George Hanus was born on May 26, 1940, in Brainard, Nebraska, to Leo A. and Kristine (née Polak) Hanus.[3] The third of eight children, he has three brothers and four sisters.[4] He received his early education at parochial schools in Dwight, Nebraska, and Bellwood, Nebraska, Hanus graduated from St. John Vianney Seminary in Elkhorn, Nebraska in 1958.[5][6]
Hanus was ordained to the priesthood in the Order of Saint Benedict by Archbishop Gerald Bergan on July 30, 1966.[3]After his ordination, Hanus taught scholastic theology at Conception Seminary College from 1967 to 1969.[7] He studied moral theology at Princeton University, earning a Master of Arts degree in 1972.[8] Hanus then returned to Conception Seminary, where he served as professor of religion from 1973 to 1976.[7] From 1974 to 1976, Hanus was an adjunct professor of moral theology at the Pontifical University of St. Anselm.[7]
Hanus was elected the sixth abbot of Conception Abbey on January 5, 1977, and received the abbatial blessing the next day.[2] In addition to his role as abbot, he served as abbot president of the Swiss-American Congregation, to which the abbey belongs, from 1984 to 1987.[9]
On August 23, 1994, John Paul II appointed Hanus as the coadjutor archbishop of the Diocese of Dubuque. He was installed on October 27, 1994.[3] In 1995, Archbishop Daniel Kucera sent his letter of resignation as archbishop of Dubuque to Pope John II, On October 16, 1995, Hanus automatically succeeded Kucera as the 11th bishop and 9th archbishop of Dubuque.
As archbishop, Hanus implemented a strategic planning process throughout the archdiocese. He spoke to people in the archdiocese via videotaped messages played at mass in all the parishes. Parishioners were given opportunities to respond and express their own views. Hanus then issued a vision statement, which spelled out his plans for the archdiocese. These plans included an increased role for the laity in leadership roles,[10] necessitated by the priest shortage and the changing demographics of the archdiocese. These conditions also forced Hanus to combine and close a number of parishes.[11]
On February 1, 2006, Hanus announced a $5 million legal settlement for 26 victims of sexual abuse by priests in the 1950s and 1960s in the archdiocese. Six deceased priests were mentioned in the document; the one living priest who was listed has since been laicized.[12]
On May 12, 2008, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement raided the Agriprocessors meat packing plant in Postville, Iowa, detaining 398 employees who were overwhelmingly of Latino descent.[13] In the wake of the raid, Hanus called for comprehensive immigration reform.[14] He called on those attending at a prayer service to remember the scriptures "to treat the alien in your midst like your brother or sister, and that when you receive the alien, the foreigner, you are welcoming Christ."[15]
In February 2012. Hanus suffered serious chest injuries when his car rolled over twice in a crash. Those injuries caused recurring body spasms that required hospitalizations and resulted in more arthritic pain.[16]
Retirement and legacy
Hanus submitted his resignation as archbishop for health reasons, which Pope Francis accepted. On April 8, 2013, Hanus announced that Francis had appointed Bishop Michael Jackels of the Diocese of Wichita to succeed him.[17] Hanus acted as apostolic administrator for the archdiocese until Jackels was installed on May 30, after which he resumed his life as a monk in Missouri.[18]
In April 2013, Hanus was scheduled to make a deposition in two sexual abuse lawsuits against Conception Abbey. The plaintiffs were two Missouri men who claimed that in the 1980s Reverend Bede Parry, a priest at the abbey, had abused them as boys. Hanus served as abbot of Conception Abbey during that period. The lawsuits claimed that Hanus met with Perry in 1981, before the alleged abuses occurred. In that meeting, Perry confessed to "inappropriate sexual relationships" with minors. Hanus ordered Perry to undergo psychological counseling, but allowed him to continue as the youth choir director. According to Perry, Hanus told him not to do it again.[16]
^Wiedemann, Katie Wiedemann (April 8, 2013). "New Archbishop of Dubuque Named". KCRG. Archived from the original on June 29, 2013. Retrieved November 1, 2023.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
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