BINZ, Leo

BINZ, Leo (Most Reverend). (Stockton, IL-North Oaks, IL, Oct. 9, 1979). Archbishop. Binz served as sixth Archbishop of Dubuque from 1954 to 1962. A LORAS COLLEGE graduate in 1916, Binz served from 1936 to 1942 as secretary to the apostolic delegate in Washington, D.C. He worked on committees dealing with bishops and the governance of dioceses before, during, and after the Second Vatican Council.

Binz was appointed coadjutor to the Most Reverend Henry P. ROHLMAN, the Archbishop of Dubuque in 1949. During the years Binz was archbishop, the enrollment of the archdiocese elementary through high schools increased from 23,000 to 40,000. Parishes spent over $25 million in renovations to their educational facilities.

Binz has been credited with encouraging the development of eleven Catholic high schools in the archdiocese including WAHLERT HIGH SCHOOL and the consolidation of smaller high schools. He was also instrumental in establishing the North American Martyrs Retreat House in Cedar Falls, Iowa, (1960) and directing the expansion of Catholic Charities' services. To aid small parishes in the archdiocese, Binz founded the Rural Life Committee.

During the Vatican Council (1962-1965), Binz worked on committees considering changes in the teachings of the Catholic Church concerning birth control. Said to be the first priest of the Rockford diocese to become a bishop, Binz left Dubuque in 1962 to head the archdiocese of St. Paul-Minneapolis. He was succeeded in Dubuque by the Most Reverend James J. BYRNE.