{{short description|American prelate of the Catholic Church (born 1936)}} {{use mdy dates|date=December 2023}} {{Infobox Christian leader | type = Bishop | honorific_prefix = His Excellency, The Most Reverend | name = Kenneth Donald Steiner | honorific_suffix = | title = Auxiliary Bishop of Portland in Oregon | image = | alt = | caption = | church = Catholic | archdiocese = Portland in Oregon | appointed = November 28, 1977 | enthroned = March 2, 1978 | retired = November 25, 2011 | predecessor = | successor = | other_post = {{Ubl | Titular Bishop of Avensa {{nowrap|(1977– )}} | Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus of Portland in Oregon {{nowrap|(2011– )}} }} <!---------- Orders ----------> | ordination = May 19, 1962 | ordained_by = Edward Howard | consecration = March 2, 1978 | consecrated_by = Cornelius Michael Power, Elden Francis Curtiss, and Alfredo Méndez-Gonzalez | cardinal = | created_cardinal_by = | rank = <!---------- Personal details ----------> | birth_name = | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1936|11|25}} | birth_place = David City, Nebraska, US | death_date = <!-- {{Death date and age|YYYY|MM|DD|YYYY|MM|DD}} (death date then birth date) --> | death_place = | parents = <!-- include only if they are independently notable or particularly relevant. --> | previous_post = | education = {{Ubl | Mount Angel Seminary High School and College | St. Thomas the Apostle Seminary }} | motto = To serve and to unite <!---------- Sainthood ----------> | feast_day = | venerated = | saint_title = | beatified_date = | beatified_place = | beatified_by = | canonized_date = | canonized_place = | canonized_by = | attributes = | patronage = | shrine = | suppressed_date = <!---------- Other ----------> | module = | other = }} {{Infobox bishopstyles | name= Kenneth Donald Steiner | dipstyle= {{blist | His Excellency | The Most Reverend }} | offstyle=Your Excellency | relstyle=Bishop | image = Mitre (plain).svg | image_size = 200px }}
'''Kenneth Donald Steiner''' (born November 25, 1936) is an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon from 1978 to 2011.
==Biography==
=== Early life === Kenneth Steiner was born on November 25, 1936, in David City, Nebraska, one of five children of Lawrence and Florine Steiner.<ref name="vlazny">{{cite news |date=2003-02-28 |work=Catholic Sentinel |title=Bishop Steiner has served archdiocese with faith and love |url=http://www.catholicsentinel.org/main.asp?SectionID=2&SubSectionID=35&ArticleID=396 |last=Vlazny |first=John |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111009141200/http://www.catholicsentinel.org/main.asp?SectionID=2&SubSectionID=35&ArticleID=396 |archive-date=2011-10-09 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Kenneth Steiner barely survived a bout of pneumonia when he was one month old.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |first1=Ed |last1=Langlois |title=Long-serving bishop has stood by his promise to put others first |url=https://www.catholicsentinel.org/Content/News/Local/Article/Long-serving-bishop-has-stood-by-his-promise-to-put-others-first/2/35/35296|access-date=2022-02-06 |website=Catholic Sentinel |language=en-us |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180319213930/https://www.catholicsentinel.org/Content/News/Local/Article/Long-serving-bishop-has-stood-by-his-promise-to-put-others-first/2/35/35296 |archive-date=2018-03-19 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Lawrence Steiner died when Kenneth was very young, and the family then moved to Oregon, where he attended St. Rose Grade School in Portland.<ref name="hannum">{{cite news |date=2003-02-28 |work=Catholic Sentinel |title=Archdiocese celebrates 25 years of bishop's service |url=http://www.catholicsentinel.org/main.asp?Search=1&ArticleID=393&SectionID=2&SubSectionID=35&S=1 |last=Hannum |first=Kristen |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111009141228/http://www.catholicsentinel.org/main.asp?Search=1&ArticleID=393&SectionID=2&SubSectionID=35&S=1 |archive-date=2011-10-09 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
While studying at Mount Angel Seminary High School and College in Saint Benedict, Oregon, Kenneth Steiner worked at Blanchet House, a residence for homeless men in Portland, and at a farm in Yamhill County.<ref name=":0" /> After finishing at Mount Angel in 1958, Steiner entered St. Thomas the Apostle Seminary in Kenmore, Washington.<ref name="archdpdx">{{cite web |publisher=Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon |title=Auxiliary Bishop |url=http://www.archdpdx.org/auxiliary |access-date=2011-08-10 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110810170826/http://www.archdpdx.org/auxiliary/ |archive-date=2011-08-10}}</ref> He graduated from St. Thomas in 1962.<ref name=":0" />
=== Priesthood === Steiner was ordained into the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon by Archbishop Edward Howard on May 19, 1962.<ref name="hierarchy">{{cite encyclopedia |encyclopedia=Catholic-Hierarchy.org |title=Bishop Kenneth Donald Steiner |url=http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bsteiner.html |publisher=David M. Cheney |date=2022-10-09}}{{Self-published source|date=March 2015}}</ref> After his ordination, Steiner was assigned as an associate pastor at St. Monica Parish in Coos Bay, Oregon, where he remained until 1967.<ref name="archdpdx" /> He then served at St. Mary's Cathedral Parish (1967–1970) and at St. Stephen Parish (1970–1972), both in Portland.<ref name="archdpdx" /> In Portland, Steiner also began a marriage preparation program and a ministry to divorced and separated Catholics.<ref name="hannum" /> At one of his parishes, he allowed the homeless to camp outside his residence.<ref name=":0" />
In 1972, Steiner was named pastor of Holy Name Parish in Coquille, Oregon, with its missions in Myrtle Point, Oregon and Powers, Oregon.<ref name="parish">{{cite news |date=2010-06-24 |work=Catholic Sentinel |title=Archdiocese of Portland announces 2010 parish reassignments |url=http://catholicsentinel55.1upprelaunch.com/main.asp?SectionID=2&SubSectionID=35&ArticleID=11243 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120313063931/http://catholicsentinel55.1upprelaunch.com/main.asp?SectionID=2&SubSectionID=35&ArticleID=11243 |archive-date=2012-03-13 |url-status=dead}}</ref> He then served as pastor of St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Roy, Oregon (1976–1978) and chairman of the Priests' Personnel Committee (1976–1977).<ref name="parish" />
=== Auxiliary Bishop of Portland in Oregon === On November 28, 1977, Steiner was appointed as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon and titular bishop of ''Avensa'' by Pope Paul VI.<ref name="hierarchy" /> Steiner received his episcopal consecration on March 2, 1978, from Archbishop Cornelius Power, with Bishops Elden Curtiss and Alfredo Méndez-Gonzalez as co-consecrators,, at the Portland Civic Auditorium.<ref name="hierarchy" /> In addition to his episcopal duties, Steiner served as pastor of St. Mary Parish in Corvallis, Oregon (until 2000), vicar for clergy and clergy personnel director (1978–1980), vicar for worship and ministry (1979–1981), and chairman of the Priests' Retirement Facility Committee (1986–1993).<ref name="archdpdx" />
Steiner served as archdiocesan administrator before the appointments of Archbishops Francis George (1996) and John Vlazny (1997). He served as pastor of St. John the Baptist Parish in Milwaukie, Oregon (2000–2002) before being named to St. Edward Parish in North Plains, Oregon.<ref name="parish" /> He also served as vicar for senior and infirm priests and a member of the Resource Development Office.<ref name="vlazny" /> As bishop, Steiner was a frequent visitor to death row inmates in Oregon prisons.<ref name=":0" />
=== Retirement === Having reached his 75th birthday, the mandatory retirement age for bishops, Steiner sent his letter of resignation as auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Portland in 2011 to Pope Benedict XVI. The pope accepted it on November 25, 2011.<ref name="hierarchy" />
==See also== {{div col}} * Catholic Church hierarchy * Catholic Church in the United States * Historical list of the Catholic bishops of the United States * List of Catholic bishops of the United States * Lists of patriarchs, archbishops, and bishops {{div col end}}
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== {{wikiquote-inline}} * [http://www.gcatholic.org/hierarchy/data/bishops-ST.htm#2327 Kenneth Donald Steiner] at [http://www.gcatholic.org/ GCatholic.org] * [https://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bsteiner.html Kenneth Donald Steiner] at [https://www.catholic-hierarchy.org Catholic-Hierarchy.org]
==Episcopal succession== {{s-start}} {{s-rel|ca}} {{s-bef|before=–}} {{s-ttl|title=Auxiliary Bishop of Portland in Oregon|years=1978–2011}} {{s-aft|after=–}} {{s-end}}
{{Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon|state=collapsed}} {{portal bar|Biography|Catholicism|Oregon}}
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Steiner, Kenneth}} Category:1936 births Category:Living people Category:People from David City, Nebraska Category:Clergy from Portland, Oregon Category:Mount Angel Seminary Category:Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon Category:20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States Category:21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States Category:Catholics from Nebraska