Papal honors conferred on local native Stoetzel
The Diocese of La Crosse announced Sept. 25 that Pope Benedict XVI conferred papal honors on 11 priests of the diocese who now carry the title of monsignor in honor of their service to the Church. Pope Benedict XVI named three priests as Prelates of Honor to His Holiness and eight priests as Chaplains to His Holiness.
EDITOR’S NOTE: The following article about Ellsworth native Charles Stoetzel contains information from the Dec. 13, 2012, edition of The Catholic Times, La Crosse, published by the Diocese of La Crosse. “Papal honors conferred on 11 priests of the diocese” was written by Stan Gould, Times editor, and “Twelve priests of diocese conferred with honor of Monsignor” was written by Joseph O’Brien, Times staff writer. Stoetzel is the son of Hilda Stoetzel of Ellsworth and was ordained as a priest in 1980 at St. Francis Catholic Church in Ellsworth, according to his mother.
LA CROSSE--The Diocese of La Crosse announced Sept. 25 that Pope Benedict XVI conferred papal honors on 11 priests of the diocese who now carry the title of monsignor in honor of their service to the Church. Pope Benedict XVI named three priests as Prelates of Honor to His Holiness and eight priests as Chaplains to His Holiness.
“I am always happy to see the great service that is done by priests in the diocese,” said Bishop Callahan. “These men have been presented to the Holy Father and, while he does not know them personally, he knows them by the service they have offered to the Church and to the people of God, and he is recognizing them by these particular honors that he is bestowing on them.”
The title of Monsignor is a title of distinction given by the pope to certain priests as part of a papal honor recognizing the priest’s service to the Church. Diocesan bishops nominate priests for this honor.
Historically, the monsignorate dates from the 14th century, when the papal court operated for a period of time in Avignon, France. Today, there are generally three grades of papal honors that bear the title monsignor: the Protonotary Apostolic, the Prelates of Honor to His Holiness and the Chaplains to His Holiness.
The Protonotary Apostolic is conferred predominantly on priests who serve on seven specific positions in the Roman Curia. The Prelate of Honor to His Holiness is historically associated with the chamberlain of the papal court and, today, can be conferred to priests outside of the papal court. The third grade of monsignor is the Chaplain to His Holiness and can be conferred to priests inside or outside of Roman Curia…
The eight priests who were named Chaplains to His Holiness include Reverend Monsignor Charles Stoetzel, rector of St. Joseph the Workman Cathedral, La Crosse…
A Mass was offered by Bishop Callahan at the Cathedral of Saint Joseph the Workman, La Crosse, at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 9, 2012, to celebrate and welcome the new Monsignori.
For more please read the Jan. 30 print version of the Herald.
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