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Ernest Leo Unterkoefler (August 17, 1917 – January 4, 1993) was an American Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Charleston from 1964 to 1990. He previously served as an auxiliary bishop for the Diocese of Richmond from 1961 to 1964.

Biography

Early life

Ernest Unterkoefler was born on August 17, 1917, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Ernest L. and Anna Rose (née Chambers) Unterkoefler. An avid baseball fan, he once considered a professional career in the sport before studying for the priesthood; he later said, "If I couldn't be bishop of Charleston, I'd love to be commissioner of baseball." Unterkoefler graduated summa cum laude in pre-law from the Catholic University of America in Washington D.C. in 1940. He also earned a Licentiate of Sacred Theology (1944) and Doctor of Canon Law (1950).

Priesthood

On May 18, 1944, Unterkoefler was ordained a priest in Washington, D.C. by Auxiliary Bishop John McNamara for the Diocese of Richmond. He then served as a curate for a diocese in Richmond until 1947, when he was transferred to another one in Arlington, Virginia. Unterkoefler returned to Richmond in 1950, and became secretary of the diocesan tribunal in 1954. He also served as chancellor (1960–1964) and vicar general (1962–1964). The Vatican named Unterkoefler a papal chamberlain in 1961.

Auxiliary Bishop of Richmond

On December 13, 1961, Unterkoefler was appointed auxiliary bishop of Richmond and titular bishop of Latopolis by Pope John XXIII. He received his episcopal consecration at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Richmond on February 22, 1962, from Archbishop Egidio Vagnozzi, with Bishops Vincent Waters and Joseph Hodges serving as co-consecrators. Unterkoefler adopted as his episcopal motto: Deo Placere (Latin for "To Please God"). Between 1962 and 1965, he attended all four sessions of the Second Vatican Council in Rome, where he served as secretary of the American delegation of bishops.

Bishop of Charleston

Unterkoefler was named the tenth bishop of Charleston on December 12, 1964 by Pope Paul VI. An active participant in the civil rights movement, he worked alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and ended racial segregation in all Catholic institutions in the diocese. He served as chairman of the U.S. Bishops' Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs from 1978 to 1981. In 1987, Unterkoefler hosted Pope John Paul II during his visit to Columbia, South Carolina.

Unterkoefler was also a prominent advocate for restoring the permanent diaconate in the United States, and ordained Joseph Kemper in 1971 as the first permanent deacon in the nation. In a 1985 interview, he said that his greatest satisfaction was in ordaining new priests, but also expressed his concern that a materialistic culture was making it more difficult to attract young men to the priesthood. "We can't go out and recruit them with high salaries," he said. "We must wait for the Lord to call them."

Death and legacy

Unterkoefler's resignation as bishop of Charleston was accepted by John Paul II on February 22, 1990. Unterkoefler died on January 4, 1993, at Providence Hospital in Columbia at age 75.

References

1. ^ Curtis, Georgina Pell (1977). The American Catholic Who's Who. Vol. XXI. Grosse Pointe, Michigan: Walter Romig.
2. ^ "Retired Bishop Unterkoefler dead at 75 after long illness". The Rock Hill Herald. 1993-01-05.
3. ^ Roberts, Lori D. (1993-01-05). "CATHOLIC BISHOP UNTERKOEFLER DIES". The State.
4. ^ "Bishop Ernest Leo Unterkoefler". Catholic-Hierarchy.org.
5. "The Bishops of the Diocese of Charleston 1820-present". Roman Catholic Diocese of Charleston.

v t e Roman Catholic Diocese of Charleston
Bishops	Ordinaries John England Ignatius A. Reynolds Patrick Neeson Lynch Henry P. Northrop William Thomas Russell Emmet M. Walsh John Joyce Russell Paul John Hallinan Francis Frederick Reh Ernest Leo Unterkoefler David B. Thompson Robert Joseph Baker Robert E. Guglielmone Jacques E. Fabre
Churches	Cathedral Cathedral of St. John the Baptist Abbey Mepkin Abbey Parishes St. Mary Help of Christians Church, Aiken St. Andrew's Church, Barnwell St. Mary of the Annunciation Church, Charleston St. Peter's Church, Columbia Former cathedral Cathedral of Saint John and Saint Finbar, Charleston
Education	High schools Bishop England High School, Charleston Cardinal Newman High School, Forest Acres St. Francis Xavier High School, Sumter St. John Paul II Catholic School, Okatie St. Joseph's Catholic School, Greenville
Priests	John Barry Joseph Bernardin John James Joseph Monaghan John Moore
Miscellany	The Catholic Miscellany
Catholicism portal

v t e Roman Catholic Diocese of Richmond
Bishops	Ordinaries Patrick Kelly Richard Vincent Whelan John McGill James Gibbons John Joseph Keane Augustine Van de Vyver Denis J. O'Connell Andrew James Louis Brennan Peter Leo Ireton John Joyce Russell Walter Francis Sullivan Francis X. DiLorenzo Barry Christopher Knestout Auxiliary bishops Joseph Howard Hodges Ernest Leo Unterkoefler James Louis Flaherty David Edward Foley
Churches	Cathedral Cathedral of the Sacred Heart Basilica Basilica of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception, Norfolk Basilica of St. Andrew, Roanoke Parishes St. Vincent de Paul Church, Newport News Church of the Sacred Heart, Petersburg St. Paul's Church, Portsmouth Church of the Sacred Heart, Richmond St. Peter's Church, Richmond St. Bede's Church, Williamsburg St. Stephen, Martyr, Chesapeake
Education	High schools Benedictine College Preparatory, Richmond Blessed Sacrament Huguenot, Powhatan Catholic High School, Virginia Beach Holy Cross Regional Catholic School, Lynchburg Peninsula Catholic High School, Newport News Roanoke Catholic School, Roanoke Saint Gertrude High School, Richmond Walsingham Academy, Williamsburg
Priests	Francis Janssens Vincent Stanislaus Waters
Miscellany	Francis J. Parater
Catholicism portal

• 1917 births
• 1993 deaths
• Catholic University of America alumni
• Clergy from Philadelphia
• Participants in the Second Vatican Council
• Roman Catholic bishops of Charleston
• 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States
• Roman Catholic Diocese of Richmond
• Religious leaders from Pennsylvania
• American people of German descent