Charles Herman Helmsing

Charles Herman Helmsing (March 23, 1908 – December 20, 1993) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as bishop of the Diocese of Kansas City–St. Joseph in Missouri (1962–1977).

Helmsing previously served as bishop of the Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau in Missouri from 1956 to 1962 and as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Saint Louis in Missouri from 1949 to 1956.

Biography

Early life Charles Helmsing was born on March 23, 1908, in Shrewsbury, Missouri, to George and Louisa Helmsing. He entered St. Louis Preparatory Seminary and then went on to Kenrick-Glennon Seminary, both In St. Louis, Missouri.

Priesthood Helmsing was ordained a priest by Archbishop John Joseph Glennon for the Archdiocese of St. Louis on June 10, 1933 in St Louis. He was most influential in the composition of the Decree on Ecumenism (Unitatis Redintegratio).

Helmsing returned to Kansas City, where he supported civil rights and brought home the documents of the Second Vatican Council and was responsible for implementing them in the diocese.

In November 1963, Helmsing was elected to the Vatican Secretariat for Christian Unity, which worked under Cardinal Bea to collect statements to the secretariat concerning the schema. The result was 1,063 pages published in six volumes. This helped to prepare revisions to the schema which were returned to council fathers.

In 1968, Helmsing condemned National Catholic Reporter (NCR) for what he termed as "...their policy of crusading against the Church's teachings". When the paper was founded, he provided diocesan office space and funds until the paper was able to move to the building where it continues to this day. In the late 1960s, Helmsing objected most specifically to the paper's strong stands against the Church's magisterium on artificial birth control, priestly celibacy, as well as its criticism of the hierarchy, citing an imbalance by the Reporter in its news coverage. Sixty-six Catholic journalists signed a petition supporting NCR.

Retirement and legacy On June 27, 1977, Pope Paul VI accepted Helmsing's resignation as bishop of Kansas City–St. Joseph. Charles Helmsing died in Kansas City, Missouri, on December 20, 1993, aged 85.

In 2006, Bishop Robert W. Finn named a new adult faith formation initiative in the Diocese of Kansas City-Saint Joseph after Helmsing. The Bishop Helmsing Institute offered a three-year faith formation program for lay people..