Daniel R. Jenky

Daniel Robert Jenky, CSC (born March 3, 1947) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as bishop of the Diocese of Peoria in Illinois from 2002 until his retirement in 2022. He also served as an auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend in Indiana from 1997 to 2002.

Biography

Early life and education Daniel Jenky was born on March 3, 1947, in Chicago, Illinois, and attended St. Laurence High School in Burbank, Illinois. He entered the University of Notre Dame in 1965, and the novitiate of the Congregation of Holy Cross at Bennington, Vermont in 1966. In 1970, Jenky obtained a Bachelor of History degree from Notre Dame. In 1973, he made his profession as member of the Congregation of Holy Cross. That same year, he earned his Master of Theology degree and received his diaconate.

Ordination and ministry Jenky was ordained to the priesthood for the Congregation of Holy Cross on April 6, 1974. Jenky was assigned as rector of St. Matthew's Cathedral in South Bend, Indiana, and pastor of the parish. He was installed on April 10 at St. Mary's Cathedral in Peoria. Over 90 faculty members at Notre Dame protested Jenky's remarks in a letter to Notre Dame President John I. Jenkins. The letter described his remarks as being insensitive and too political in tone. The faculty signers asked Jenky to either retract his statement or resign from the Notre Dame board of fellows.

Local chapters of the NAACP, the ACLU, and the Anti-Defamation League also demanded an apology from Jenky. Some called for the U.S. Internal Revenue Service to investigate Jenky because the diocese, as a tax-exempt, non-profit entity, was supposed to refrain from overtly political comments. Rabbi Daniel Bogard of Peoria's Anshai Emeth Congregation said that Jenky was engaging in demagoguery and using the Holocaust "as a partisan political ploy that trivializes the memory of 13 million innocents killed." In response to the criticism, vicar general James E. Kruse and Diocese of Peoria Chancellor Patricia Gibson said that Jenky was making an analogy to point out what he believed was an erosion of religious freedom and of the freedom of expression, particularly for Christians.

In 2002, Jenky started the canonization cause of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, a Peoria native. He requested that the Archdiocese of New York moved Sheen's remains, resting in St. Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan, to Peoria. Jenky claimed that Archbishop Edward Egan of New York had promised Jenky to move Sheen's remains to Peoria if Jenky began a drive. However, New York archdiocesan officials said they could not find any record of that agreement and refused the request. Jenky then sued the archdiocese in civil court. After three years of litigation, a New York court in 2019 ordered the transfer of Sheen's remains to Peoria.

In February 2018, Jenky was sued along with the other Catholic bishops in Illinois. Two of the plaintiffs claimed sexual abuse by priests in the Diocese of Peoria during the 1970s and 1980s. Attorney Jeff Anderson accused Jenky of providing incomplete lists of priests who were considered credibly accused of sexual abuse. The diocese denied the charges. On August 21, 2018, Jenky made these remarks regarding the 2018 grand jury report in Pennsylvania regarding sexual abuse by priests:I was truly saddened and deeply disturbed by the recent report from Pennsylvania of the sexual abuse of minors and the failures of some bishops to address of this crisis. I know that many of you share my sorrow. I stand with you. We also stand together in offering support to those who have suffered from these horrible offenses. These crimes harm the victims, weaken many people's faith, and hurt the entire Church.

Retirement and legacy On March 3, 2022, Jenky's retirement as bishop of Peoria was accepted by Pope Francis.