Today in Wheeling History: October 8–Joseph Howard Hodges, future Bishop of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston, was born (1911).
Joseph Howard Hodges was born on October 8, 1911, in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, to Joseph Howard and Edna Belle (née Hendricks) Hodges. His family later moved to Martinsburg, West Virginia, where he attended St. Joseph's High School. After graduating in 1928, Hodges studied at St. Charles College in Catonsville, Maryland, and then at the Pontifical North American College in Rome. He was ordained to the priesthood in Rome on December 8, 1935.
Hodges began his ecclesiastical career as a curate at Sacred Heart Parish in Danville, Virginia, and later served in various parishes in Virginia. On August 8, 1952, he was appointed as an auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Richmond and titular bishop of Rusadus by Pope Pius XII. He became the coadjutor bishop of the Diocese of Wheeling on May 31, 1961, and succeeded as the fifth bishop of Wheeling on November 23, 1962.
During his tenure, Hodges attended all four sessions of the Second Vatican Council and implemented its reforms within the diocese. He was instrumental in expanding the diocese to include all 55 counties of West Virginia, renaming it the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston. Hodges was a strong advocate for social justice and ecumenism, receiving numerous accolades for his contributions. He passed away on January 27, 1985, in Wheeling and is buried at Mount Calvary Cemetery.
To learn more: Wikipedia (https://tinyurl.com/mwd9wfcn), Find a Grave (https://tinyurl.com/2pdhn7nz), West Virginia Encyclopedia (https://tinyurl.com/y729rs2a)
Photo credits: Find a Grave, West Virginia Encyclopedia
Joseph Howard Hodges was born on October 8, 1911, in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, to Joseph Howard and Edna Belle (née Hendricks) Hodges. His family later moved to Martinsburg, West Virginia, where he attended St. Joseph's High School. After graduating in 1928, Hodges studied at St. Charles College in Catonsville, Maryland, and then at the Pontifical North American College in Rome. He was ordained to the priesthood in Rome on December 8, 1935.
Hodges began his ecclesiastical career as a curate at Sacred Heart Parish in Danville, Virginia, and later served in various parishes in Virginia. On August 8, 1952, he was appointed as an auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Richmond and titular bishop of Rusadus by Pope Pius XII. He became the coadjutor bishop of the Diocese of Wheeling on May 31, 1961, and succeeded as the fifth bishop of Wheeling on November 23, 1962.
During his tenure, Hodges attended all four sessions of the Second Vatican Council and implemented its reforms within the diocese. He was instrumental in expanding the diocese to include all 55 counties of West Virginia, renaming it the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston. Hodges was a strong advocate for social justice and ecumenism, receiving numerous accolades for his contributions. He passed away on January 27, 1985, in Wheeling and is buried at Mount Calvary Cemetery.
To learn more: Wikipedia (https://tinyurl.com/mwd9wfcn), Find a Grave (https://tinyurl.com/2pdhn7nz), West Virginia Encyclopedia (https://tinyurl.com/y729rs2a)
Photo credits: Find a Grave, West Virginia Encyclopedia
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