By Anne Marie Amacher
The Catholic Messenger
DAVENPORT — Bishop Emeritus William Franklin, 95, died April 10 at the Kahl Home.
Bishop Franklin led the Diocese of Davenport for 12 years. During that time, he encouraged the lay people of the diocese to get involved and make decisions at the parish level.
To encourage lay involvement, in 1999 he launched a diocesan vision through his pastoral letter “Walking Together in Faith.” Tied in with that, Bishop Franklin hired The Metanoia Group with St. Mary’s University of Minnesota to look at a variety of topics in the diocese as it prepared for the future. This included an examination of the structure of leadership, unification of Scott County Catholic schools, the relationship between Catholic higher education (St. Ambrose University in Davenport and Mount St. Clare College in Clinton) in relationship to Catholic schools, technology in the diocese, ministry to the aging population, religious education and youth ministry, and a few other topics.
Then in 2004, he established a task force titled “Living the Faith” to assess parish viability and develop a 10-year plan to address the fact that there were fewer priests in parishes and other ministries. The task force developed plans for each of the six deaneries at the time. Suggestions included sharing of priests at multiple parishes and clustering (sharing a priest as well as other ministries between multiple parishes). The goal was not to close parishes if they were viable.
Early life and priesthood
Born May 30, 1930, in Parnell to John F. and Matilda (Miholin) Franklin, he was the sixth of seven children. He attended Parnell public schools where the Congregation of the Humility of Mary sisters taught him before he moved to Cedar Rapids. There he graduated from St. Patrick High School.
He attended undergraduate school at Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa, and completed his seminary studies at Mount St. Bernard Seminary in Dubuque. On Feb. 4, 1956, he was ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Dubuque by Archbishop Leo Binz at St. Raphael Cathedral in Dubuque.
Then-Father Franklin served as secretary to Archbishop Henry Rolhman, who led the archdiocese. In 1957, the priest was associate pastor at St. John Evangelist Parish in Independence and All Saints Parish in Rowley. In 1959 he then taught and was a guidance counselor at Wahlert Catholic High School in Dubuque. His next assignment was associate pastor at St. Mary Parish in Waterloo in 1974. He then served as pastor of St. Francis Xavier Parish in Fayette and St. Francis Xavier Parish in Hawkeye in 1979, pastor at Immaculate Conception Parish in Gilbertville in 1980, pastor of St. Edward Parish in Waterloo in 1984 and was appointed dean of the Waterloo Deanery in 1985.
Ministry as bishop
On Jan. 29, 1987, he was appointed auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Dubuque and ordained April 1, 1987, by Archbishop Daniel Kucera, OSB. On Nov. 12, 1993, he was appointed bishop of the Diocese of Davenport and installed Jan. 20, 1994, at Sacred Heart Cathedral in Davenport by Archbishop Agostino Cacciavillan, apostolic pro-nuncio to the United States.
Bishop Franklin toured the diocese throughout the rest of that month with public receptions in each deanery and one in early February at his home parish of St. Joseph in Parnell — a coming home.
Marking his 10th year as bishop in 2004, Bishop Franklin spoke to The Catholic Messenger about his ministry. “Over the past decade I have focused on guiding the people in the pews to make decisions at the local level while keeping in mind the effect of those decisions on the great Church.”
His management style was called subsidiarity, a term he often used in dealing with the faithful.
“My true, intentional style as a bishop is to encourage, to push and to urge people at the local level to realize that they are Church as much as I am Church,” he told the Messenger.
As clergy sex abuse in the Catholic Church came to light in 2002, Bishop Franklin said some saw him as not being approachable or willing to answer questions. “I do not want to betray the confidence of others, especially when our conversation has been with the understanding that it was private and to be between the speaker and myself,” he said.
During an interview with The Catholic Messenger in 2006 marking 50 years as a priest, he said some of his greatest struggles as a priest and bishop were falling short when listening to others, generating appreciation for the chancery staff, helping priests who struggled in their decision to remain in the priesthood or leave, assist parishioners when looking at their parish to see how well or poorly they brought God to others and communicating the love of God.
Regarding the clergy sexual abuse crisis in the Church and in the Diocese of Davenport, he said, “It has been a tremendous challenge. I say thanks to God for the people he has surrounded me with in trying to help others, and to help others grow from suffering to forgiveness to love — without forgetting.”
As he awaited the acceptance of his retirement from Pope Benedict XVI, Bishop Franklin said he looked “to continue to be a source of spreading God’s love, his knowledge and his kindness to others and to help people to appreciate how much God truly loves them.”
On Oct. 10, 2006, Bishop Franklin announced the decision for the diocese to file for bankruptcy protection due to lawsuits filed by clergy sex abuse claimants. “My concern must always be for the victims of abuse.”
He and the diocese’s leadership believed that, “as difficult as this decision is, it provides the best opportunity for healing and for the just and fair compensation of those who have suffered sexual abuse by clergy in our diocese, those who have come forward and those who have not yet decided to come forward.” He added, “We also believe that the decision to reorganize is the best way in which we will be able to continue the Church’s mission.”
Just two days later, on Oct. 12, Bishop Franklin’s resignation was accepted by the pope at age 76.
On the occasion of his 50th anniversary as a priest, Bishop Franklin said, “God has given me the opportunity to help others live moments which were difficult, but became a real source of growth for them and their relationship with God.”
Bishop Franklin resided at St. Vincent Center in Davenport following retirement until he moved to the Kahl Home in Davenport.
Visitation, funeral details
The Diocese of Davenport invites the faithful and the public to honor Bishop William Franklin’s life and ministry. All events are at Sacred Heart Cathedral in Davenport:
April 16
• Rite of the Reception of the Body, 4 p.m.
• Visitation, 4-6 p.m.
• Vigil service, 6 p.m.
April 17
• Visitation, 9:30 a.m. until start of Mass.
• Funeral Liturgy, 10:30 a.m.
Memorials may be made to the Priests’ Aid Society or to the Catholic Foundation for the Diocese of Davenport.
Click on images below for big versions.
