Lambert Anthony Hoch

Lambert Anthony Hoch (February 6, 1903 – June 27, 1990) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Bismarck (1952-1956) and Bishop of Sioux Falls (1956-1978).

Biography

Lambert Hoch was born in Elkton, South Dakota, to George and Philomena (née Kniest) Hoch. After graduating from Elkton High School, he entered Creighton University at Omaha, Nebraska in 1920. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Creighton in 1924, and then studied theology at St. Paul Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. He was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Bernard Joseph Mahoney on May 30, 1928.

Hoch then served as a professor of philosophy at Columbus College until 1929, when he became a curate at Immaculate Conception Church in Watertown. In 1933 he was named chancellor of the Diocese of Sioux Falls. In addition to his duties as chancellor, he served as chaplain of McKennan Hospital for eleven years. He was raised to the rank of Domestic Prelate of His Holiness in 1943.

On January 23, 1952, Hoch was appointed the third Bishop of Bismarck, North Dakota, by Pope Pius XII. He received his episcopal consecration on the following March 25 from Archbishop Amleto Giovanni Cicognani, with Bishops William O. Brady and Francis Joseph Schenk serving as co-consecrators. He was the first native South Dakotan to become a Catholic bishop. Hoch was installed by Archbishop John Murray at the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit on April 2, 1952. During his four-year-long tenure, he worked to promote vocations to the priesthood and religious life; between 1952 and 1960, 29 priests were ordained for the diocese and 13 for Assumption Abbey in Richardton.

Following the promotion of Bishop William O. Brady to Coadjutor Archbishop of St. Paul, Hoch was named the fifth Bishop of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, on November 27, 1956. He was installed on the following December 5. He attended all four sessions of the Second Vatican Council between 1962 and 1965, and dedicated much of his administration to implementing the Council's reforms. He fostered ecumenical relations with other faiths and helped establish the South Dakota Association of Christian Churches. In 1963 he baptized and confirmed the Fischer quintuplets, who were the first known surviving set of American quintuplets.

After reaching the mandatory retirement age of 75, Hoch resigned as bishop on June 13, 1978. He later died after a long illness at McKennan Hospital, aged 87.

References

Catholic Church titles
Preceded by Vincent James Ryan	Bishop of Bismarck 1952—1956	Succeeded by Hilary Baumann Hacker
Preceded by William O. Brady	Bishop of Sioux Falls 1956—1978	Succeeded by Paul Vincent Dudley