Francis J. Haas

Francis Joseph Haas (March 18, 1889 – August 29, 1953) was an American Roman Catholic bishop and advocate for social justice. He was the sixth bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Grand Rapids from 1943 until his death in 1953.

Francis J. Haas
Francis J. Haas, new chairman of the Fair Employment Practices Commission, holds his first news conference, ca. 1942.
Born
Francis Joseph Haas

March 18, 1889
Racine, Wisconsin, US
DiedAugust 29, 1953
Grand Rapids, Michigan, US
Resting placeResurrection Cemetery, Wyoming, Michigan
NationalityAmerican
EducationSt. Francis Seminary, Johns Hopkins, Catholic University
Occupationpriest, labor mediator, bishop
TitleBishop of Grand Rapids, Michigan
Term1943–1953
PredecessorJoseph C. Plagens
SuccessorAllen James Babcock
Board member ofNational Labor Relations Board, President's Committee on Civil Rights

Early life and training

Francis Haas was born in Racine, Wisconsin.[1] He studied at St. Francis Seminary, and was ordained on June 11, 1913, for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee. He was later appointed rector of St. Francis in 1935, and was president of the Catholic Association for International Peace.[2]

Labor relations

As a mediator for the National Labor Board, he helped settle the Minneapolis Teamsters strike in 1934.[3]

Civil rights

He was a member of President Harry Truman's President's Committee on Civil Rights, 1946–1947.

Bishop of Grand Rapids

In 1943, he resigned from his position as chairman of the President's Committee on Fair Employment Practice to become the bishop of Grand Rapids, Michigan.[4] Pope Pius XII appointed him bishop on September 26, 1943, and he was consecrated on November 18, 1943. He hosted a National Liturgical Conference at the Grand Rapids Civic Auditorium in 1953, and died eight days later on August 29, 1953, of a heart attack.[5]

The Bishop Haas Council 4362 was chartered on April 14, 1957 by Knights of Columbus Supreme Council. Based in Wyoming, MI this council was named and dedicated to Bishop Francis Joseph Haas.

References
  1. "Grand Rapids Diocese Has New Bishop". The Ludington Daily News. October 2, 1943. p. 1. Retrieved June 12, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. "Dr. Francis Haas is new St. Francis Seminary Rector". Catholic Herald Citizen (Nov. 9). 1935. Retrieved 2008-08-01.
  3. "Federal Men Seek Minneapolis Peace". The New York Times (July 19). July 19, 1934. Retrieved 2008-07-31.
  4. "Mgr. Haas resigns as job bias arbiter". The New York Times (October 3). October 3, 1943. Retrieved May 2, 2010.
  5. Ancona, Gaspar F. Where the Star Came to Rest page 108, 2001 ISBN 2-7468-0317-8

Further reading
  • Blantz, Thomas E. A priest in public service: Francis J. Haas and the New Deal. University of Notre Dame Press, 1982 ISBN 0-268-01547-3
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