Joseph Marling was born on August 31, 1904, in
Centralia, West Virginia. He was
ordained as priest of the Missionaries of Precious Blood by Archbishop
John McNicholas in
Carthagena, Ohio, on February 21, 1929. After the end of
World War II in 1945, Marling supervised shipments of food from the Missionaries to
Austria and
West Germany.
Bishop of Jefferson City Marling was named the first bishop of Jefferson City on August 24, 1956, by Pius XII. During his tenure, Marling oversaw the construction of a new
cathedral, twenty-five churches, twenty-nine schools, thirty
rectories, sixteen convents, and a
Carmelite monastery. Marling also established the
Catholic Missourian, the diocesan newspaper, and missions in
Peru. He attended the
Second Vatican Council from 1962 to 1965.
Retirement and legacy On July 2, 1969,
Pope Paul VI accepted Marling's resignation as bishop of Jefferson City and appointed him as titular bishop of
Lesina, a post which he gave up on January 16, 1976. Marling died in Kansas City, Missouri, on October 2, 1979, at age 75. His remains were interred in the Precious Blood Community Cemetery at
St. Charles Seminary in Carthagena. ==References==