George Sheltz Explained

Type:Bishop
Honorific-Prefix:His Excellency, The Most Reverend
George Arthur Sheltz
Auxiliary Bishop of Galveston–Houston
Church:Roman Catholic Church
Archdiocese:Galveston-Houston
Appointed:February 21, 2012
Enthroned:May 2, 2012
Ended:June 22, 2021
Predecessor:Joe S. Vásquez
Successor:Italo Dell’Oro
Other Post:Titular Bishop of Hirina
(2012-2021)
Ordination:May 15, 1971
Consecration:May 2, 2012
Consecrated By:Daniel Nicholas Cardinal DiNardo, Joseph Fiorenza, and Vincent M. Rizzotto
Birth Date:1946 4, mf=yes
Birth Place:Houston, Texas, U.S.
Death Place:Houston, Texas, U.S.
Motto:THROUGH HIM * WITH HIM * IN HIM
George Arthur Sheltz
Dipstyle:

George Arthur Sheltz (April 20, 1946 – December 21, 2021) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church.

Sheltz served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston in Texas from 2012 to 2021.

Biography

Early life

Sheltz was born April 20, 1946, in Houston, Texas to George and Margaret Sheltz. He attended Annunciation Catholic School and St. Thomas High School, both in Houston. [1]

While in high school, Sheltz decided to enter the priesthood. After graduation, he entered St. Mary's Seminary and the University of St. Thomas, graduating in 1971 with a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy and a Master's in Theology.

Priesthood

On May 15, 1971, Sheltz was ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Houston-Galveston by Bishop John Louis Morkovsky.[2]

After his ordination, Sheltz performed pastoral duties in five Houston parishes: Assumption, Sacred Heart Co-Cathedral; St. Vincent de Paul, Christ the Redeemer, and Prince of Peace. He also served at St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Woodlands, Texas.

While working in the parish, Sheltz also served as Dean of the San Jacinto Deanery and Episcopal Vicar of the Northern Vicariate.

In 2000, Pope John Paul II named Sheltz a prelate of honor, with the title of Monsignor. In 2007, Sheltz was named Secretariat Director for Clergy Formation and Chaplaincy Services. In 2010, he was named vicar general, chancellor and moderator of the curia for the Archdiocese.

Auxiliary Bishop of Galveston-Houston

On February 21, 2012, Pope Benedict XVI appointed Sheltz as Titular Bishop of Hirina and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. He was installed and consecrated at the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Houston by Cardinal Daniel DiNardo on May 2, 2012. He served as Auxiliary Bishop until his retirement on June 22, 2021.

In June 2019, an anonymous woman alleged in a letter to the Archdiocese that Sheltz had sexually abused her in 1971. The author threatened to make the charge public unless the transfer of her parish priest, Hai Dang, was reversed.[3] The allegation was investigated by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in Rome, which determined that they were totally baseless.[4]

Personal life and death

Sheltz died on December 21, 2021, at the age of 75.[5]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Home - Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. 2021-12-10. www.archgh.org. 2021-12-18. https://web.archive.org/web/20211218142448/https://www.archgh.org/about/our-bishops/retired-auxiliary-bishop-sheltz/. dead.
  2. Web site: Bishop George Arthur Sheltz [Catholic-Hierarchy]]. 2021-12-10. www.catholic-hierarchy.org.
  3. Web site: Home - Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. 2021-12-10. www.archgh.org.
  4. Web site: Home - Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. 2021-12-10. www.archgh.org.
  5. News: Rousselle . Christine . Galveston-Houston archdiocese mourns death of retired auxiliary Bishop Sheltz . 22 December 2021 . Catholic News Agency . 22 December 2021.