Daniel R. Jenky

Daniel Jenky was born on March 3, 1947, in Chicago, Illinois, and attended St. Laurence High School in Burbank, Illinois. He entered the University of Notre Dame in 1965, and the novitiate of the Congregation of Holy Cross at Bennington, Vermont in 1966. In 1970, Jenky obtained a Bachelor of History degree from Notre Dame. In 1973, he made his profession as member of the Congregation of Holy Cross. That same year, he earned his Master of Theology degree and received his diaconate.{{cite web |url=http://www.cdop.org/pages/ABishopBio.aspx |title=Most Reverend Daniel R. Jenky, C.S.C., D.D., Bishop of Peoria: Biography |publisher=The Catholic Diocese of Peoria |location=Peoria, Illinois |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20081206122935/http://cdop.org/pages/ABishopBio.aspx |archivedate=December 6, 2008 |df=mdy }}

Jenky was ordained to the priesthood for the Congregation of Holy Cross on April 6, 1974. He then taught social studies and religion at Bourgade Catholic High School in Phoenix, Arizona. In 1975, Jenky returned to Notre Dame to become the rector of Dillon Hall, the director of campus ministry, and the rector of Sacred Heart Church, teaching courses as well. In 1985, Jenky became superior of the Holy Cross priests and brothers at Notre Dame.

On October 21, 1997, Pope John Paul II appointed Jenky as an auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend and titular bishop of Amantia. On December 16, 1997, he received his episcopal consecration from Bishop John M. D'Arcy, with Archbishop Agostino Cacciavillan and Archbishop Charles Schleck serving as co-consecrators.{{Catholic-hierarchy|bishop|bjenky|Bishop Daniel Robert Jenky, C.S.C.|23 January 2015}} Jenky was assigned as rector of St. Matthew's Cathedral in South Bend, Indiana, and pastor of the parish.

File:Bishop Fulton J. Sheen 1956 (cropped).JPG

File:Notre Dame (2023) - 17.jpg

On February 12, 2002, John Paul II appointed Jenky as bishop of the Diocese of Peoria.{{cite press release | publisher = Holy See Press Office | access-date = May 11, 2020 | date= February 12, 2002 | language = it | title = Rinunce e Nomine | url = https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/it/bollettino/pubblico/2002/02/12/0080/00231.html }} He was installed on April 10 at St. Mary's Cathedral in Peoria.

In an April 2012 "Men's March" homily, Jenky denounced the federal Affordable Care Act, President Barack Obama, and members of the U.S. Senate. He compared them to the early persecutors of Christians, barbarians, Nazis and Communists. He also cited "wave after wave of Jihads" and the "Age of Revolution". Jenky continued:

"… the Church will survive the entrenched corruption and sheer incompetence of our Illinois state government, and even the calculated disdain of the President of the United States, his bureaucrats and HHS, and the majority in today's Federal senate."Daniel Jenky (April 14, 2012). [http://cdop.org/podcast/audio/Mens%20March%20Homily.MP3 "Men's March Homily"], Catholic Diocese of Peoria.Tom Dermody (April 15, 2012). [http://www.thecatholicpost.com/post/PostFeatured.aspx "'Heroic Catholicism' needed in face of threats, bishop tells men"], The Catholic Post. {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20130203184926/http://www.thecatholicpost.com/post/PostFeatured.aspx |date=February 3, 2013 }}Eric Kleefeld (April 19, 2012). [http://2012.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/04/bishop-of-peoria-compares-obama-and-contraception-mandates-to-hitler-and-stalin.php "Bishop Of Peoria Compares Obama And Contraception Mandates To Hitler And Stalin"], Talking Points Memo. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120419182601/http://2012.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/04/bishop-of-peoria-compares-obama-and-contraception-mandates-to-hitler-and-stalin.php |date=April 19, 2012 }}

Local chapters of the NAACP, the ACLU, and the Anti-Defamation League also demanded an apology from Jenky. Some called for the U.S. Internal Revenue Service to investigate Jenky because the diocese, as a tax-exempt, non-profit entity, was supposed to refrain from overtly political comments. Rabbi Daniel Bogard of Peoria's Anshai Emeth Congregation said that Jenky was engaging in demagoguery and using the Holocaust "as a partisan political ploy that trivializes the memory of 13 million innocents killed."Chris Kaergard (April 19, 2012). [http://www.pjstar.com/x1783276172/Jenky-sparks-controversy-in-remarks-about-social-services-Obama?zc_p=1 "Peoria bishop sparks controversy with homily remarks"], The Peoria Journal Star. In response to the criticism, vicar general James E. Kruse and Diocese of Peoria Chancellor Patricia Gibson said that Jenky was making an analogy to point out what he believed was an erosion of religious freedom and of the freedom of expression, particularly for Christians.{{citation needed|date=May 2012}}

In 2002, Jenky started the canonization cause of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, a Peoria native. He requested that the Archdiocese of New York moved Sheen's remains, resting in St. Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan, to Peoria.{{cite news |author=Sharon Otterman |date=11 June 2019 |title=An Archbishop Could Become a Saint. But First, His Body Must Be Moved. |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/11/nyregion/archbishop-sheen-remains.html |access-date=9 December 2019}}{{cite press release |url=http://cdop.org/post/PostFeatured.aspx?ID=3490 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140909063838/http://cdop.org/post/PostFeatured.aspx?ID=3490 |title=Sheen cause suspended, call for prayer |newspaper=The Catholic Post |date=September 3–5, 2014 |archive-date=September 9, 2014 |url-status=dead}} Jenky claimed that Archbishop Edward Egan of New York had promised Jenky to move Sheen's remains to Peoria if Jenky began a drive. However, New York archdiocesan officials said they could not find any record of that agreement and refused the request. Jenky then sued the archdiocese in civil court. After three years of litigation, a New York court in 2019 ordered the transfer of Sheen's remains to Peoria.{{cite press release |title=Remains of Venerable Archbishop Sheen transferred; beatification cause resumes |url=https://thecatholicpost.com/2019/06/27/venerable-archbishop-sheen-remains-being-transferred-beatification-cause-resumes/ |newspaper=The Catholic Post |access-date=9 December 2019 |date=27 June 2019}}{{Cite news |last=Otterman |first=Sharon |date=2019-06-11 |title=An Archbishop Could Become a Saint. But First, His Body Must Be Moved. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/11/nyregion/archbishop-sheen-remains.html |access-date=2023-10-31 |issn=0362-4331}}

In February 2018, Jenky was sued along with the other Catholic bishops in Illinois. Two of the plaintiffs claimed sexual abuse by priests in the Diocese of Peoria during the 1970s and 1980s. Attorney Jeff Anderson accused Jenky of providing incomplete lists of priests who were considered credibly accused of sexual abuse. The diocese denied the charges.{{Cite web|date=2018-10-18|title=Illinois Catholic Bishops Sued Over Alleged Sex Abuse Cover-Up|url=https://www.nprillinois.org/2018-10-18/illinois-catholic-bishops-sued-over-alleged-sex-abuse-cover-up|access-date=2021-10-09|website=NPR Illinois|author1=Eric Stock|author2=Ryan Denham}} On August 21, 2018, Jenky made these remarks regarding the 2018 grand jury report in Pennsylvania regarding sexual abuse by priests:

I was truly saddened and deeply disturbed by the recent report from Pennsylvania of the sexual abuse of minors and the failures of some bishops to address of this crisis. I know that many of you share my sorrow. I stand with you. We also stand together in offering support to those who have suffered from these horrible offenses. These crimes harm the victims, weaken many people's faith, and hurt the entire Church.{{Cite web|date=2018-08-21|title=Bishop Jenky addresses Pennsylvania priest sexual abuse allegations|url=https://www.centralillinoisproud.com/news/local-news/bishop-jenky-addresses-pennsylvania-priest-sexual-abuse-allegations/|access-date=2021-10-09|website=CIProud.com|author=Kevin Schwaller}}

On March 3, 2022, Jenky's retirement as bishop of Peoria was accepted by Pope Francis.{{cite press release |publisher=Diocese of Peoria |access-date=March 3, 2022 |date=March 3, 2022 |language=en |title=Bishop Louis Tylka Becomes the Ninth Bishop of the Diocese of Peoria |url=https://cdop.org/2022/03/bishop-louis-tylka-becomes-the-ninth-bishop-of-the-diocese-of-peoria/}}

{{portal bar|Biography|Catholicism|Illinois}}

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• Catholic Church hierarchy
• Catholic Church in the United States
• Historical list of the Catholic bishops of the United States
• List of Catholic bishops of the United States
• Lists of patriarchs, archbishops, and bishops

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;Notes

{{reflist}}

• [http://www.cdop.org/pages/ABishopOffice.aspx Office of the Bishop] on the Diocese of Peoria website
• [http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bjenky.html Catholic-Hierarchy entry for Daniel Robert Jenky]

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{{s-bef|before=Gyula Márfi}}

{{s-tul|title=Titular Bishop of Amantia|years=1997–2002}}

{{s-aft|after= Paul Tschang In-Nam}}

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| title=Bishop of Peoria

| before=John J. Myers

| after=Louis Tylka

| years=2002–2022

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| title=Auxiliary Bishop of Fort Wayne-South Bend

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| years=1997–2002

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{{Roman Catholic Diocese of Peoria}}

{{Roman Catholic Diocese of Fort Wayne–South Bend}}

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Category:1947 births

Category:Living people

Category:Clergy from Chicago

Category:American people of Polish descent

Category:Roman Catholic bishops of Peoria

Category:Roman Catholic bishops of Fort Wayne–South Bend

Category:Congregation of Holy Cross bishops

Category:University of Notre Dame alumni

Category:University of Notre Dame fellows

Category:21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States