John Francis Doerfler

John Francis Doerfler (born November 2, 1964) is an American Catholic prelate who serves as bishop of the Diocese of Marquette in Michigan.

Biography

Early life and education Doerfler was born on November 2, 1964, to Henry and Germaine Mancl Doerfler in Appleton, Wisconsin. He attended Appleton West High School and graduated in 1983. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy and classics from the College of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota, in 1987.

Doerfler entered the seminary and was sent to the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, where he earned a Bachelor of Sacred Theology degree in 1990.

Ordination and ministry On July 13, 1991, Doerfler was ordained a priest by Bishop Robert Joseph Banks for the Diocese of Green Bay at Saint Francis Xavier Cathedral in Green Bay.

Doerfler continued his studies at the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family at Catholic University, receiving his Licentiate in Sacred Theology in 1999. Banks named Doerfler as vice chancellor of the diocese in 1998. Doerfler served as the chaplain to Legatus and as a member of the diocesan college of consultors.

In 2012, Doerfler announced that self-declared transgender Catholics or Catholics in same-sex marriages could not receive baptism or communions unless they "repent".