Emmanuel Boleslaus Ledvina

Emmanuel Boleslaus Ledvina (October 28, 1868 – December 15, 1952) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Corpus Christi in Texas from 1921 to 1949.

Biography

Early life Emmanuel Ledvina was born on October 28, 1868, in Evansville, Indiana, to George Emmanuel and Mary (née Kiefer) Ledvina. His father was a native of Bohemia, and worked as an architect and construction engineer. After attending parochial schools in Evansville and St. Louis, Missouri, Emmanuel Ledvina returned to Indiana and entered St. Meinrad's College in St. Meinrad, Indiana, in 1883.

Priesthood Ledvina was ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Vincennes by Bishop Silas Chatard on March 18, 1893. Ledvina then served as a curate at Holy Trinity Parish in Evansville and afterwards at St. John's Pro-Cathedral in Indianapolis, Indiana. From 1895 to 1907, he was pastor of St. Joseph's Parish in Princeton, Indiana. He invited the Benedictine monks of Subiaco Abbey to establish a community in the diocese and staff a new high school. He also became known for his efforts among Mexican-American Catholics in South Texas and for his opposition to the Ku Klux Klan.

Retirement and death On March 15, 1949, Pope Pius XII accepted Ledvina's resignation as bishop of Corpus Christi for health reasons and appointed him as titular bishop of Pitanae. Emmanuel Ledvina died in Corpus Christi on December 15, 1952, at age 84. He is buried in a crypt under the main altar of Corpus Christi Cathedral.