Bishop Francis F. Reh (1962-1964)

Francis Frederick Reh was born in the Bronx, New York, in 1911 to Gustave A. Reh and Elizabeth Hartnagel Reh. He attended Cathedral Preparatory Seminary in Queens, New York, St. Joseph’s Seminary in Yonkers, New York, and the Pontifical North American College in Rome, Italy. He was ordained into the priesthood in 1935.

In 1939, Reh was appointed as assistant chancellor of the Archdiocese of New York and as curate at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York. From 1941-1951, he was a professor of moral theology and canon law at St. Joseph’s Seminary. In 1951, he was appointed vice-chancellor of the Archdiocese of New York and by 1954, Reh was named a papal chamberlain by Pope Pius XII and vice-rector at the North American College in Rome. In 1962, Reh was consecrated as the ninth bishop of Charleston. Around the time of his installation in Charleston, Reh was assigned to the Commission of the Sacraments on the Second Vatican Council. As a result, he travelled extensively to Rome for council meetings and sessions. By 1964, Reh was appointed rector of the Pontifical North American College and made titular bishop of Macriana in Mauretania. In1968, he became the bishop of Saginaw, Michigan, until his retirement in 1980. Reh died in 1994.