Fr. Thomas Bokenkotter: from Cincinnati to Rome

Fr. Thomas Bokenkotter: from Cincinnati to Rome

Fr. Thomas Bokenkotter grew up immersed in his Catholic faith.  He is one of seven children and a product of Catholic Education from grade school through his graduate studies.    Ordained in 1950 then sent to Rome for the STL in Theology from the Angelicum, Fr. Bokenkotter is a proud alumnus of both the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas and the University of Louvain in Belgium where he earned a doctorate in history.  

 

Fr. Bokenkotter has spent much of his life teaching at The Athenaeum (the seminary for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati), however, he is most proud of his work with the poor. He founded various soup kitchens, some of which continue to function today in the Over the Rhine neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio.   Today, Fr. Bokenkotter’s best known book is his latest, A Concise History of the Catholic Church. 

 

UPDATE from his niece:  Fr. Bokenkotter passed away on July 11, 2021 after a brief illness. He was 96 years old and always so proud of his education at the Angelicum.  May his soul and the souls of all the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace.