Peter Joseph Baltes

Peter Joseph Baltes (April 7, 1827 – February 15, 1886) was a German-born American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as bishop of Alton in Illinois from 1870 until his death in 1886.

Biography

Early life Peter Bates was born on April 7, 1827, in Ensheim, Rhenish Palatinate in the Kingdom of Bavaria (today a part of Germany). He was the fourth child of the carpenter and tinsmith Andreas Baltes and his wife Susanna née Walljan. In 1833, the family emigrated to the United States, settling in Oswego, New York.

After attending the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, to study classics, Baltes entered Saint Mary of the Lake Seminary in Chicago, Illinois. He completed his studies for the priesthood at the Grand Seminary of Montreal in Montreal, Quebec. After his ordination, Baltes returned to Chicago, where he received a pastoral assignment to a parish in Waterloo, Illinois. In a reorganization in 1857, Belleville became part of the new Diocese of Alton and Baltes was incardinated there.

Baltes held annual spiritual retreats with his clergy. Contemporary accounts described him as an enthusiastic teacher, a tough disciplinarian and a strong defended of church doctrine. He banned contemporary music from church services, replacing it with the Gregorian chant and Cecilian music. In January 1884, 27 nuns died in a fire at the Convent of the Sisters of Notre Dame in Belleville. Baltes attended the funeral mass there, but was too sick to celebrate it. Long suffering from diseases of the kidneys, bladder, and liver, Baltes was also unable to attend the Third Plenary Council of Baltimore in 1884.

Death In the summer of 1885, Baltes traveled to a resort on the Atlantic coast at his doctor's recommendation. However, he soon became incapacitated and spent two months in hospitals in New York City and Montreal. In September 1885, Baltes was well enough to return to Alton, but then suffered a relapse. He recovered again, but on February 12, 1886, became very ill.

Peter Baltes died from liver disease on February 15, 1886, in Alton at age 58.