The Most Reverend Robert L. Hodapp, S.J. | |
|---|---|
| Bishop of Belize | |
 | |
| Church | Catholic Church |
| Appointed | March 2, 1958 |
| In office | June 26, 1958 – November 11, 1983 |
| Predecessor | David Francis Hickey, S.J. |
| Successor | Osmond P. Martin |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | June 18, 1941 |
| Consecration | June 26, 1958 by Patrick Finbar Ryan,O.P. |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 1, 1910 |
| Died | October 26, 1989(1989-10-26) (aged 79) |
Robert Louis Hodapp, S.J. (October 1, 1910 – October 26, 1989) was anAmerican-bornbishop of theCatholic Church. He served as the secondBishop of Belize from 1958-1983.
Robert Hodapp was born inMankato, Minnesota, to George J. and Elizabeth M. (Schmidt) Hodapp. He was educated atLoyola High School in Mankato,St. Stanislaus Seminary inFlorissant, Missouri,Saint Louis University, andSt. Mary's College inKansas.[1]
He professed vows in theSociety of Jesus (Jesuits) in 1930 and was ordained a priest on June 18, 1941. In 1942 he arrived on theBelizemission where he taught atSt. John's College, did pastoral work atHoly Redeemer Cathedralparish, and became over-all superintendent of construction for the mission.[1]
On March 2, 1958Pope Pius XII appointed him as the Bishop of Belize (British Honduras). He was consecrated by Archbishop Patrick F. Ryan,O.P., ofPort of Spain on June 26, 1958. The principal co-consecrators were BishopsEdward A. Fitzgerald ofWinona andJohn J. McEleney, S.J., ofKingston in Jamaica.[2]Hodapp was the sixth bishop to serve in Belize and the second since it became a diocese. He was most unassuming, with little of the episcopal aura of the previous bishops and, with earthy simplicity, was perhaps the first bishop in Belize who seemed adapted to mission life from the moment he arrived in the country. He took right to his pastoral duties andConfirmation tours: "Bishop Hodapp travels by jeep, horseback, canoe (dory), boat, airplane, and on foot to reach the many people he administers Confirmation to each year."[3] He took a strong stand against the introduction ofcasinos and organized gambling into Belize. "When Bishop Hodapp was shot inNew Orleans … there was some speculation that it was because he opposed the casino package."[4] In 1959 he had begun turning over parishes todiocesan priests. By 1972 diocesan priests were running 6 parishes. In 1969 he named Fr. Facundo Castillo the first Belizean pastor of the cathedral parish andvicar general of the diocese.[5] In 1971 St. Ignatius parish covered the entire area west of downtown and south of Haulover Creek. Hodapp institutedSt. Martin de Porres parish for the western part of this area. In 2015 St. Martin's andSt. Peter Claver in Punta Gorda were the two parishes in Belize still pastored by Jesuits.
Hodapp attended all four sessions of theSecond Vatican Council. In line with the Council's decree on thelaity, he strove to activate the laity in the church.[6] He had orchestrated the country's first national gathering of lay ministers, on 9–11 March 1984 bringing together 255 lay ministers andcatechists, including 39Maya. During Hodapp's episcopacy five more groups of religious arrived in Belize. TheSociety of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity (SOLT) came in 1967 and have increased their presence ever since, focusing mainly on the communications apostolates. In 1969, theabbot and procurator of theBenedictinemonastery inSubiaco, Arkansas, paid a visit to study the viability of establishing amonastery in Belize. In 1971 they opened Santa Familia Monastery near Santa Elena in theCayo District. Then in 1975 the firstSisters of Charity of Nazareth came to Belize, focusing on health ministry and adult faith formation. Next the Missionaries of Our Lady of the Light, "Madrecitas," began their ministry in the remote villages of northern Belize.[5] Finally, Guadalupana Sisters fromYucatan served primarily in lay ministry in St. Francis Xavier Parish,Corozal Town, in the 1970s until 1989.[7] In March 1983Pope John Paul II visited all the countries ofCentral America, including Belize.[8] Hodapp's episcopacy covered more than 25 years until November 11, 1983, when the Pope accepted his resignation. He died at the age of 79 on October 26, 1989.[9]
| Catholic Church titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Bishop of Belize 1958–1983 | Succeeded by |