John Luers

John Henry Luers (born Johann Heinrich Luers; September 29, 1819 – June 29, 1871) was an American Catholic prelate who served as the first Bishop of Fort Wayne from 1858 until his death in 1871.

Early life and education Luers was born on September 29, 1819, in Lutten, a town near Münster in the Grand Duchy of Oldenburg, which is part of the present-day Goldenstedt, in the German state of Lower Saxony. He was the son of Arnold Heinrich and Maria Elisabeth (née Kröger) Luers. They were parishioners at St. Augustine's Church in nearby Minster. Luers then studied at St. Francis Xavier Seminary in Brown County. His first and only assignment as a priest was as pastor of St. Joseph's Church in Cincinnati, a parish for German-speaking immigrants.

As pastor, Luers finished the construction of the church at Linn and Laurel Streets, added a parochial school, and eliminated the parish's debt. He also baptized Henry K. Moeller, the future Archbishop of Cincinnati.

Bishop of Fort Wayne

In January 1857, the Diocese of Fort Wayne was erected from the Diocese of Vincennes, comprising the northern half of Indiana. In April of that year, Archbishop Purcell submitted to Rome a terna, or list of three candidates, to serve as the diocese's first bishop—Revs. Luers, Julian Benoit, and Pirmin Everhard. The Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith (which then oversaw the affairs of the Church in the United States) nominated Luers on the following August 31, and Pope Pius IX confirmed his appointment on September 22. It also included the University of Notre Dame, run by the Congregation of Holy Cross. By the end of his tenure, the diocese contained 69 priests, 75 churches, and 50,000 Catholics. In 1863, he held a diocesan synod at the University of Notre Dame in which he established the laws and constitution for the diocese, including the elimination of trusteeism.

His Requiem Mass was celebrated by Bishop De Saint Palais at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, with Archbishop Purcell delivering the eulogy. He was buried in the crypt of the cathedral.

The Franciscan Order founded Bishop Luers High School in 1958 in Fort Wayne.