07/01/2025
READ: OBITUARY OF THE MOST REVEREND CARL F. MENGELING, EMERITUS BISHOP OF LANSING, (1930 - 2025) RIP: The late Carl Frederick Mengeling was born October 22, 1930, in Hammond, Indiana, to Carl H. and Augusta Huke Mengeling, who were both German immigrants. He was the second of four children. At the age of nine, Bishop Mengeling was baptized a Catholic. Up to that time he had been raised as a Lutheran. He attended St. Mary Elementary School in Griffith, Indiana and graduated from Griffith High School in 1948. He attended St. Meinrad College and Seminary in St. Meinrad, Indiana, staffed by the Benedictines.
Bishop Mengeling was ordained a priest by Bishop Andrew G. Grutka, May 25, 1957 at the Cathedral of the Holy Angels in Gary, Indiana. This was the first ordination class of the newly formed Diocese of Gary in northwest Indiana. He served as the associate pastor of St. Mark Parish, Gary from 1957–1961. He was then sent to Rome for advanced studies. Bishop received a License in Sacred Theology from the Angelicum University and a Doctorate in Sacred Theology from the Alfonsianum Academy. He was in Rome for the opening of the Second Vatican Council and served as a page during the council sessions
Upon his return to the states in 1964, Bishop Mengeling was assigned to teach at Bishop Noll High School in Hammond, St. Joseph Calumet College in East Chicago, Indiana and St. Procopius Seminary in Lisle, Illinois.
He returned to full time parish work serving as pastor of All Saints Parish in Hammond from 1968–1970, Holy Name Parish in Cedar Lake from 1970-1971, Nativity of Our Savior in Portage 1971-1985, and St. Thomas More Parish in Munster 1985-1995. Bishop Mengeling was named a Monsignor in June 1984. His involvement in the Gary Diocese included chairing the Diocesan Worship Commission, the Institute of Religious, and the Vocations Committee. He also served on the Presbyteral Council, the Ecumenical Commission and the Permanent Diaconate Formation Team.
On November 7, 1995, Bishop Mengeling was appointed to succeed Kenneth J. Povish as Bishop of Lansing. He was the first priest of the Gary Diocese to be elevated to the episcopacy. He was ordained a bishop on January 25, 1996 at St. Mary Cathedral, Lansing, by Cardinal Adam Maida. The co-concelebrants were Kenneth J. Povish, retired Bishop of Lansing, and Dale J. Melczek, coadjutor Bishop of Gary.
Bishop Mengeling chose the words of St. John the Baptist as his episcopal motto “He must increase!”.
Bishop Mengeling’s focus during his first years in Lansing was the implementation of Pope John Paul the Great’s apostolic letter Tertio Millennio Adveniente to prepare the entire diocese for the third millennium of Christianity.
An outgrowth of the millennium preparations was the creation of the Office of Pastoral Planning which was inaugurated at the Chrism Mass in 1999. The diocesan strategic pastoral planning process entitled “Voices” was conducted and the resulting goals for the future were promulgated by Bishop Mengeling in November 2001. The reorganization of central services resulted from this process.
The nationally award-winning magazine, Faith, was instituted in January 2000 as a means to help people deepen their faith in Jesus Christ and to build His Body, the Church. As a Jubilee 2000 gift from the diocese, each Catholic household in the diocese received a one year subscription. Bishop Mengeling was a regular contributor to the magazine.
Our youth are the future of the Church. In 1999, Bishop Mengeling met with the Knights of Columbus leadership in the diocese and shared his vision for a special center for youth on the campus of St. Francis Retreat Center in DeWitt. Bishop Mengeling presided at the blessing of Bethany House on the diocesan feast day, December 8, 2001.
Bishop Mengeling faced some very difficult times as bishop. In 2000 a sexual abuse policy was put in place by the diocese well ahead of the national sexual abuse scandal of 2002. In response to this tragedy, the Bishop instituted in 2003, the Virtus program in the diocese as part of an effort to create a safe environment for the protection of our children and young people. Bishop was also a part of the healing retreats offered at St. Francis Retreat Center for victims of sexual abuse.
Vocations always were a priority of Bishop Mengeling. He encouraged the development of the Catholic Identity and Mission Campaign in 2005. He commissioned 96 Lay ecclesial members and ordained 43 permanent deacons and 33 priests. Bishop Mengeling also presided at the first final profession ceremonies for communities of women religious of the Servants of God’s Love and the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist. Each year the Bishop met with the Prioress of the Adrian Dominican and her council. At the national level he served for a number of years on the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops subcommittees on the permanent diaconate, priestly formation and campus ministry.
As an educator and a pastor, Bishop was a strong supporter of Catholic Schools. As pastor of Nativity of Our Savior Parish in Portage, Indiana, in the 1970’s, he built a school before building a church. Bishop Mengeling brought this enthusiasm for Catholic Schools to Lansing. As a result of the Voices process, he worked with pastors, diocesan staff and education commissions to make Catholic Schools more accessible, available and affordable. During his episcopacy, the new Father Gabriel Richard High School in Ann Arbor was built. Bishop Mengeling appointed priest chaplains to all four diocesan high schools to ensure solid Catholic identity and deepened spiritual life.
Believing that building projects give people a sense of ownership and responsibility for the church, he encouraged pastors to build new churches. Bishop Mengeling dedicated 12 churches, three new altars, six chapels at diocesan institutions, a perpetual adoration chapel in Lansing, two mausoleums, three education centers and a family center.
When the Hispanic parishes in Lansing and Flint opened their new facilities, Bishop joined in their celebrations and the Vietnamese community was very excited when Bishop Mengeling created their parish in 1998. Bishop Mengeling joined the Black Catholic Community in rejoicing at the opening of their new church in Flint, in 2002. In 2002, diocesan staff helped coordinate the hosting of the Native American Conference at Michigan State University and Bishop Mengeling celebrated one of the liturgies.
Bishop reached out to minorities and groups often forgotten in our society. He celebrated Mass for inmates in county, state and federal facilities. He frequently went to the migrant camps to celebrate the Sacraments for farm laborers.
Bishop celebrated his 50th anniversary to the priesthood on October 16, 2007. The celebration was delayed because of the discovery and surgery for bladder cancer.
In his retirement, he returned to his love of teaching offering classes in Sacred Scripture to the novices of the Dominican Sister of Mary Mother of the Eucharist in Ann Arbor and the Sisters of Mercy in Ann Arbor. St. Gerard and St. Mary Cathedral were the parishes at which he most often served as substitute priest. He also gave parish missions. He was sought after as a retreat master for seminarians, priests and religious across the country, even in Germany and Rome. More recently he was a presenter at conferences for the Year of Faith and the New Evangelization held in Ga***rd, Alma and Hamburg.
Bishop Mengeling died in the early hours of July 1, 2025, in Mother Teresa House for the Care of the Terminally Ill in Lansing.
Those who mourn his loss are his family, the faithful and the clergy of the Diocese of Lansing. He is survived by his sister Carolyn (Milan) Tomich of Crown Point, Indiana; brother William of Crown Point, Indiana, and several nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his parents, his sister, Elfrieda Markiewicz, nephew, Michael Markiewicz and niece, Lorna Mengeling.
In lieu of flowers, Bishop Mengeling has requested that donations be made to Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Lansing. Click here for link to charities: https://www.dioceseoflansing.org/catholic-charities
