Urban John Vehr

Urban John Vehr (May 30, 1891 – September 19, 1973) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Denver from 1931 to 1941. In 1941, he became the first archbishop of the new Archdiocese of Denver, serving in that post until 1967.

Biography

Early life The oldest of six children, Urban Vehr was born on May 30, 1891, in the Price Hill section of Cincinnati, Ohio, to Anthony and Catharine (née Hamann) Vehr. His father was a mechanical engineer. After graduating from St. Xavier College in Cincinnati, Urban Vehr studied theology at Mount St. Mary's Seminary of the West in the same city. After his ordination, Vehr was assigned as a curate at Holy Trinity Parish in Middletown, Ohio. He was transferred in 1923 to the College of Mount St. Joseph in Cincinnati to serve as its chaplain. He was installed on January 6, 1942; one attendee was Monsignor Giovanni Battista Montini (the future Pope Paul VI), who stayed in Vehr's residence.

Vehr was named as an assistant at the pontifical throne in 1955. Under the slogan of "Every Catholic Child in a Catholic School," he began a fundraising campaign to raise $3.5 million to acquire school sites and make additions to existing ones. In 1965, Vehr launched the Archdiocesan Development Program to accommodate Colorado's Catholic population, which had tripled in size since his arrival in 1931. He also erected 43 new parishes and expanded St. Thomas Seminary in Denver, which reached its peak enrollment of 274 seminarians during Vehr's tenure. Due to poor health, Vehr did not attend the Second Vatican Council sessions in Rome (1962–1965), but sent Auxiliary Bishop David Maloney instead.

Retirement and legacy On February 18, 1967, Pope Paul VI accepted Vehr's resignation as archbishop of Denver and appointed him titular archbishop of Masuccaba. He resigned his titular see on December 31, 1970.

Urban Vehr died in Denver on September 19, 1973, at age 82.