Obit: Reding, William Rt. Rev. (1865 - 1945)

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Surnames: Reding, Bartholome, Hofacker, Wollmering

----Sources: Colby Phonograph (Colby, Clark County, Wis.) 06/28/1945

Reding, William Rt. Rev. (19 Feb. 1865 - 23 June 1945)

Funeral services were conducted this Thursday morning in Wisconsin Rapids for the Rt. Rev. Msgr. William Reding, age 80, resigned pastor of St. Peter and Paul Catholic church at Wisconsin Rapids, who died Saturday, at 10:45 A.M., at St. Joseph’s Hospital at Marshfield.

Monsignor Reding, whose April 1 resignation would have been effective July 1, entered the Marshfield, Wisconsin Hospital April 2, after having suffered from a progressive paralysis for the past two years.

The Most Rev. Peter W. Bartholome, bishop of St. Cloud, Minn., will officiate at the 10:30 o’clock Pontifical High Mass, assisted by numerous other priests, and internment will be made in Calvary cemetery.

The Wisconsin Rapids monsignor was born Feb. 19, 1865, in the town of Rochette, province of Luxembourg, Germany, and came to the United States with his parents when only two months old. The family settled at Hastings, Minn.

Father Reding entered St. John’s University near St. Cloud when he was 18 and combined medical courses with his classical studies. Two years later he entered Campion College, Prairie du Chien, graduating three years later, and finishing his preparation for the priesthood at St. Francis Seminary in St. Cloud.

He was ordained into the ministry June 20, 1893, at St. Cloud, Minn., his death occurring a day before he would have completed 52 years of service in the priesthood.

In 1932 Father Reding was invested as monsignor and domestic prelate to his Holiness, the late Pope Pius XI.

Before going to Wisconsin Rapids in 1906, Monsignor Reding served as pastor at Eau Galle, Spring Valley, and Colby, and was missionary priest to churches in Farm Hill, Plum City, Ellsworth, and Abbotsford, all in Wisconsin.

The silver jubilee of his first mass was observed June 29th, 1938. His parish also helped him celebrate the 40th anniversary of his first mass, and in 1937 a testimonial dinner was given in observance of his completion of 30 years of service at St. Peter and Paul. His 80th birthday was celebrated this year.

Among the events scheduled June 24, 1943, for his 50th golden jubilee was a community gathering at Lincoln Fieldhouse at Wisconsin Rapids. At the time of his golden jubilee, Monsignor Reding had performed 1,300 marriages, 4,000 infant and adult baptismals, and had read nearly 20,000 masses. In addition, he had been instrumental in converting about 1,000 people to Catholicism.

Only survivors of the aged priest are two sisters, Mrs. Alois Hofacker, Elmwood, and Mrs. Hubert Wollmering, Hastings, Minn.