Peter William Bartholome

Biography

Early life Peter Bartholome was born in Bellechester, Minnesota, the youngest son of Nicholas and Catherine (née Jacobs) Bartholome, who were Luxembourgian immigrants. His mother, who died at age 103, was the first woman named Catholic Mother of the Year by the National Catholic Conference on Family Life in 1942 and received the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice medal in 1952.

Bartholome received his early education at St. Mary's Grade School in Bellechester (1898-1905) before attending public school in Goodhue, Minnesota, from 1906 to 1908. He studied at Campion College in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1914. His first assignment was as a curate at St. John the Evangelist Parish in Rochester, Minnesota, where he remained for two years. Between 1962 and 1965, he attended the Second Vatican Council.

Retirement and legacy Bartholome's resignation as bishop of the Diocese of Saint Cloud was accepted by Pope Paul VI on January 31, 1968.