Early life Luers was born on September 29, 1819, near
Münster in the
Kingdom of Westphalia (now part of Germany). His family emigrated to the United States in 1831, settling on a farm near
Piqua, Ohio. John Luers worked a store clerk in town. According to contemporary accounts, Luers, as a young man, was not religious and led a wild life. His father severely admonished him for neglecting his prayers. In 1835, Luers' outlook towards Catholicism and service to others changed after meeting Archbishop
John Baptist Purcell. Luers soon decided to become a priest. Purcell sent him to
St. Francis Xavier Seminary in Cincinnati. In 1860, Luers dedicate the
Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Fort Wayne. In 1863, Luers held a synod of priests in the diocese at the
University of Notre Dame in Indiana in which he established the laws and constitution for the diocese. Luers attended the
Second Plenary Council in Baltimore in 1866. Luers is buried in the crypt at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. The
Franciscan Order founded
Bishop Luers High School in 1958 in Fort Wayne. == References ==