Albert Daeger

Albert Daeger (born Anthony Thomas Daeger; March 5, 1872 – December 2, 1932) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. A member of the Order of Friars Minor, he served as Archbishop of Santa Fe from 1919 until his death in 1932.

Biography Early life Anthony Thomas Daeger was born on March 5, 1872, in Sand Creek Township, near the city of North Vernon, in Jennings County, Indiana. The son of George and Frances (née Kriech) Daeger, he was the eldest of twelve brothers and one sister. His paternal grandfather was a German immigrant who joined the Order of Friars Minor (also known as the Franciscans) after the death of his wife. Both Daeger and his brother George (later Father Vigil After St. George's, he attended St. Francis Seraph School in Cincinnati, graduating in June 1889. He completed his philosophical studies at Franciscan friaries in Ohio and Kentucky, including St. Boniface in Louisville. and St. Francis Seminary in Cincinnati. On August 27, 1893, Daeger professed his vows and took the religious name Albert. He celebrated his first Mass the next day, the feast of Saint Anne, at his childhood parish named after her.

Daeger then embarked on 17 years of missionary work in New Mexico. He served as a pastor and the superior of his fellow Franciscans at Our Lady of Guadalupe in Peña Blanca (1902–1910), Sacred Heart in Farmington (1910–1917), and San Diego Mission in Jemez Pueblo (1917–1919).

Archbishop of Santa Fe Following the retirement of Archbishop John Baptist Pitaval, Daeger was appointed by Pope Benedict XV to succeed him as Archbishop of Santa Fe on March 10, 1919. By the time of his death 13 years later, there were 106 priests, 362 churches (56 parishes and 306 missions), and 35 schools. In December 1928, he presided at the funeral Mass of Father Anton Docher in Isleta Pueblo.

On December 2, 1932, Daeger fractured his skull after falling 10 feet into the basement of a Santa Fe garage. He was rushed to St. Vincent's Hospital, where he died a few hours later at age 60. He is buried at the Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi.