paul Maes; Ferdinand Brossart; Francis William Howard; William Theodore Mulloy; Richard Henry Ackerman; William Anthony Hughes; Robert William Muench; Roger Joseph Foys; John Iffert

Churches

Cathedral: Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption

Parishes: Mary, Queen of Heaven, Erlanger; Mother of God Roman Catholic Church, Covington; Saint John the Baptist, Wilder

Retreat center, convent: St. Anne Convent, Melbourne

Education

Colleges: Thomas More University, Crestview Hills

High schools: Bishop Brossart High School, Alexandria; Covington Catholic High School, Park Hills (all boys); Covington Latin School, Covington; Holy Cross High School, Covington; Newport Central Catholic High School, Newport; Notre Dame Academy, Park Hills (all girls); St. Henry District High School, Erlanger; St. Patrick's High School, Maysville; Villa Madonna Academy, Villa Hills

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