William Joseph Dendinger

Styles of
**William Joseph Dendinger**
Styles of; William Joseph Dendinger
Reference style	His Excellency; The Most Reverend;
Spoken style	Your Excellency
Religious style	Bishop

His Excellency, The Most Reverend

William Joseph Dendinger
His Excellency, The Most Reverend; William Joseph Dendinger
Bishop Emeritus of Grand Island
	Dendinger as the 13th Chief; of US Air Force chaplains
Diocese	Grand Island
Appointed	October 14, 2004
Installed	December 13, 2004
Retired	January 14, 2015
Predecessor	Lawrence James McNamara
Successor	Joseph G. Hanefeldt
Orders
Ordination	May 29, 1965; by Gerald Thomas Bergan
Consecration	December 13, 2004; by Elden Francis Curtiss, Fabian Bruskewitz, and Lawrence James McNamara
Personal details
Born	May 20, 1939 (age 85); Coleridge, Nebraska
Education	Immaculate Conception Seminary; Aquinas Institute of Theology; Creighton University
Motto	Justice with mercy

William Joseph Dendinger (born May 20, 1939) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church.^[1]^[2]^[3] Appointed by Pope John Paul II, he served as bishop of the Diocese of Grand Island in Nebraska from December 13, 2004, until January 14, 2015.

Before his appointment as bishop, Dendinger served 31 years in the United States Air Force Chaplain Corps, eventually becoming chief of the Corps.

Biography

Early years

William Dendinger was born on May 20, 1939, in Coleridge, Nebraska, the youngest of the six children of David and Regina Dendinger. Raised on a farm, he was a member of the first graduating class of Mount Michael High School in Elkhorn, Nebraska, in 1957. Dendinger then studied at the Immaculate Conception Seminary in Conception, Missouri, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy in 1961.^[4] Dendinger then entered the Aquinas Institute of Theology in Dubuque, Iowa, earning his Master of Theology degree in 1964.^[4]

Priesthood

On May 29, 1965, Dendinger was ordained by Archbishop Gerald Bergan to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Omaha.^[4] After his ordination, Dendinger taught at St. Edward Central Catholic High School in Elgin, Nebraska. He obtained his Master of Science in counseling degree from Creighton University in 1969.^[4]

US Air Force chaplain

In 1970, Dendinger was commissioned into the United States Air Force Chaplain Corps. After four men from Elgin died during the Vietnam War, he had decided to become a military chaplain.^[5] During his time in the Chaplain Corps, Dendinger was assigned as base chaplain at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama, Yokota Air Base in Tokyo, Japan, Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, Mather Air Force Base in Sacramento, California and Hahn Air Base in West Germany.^[6]

In 1974, Dendinger was appointed cadet wing chaplain at the U.S. Air Force Academy, serving there for four years.^[6] He also served on the chaplain resource board for the U.S. Air Force Chaplain Service Institute at Maxwell AFB from 1982 to 1985. In 1995, Dendinger was appointed deputy chief of the Chaplain Corps, stationed in Washington, D.C. In 1997, he became as chief of the Chaplain Corps in Washington.^[6] Dendinger retired from the Air Force in 2001 as a two-star general. His first civilian posting was as pastor of St. Stephen the Martyr Parish in Omaha.^[4]

Bishop of Grand Island

On October 14, 2004, Pope John Paul II appointed Dendinger as bishop of Grand Island. He was consecrated at St. Mary's Cathedral in Grand Island, Nebraska, on December 13, 2004, by Archbishop Elden Curtiss. Bishops Fabian Bruskewitz and Lawrence McNamara served as co-consecrators.^[7]^[4]

Retirement

On January 14, 2015, Pope Francis accepted Dendinger's letter of resignation as bishop of Grand Island and appointed Monsignor Joseph G. Hanefeldt as his replacement.^[6]^[4] After retirement, Dendinger celebrated masses in diocese churches for priests on vacation.^[5]

Awards and military decorations

Badge	Air Force Christian Chaplain Badge
1st Row		Air Force Distinguished Service Medal
2nd Row	Legion of Merit with one bronze oak leaf cluster	Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters	Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster
3rd Row	Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with three oak leaf clusters	National Defense Service Medal with one bronze service star	Air Force Overseas Ribbon - Short
4th Row	Air Force Overseas Ribbon - Long with oak leaf cluster	Air Force Longevity Service Award Ribbon with silver and bronze oak leaf clusters	Air Force Training Ribbon

References

^ "CHAPLAIN (MAJ. GEN.) WILLIAM J. DENDINGER > U.S. Air Force > Biography Display". www.af.mil. United States: United States Air Force. Retrieved 2019-06-07.
^ "Bishop William Joseph Dendinger [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Catholic-Hierarchy.org. Archived from the original on 2018-08-06. Retrieved 2019-06-07.
^ "Photochart of USAF Leadership (as of Sept. 1, 1997)" (PDF). media.defense.gov. United States: United States Department of Defense.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g "Former Bishops". Catholic Diocese of Grand Island. Retrieved 2021-11-27.
^ ^a ^b Service, Jeff Bahr BH News. "Retired bishop helps out whenever he can. Retirement for bishop emeritus also includes golf". Lexington Clipper-Herald. Retrieved 2021-11-27.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Reutter, Harold (January 9, 2015). "Dendinger resigns as bishop, successor to be named next week". The Grand Island Independent. Retrieved 2021-11-27.
^ Bockoven, Mike. "Bishop Dendinger ordained". The Grand Island Independent. Retrieved 2021-11-27.

External links

Episcopal succession

Catholic Church titles
Preceded by Lawrence James McNamara	Bishop of Grand Island 2004–2015	Succeeded by Joseph G. Hanefeldt
Preceded by Arthur S. Thomas	Chief of Chaplains of the United States Air Force 1995–1997	Succeeded by Lorraine K. Potter