Early life Henry Grimmelsmann was born on December 22, 1890, in
Cincinnati,
Ohio, to G.H. and Frances Grimmelsmann. Raised in the
Price Hill neighborhood of Cincinnati, he was one of ten children; three of his sisters became
nuns and another brother also became a
priest. He then entered the
University of Innsbruck in
Austria-Hungary, but was forced to return to Cincinnati following the outbreak of
World War I. After his ordination, Grimmelsmann went to Washington D.C. to study at the
Catholic University of America. He later returned to the University of Innsbruck, where he earned a Doctor of Sacred Scripture degree. Back in Cincinnati, the archdiocese assigned Grimmelsmann served as a
curate at
St. Lawrence Parish in that city In 1920, Grimmelsmann was named vice-
rector and
professor of sacred scripture and
Hebrew at
Mount St. Mary's Seminary in Cincinnati
Pope Pius XI named him rector of the
Pontifical College Josephinum at Worthington, Ohio, in 1932.
Bishop of Evansville On November 11, 1944, Grimmelsmann was appointed the first
bishop of the newly erected Diocese of Evansville by
Pope Pius XII. He received his
episcopal consecration at the Josephinum on December 21, 1944, from Archbishop
Amleto Cicognani, with Bishops Urban Vehr and
George Rehring serving as
co-consecrators. Between 1962 and 1965, Grimmelsmann attended all four sessions of the
Second Vatican Council in Rome.
Retirement and death Pope Paul VI accepted Grimmelsmann's resignation as bishop of Evansville on October 18, 1965, and named time
titular bishop of
Tabla. Henry Grimmelsmann died in Evansville on June 26, 1972, at age 81, and was buried at St. Joseph Cemetery in Evansville. ==See also==