Daniel Kucera

Daniel Kucera was born in a Czech family in Chicago, Illinois, on May 7, 1923. His parents were Joseph F. and Lillian (Petrzelka) Kucera. Kucera was educated at St. Procopius College in Lisle, Illinois. He took the religious name of Daniel when he professed religious vows to the Benedictines on June 16, 1944, at St. Procopius Abbey in Lisle, Illinois. == Priesthood ==

On May 26, 1949, Kucera was ordained a priest for the Benedictines at the Cathedral of St. Raymond Nonnatus in Joliet, Illinois, by Bishop Martin Dewey McNamara. After his ordination, the Benedictines sent Kucera to Washington D.C. to study at Catholic University of America. He earned a Doctor of Education degree in 1954. Over the years, Kucera's background in education led Vatican officials, including the pope, to seek his opinions on educational matters. He served as abbot until June 1, 1971, when he resigned to become the college's president again. == Auxiliary Bishop of Joliet ==

On June 6, 1977, Pope Paul VI named Kucera as titular bishop of Tatchesium and auxiliary bishop of Joliet. He was consecrated at the Cathedral of St. Raymond Nonnatus by Bishop Romeo Roy Blanchette. Bishops Andrew Grutka of Gary and Raymond Vonesh, auxiliary bishop of Joliet, served as primary co-consecrators. ==Bishop of Salina==

On March 5, 1980, Pope John Paul II appointed Kucera as the eighth bishop of Salina. He was installed at Sacred Heart Cathedral in Salina, Kansas, on May 7, 1980, by Archbishop Ignatius J. Strecker. The college closed in 1989. ==Archbishop of Dubuque==

On December 20, 1983, Pope John Paul II appointed Kucera as the eighth archbishop of Dubuque. Kucera set about reorganizing the archdiocese. This was accomplished by reorganizing or creating archdiocesan boards, and established the first archbishop's cabinet to coordinate the running of the archdiocese. Kucera divided the archdiocese into three regions (Dubuque, Cedar Rapids and Waterloo) with an bishop running each region. He reduced the number of deaneries from 16 to 14. Kucera appointed a woman religious chancellor, and two lay people were named to archdiocesan offices. He also had revised guidelines for the Sacrament of Confirmation published in 1986. In November 1986, Kucera proclaimed the 150th anniversary of the founding of the archdiocese. The archdiocese held celebrations throughout 1987, including a large scale liturgy at the Five Flags Center, celebrated by Archbishop Pio Laghi. Kucera also approved a controversial renovation of St. Raphael's Cathedral. In 1994, Kucera requested the appointment of a coadjutor archbishop by the pope to assist him in administering the archdiocese. John Paul II in early 1995 named Bishop Jerome Hanus as coadjutor archbishop of Dubuque. On October 16, 1995, John Paul II accepted Kucera's resignation, naming him archbishop emeritus. ==Later life and death==

By 2013, Kucera had moved back to Dubuque after living in Aurora, Colorado, for several years. On May 30, 2017, Kucera died at the Stonehill Care Center in Dubuque at age 94. His funeral was held at St. Raphael's Cathedral in Dubuque, and he was interred in the cemetery of St. Procopius Abbey. ==See also==