Joseph Matthew Breitenbeck
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Styles of Joseph M. Breitenbeck |
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| Reference style | The Most Reverend |
| Spoken style | Your Excellency |
| Religious style | Monsignor |
Joseph Matthew Breitenbeck (August 3, 1914 – March 12, 2005) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He was the eighth Bishop of Grand Rapids from 1969 to 1989, having previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Detroit (1965–69).
Breitenbeck was born in Detroit, Michigan, one of seven children of Matthew Joseph and Mary Agnes (née Quinlan) Breitenbeck. His father lost his job during the Great Depression, and two of his brothers also entered the priesthood. After graduating from Holy Redeemer High School, he began studying pre-law at the University of Detroit in 1932. However, he abandoned his ambitions for a legal career after a priest suggested he consider the priesthood.
In 1935, Breitenbeck enrolled at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Sacred Heart in 1938, and continued his studies in Rome at the Pontifical North American College and the Pontifical Gregorian University. In 1940, he was forced to leave Rome following the outbreak of World War II. He transferred to the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., where he earned a Licentiate of Sacred Theology in 1942.
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