Bishop John W. Yanta dies on August 6, 2022 at the age of 90 by Archdiocese of San Antonio
Bishop
John W. Yanta, a prelate proud of his Polish heritage who traced his lineage to
the first settlers of Panna Maria, died in his residence in San Antonio on
August 6 -- the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord -- after years of
dealing with a number of serious health ailments with a resolute and prayerful
demeanor as he continued to lead and guide work on a number of endeavors close
to his heart.
The
first bishop of Polish background to be appointed to a Texas diocese, Bishop
John Yanta’s life had a typical American flavor. Born on Oct. 2, 1931, the
fifth of eight children, he grew up on a family farm-ranch in Runge. He
attended Runge public schools and religion classes at St. Anthony Church there
from first to seventh grades.
Bishop
Yanta’s roots went back to the Opole area of Silesia, Poland, the same area
that produced St. John Paul II. There was the typical immigrant connection --
his ancestors sold their possessions and purchased sailing-ship tickets to
America -- and Texas.
His
mother’s relatives came from the Pluznica area near Opole with the first 100
families who settled in Panna Maria in 1854. Panna Maria is the first permanent
Polish colony and Catholic church in the United States.
John
Andrew Yanta and Mary Magdalen Pollok were married on June 15, 1920, in the
parish church at Panna Maria. The bishop’s father died in 1971. The bishop’s
parents enjoyed 51 years of marriage. The couple’s first child was a girl,
Valeria. Seven sons followed -- Edwin, Ernest, Wilfred, John, Fabian
(deceased), Joseph James, and Vernon.
On
the farm, there were always chores. What free time the boys had was spent in
kicking ball or having playful fights. On Sundays there was the creek, fishing,
or swimming. They would hunt, too. A steady routine of hard work and simple fun
molded the entire family.
The
years at Runge public school were followed by two years at Central Catholic
High School and 10th grade at Maryhurst Normal Seminary in Kirkwood, Mo., where
he studied to be a Marianist priest. He changed to Assumption Seminary in San
Antonio in 1946 and completed his theology courses at Assumption Seminary in
San Antonio in 1956.
Bishop
Yanta always wanted to be a priest, and he never shared this with his family in
his early years. He said that he was a mischievious little boy and he knew his
brothers would have laughed at the idea of becoming a priest. His heroes were
priests. One was the pastor of St. Anthony’s in Runge, Father Charles Drees.
The other, a seminarian who spent his summers in Runge teaching religion to the
children of the parish before he was ordained, was Father Erwin Juraschek. It
was he who later invited the seminarian John Yanta to serve in the Archdiocese
of San Antonio.
John
was in the seminary the year their father was sick. The seminarian took a year
off to take over management of the ranch. It was a very critical year for him,
one in which he might easily have discontinued his path to the priesthood. The
future bishop, however, was very committed to his vocation.
He
was ordained to the priesthood on March 17, 1956, in San Fernando Cathedral by
Archbishop Robert E. Lucey. He celebrated his first Mass in St. Anthony’s in
Runge.
His
first assignment was as associate pastor of St. Ann’s Parish in San Antonio
from 1956-1962. In 1962 he was named director of the Catholic Youth
Organization (CYO). While serving in that capacity until 1968, he also served
as associate pastor of Our Lady of Grace, Holy Name, and St. Pius X parishes in
San Antonio.
He
was the founder of the San Antonio Neighborhood Youth Organization (SANYO) in
1965 and served as its executive director until 1971, when he was assigned to
the archdiocesan Office for the Laity.
His
initiation of SANYO (San Antonio Youth Organization) in 1965 was one of his
most cherished memories. He organized it for the benefit of the impoverished
youth of the city at the time of the War on Poverty during President Lyndon
Johnson’s administration.
“Part
of me died when SANYO closed,” he recalled, stating it was a program of great
fame and integrity.
In
1970-1971, Bishop Yanta went to Poland to study the country’s history and
culture and to improve his knowledge of the Polish language. “I have great
respect for the variety of ethnic cultures within the archdiocese. It was my
exposure to the Hispanic and Black cultures that made me realize that I knew
almost nothing of my own Polish heritage,” he said.
At
the time he was there, Poland was under Communist control and he marveled at
the strength of the Catholic Church and the Polish people. “I could understand
the euphoria of the Poles when Karol Wojtyla because the first Polish pope,” he
said.
Bishop
Yanta is a charter member of the Polish American Priests Association (PAPA) and
became its first national president in 1991. Highly active in several
Polish-American organizations, he was the coordinator of Pope John Paul II’s
visit with Panna Maria parishioners and Texas Polonia in 1987 at Assumption
Seminary.
In 1973,
then Msgr. Yanta was named pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in San Antonio.
In
addition, he was named editor-in-chief of Today’s Catholic, a
position he held until 1983. In 1981 he became archdiocesan director of
Communications.
When
the archdiocesan newspaper, Today’s
Catholic, was in danger of “fading out,” Bishop Yanta accepted the
position of editor-in-chief. “We got the newspaper back on its feet,” he said
with pride.
While
editor of the newspaper, he helped to get Catholic Television of San Antonio
(CTSA) off the ground in 1981.
With
an expressed sense of profound humility, Msgr. Yanta accepted a new appointment
as auxiliary bishop of the archdiocese at a press conference in the chancery on
October 27, 1994.
“I am
greatly honored by the confidence His Holiness, Pope John Paul II, has placed
in me,” he said.
“Divine
Providence has united Archbishop Patrick Flores and myself in a variety of ways
for many years,” he said. “To you, archbishop, I pledge my love, loyalty, and
obedience to serve you and all the members of our beautiful archdiocesan
family.”
When
he was appointed auxiliary bishop, Msgr. Yanta described himself as “happily
fulfilled in all my priestly assignments over these 38 years.”
He
especially paid tribute to his two pastorates, Sacred Heart Parish in the
city’s Westside and St. James the Apostle on the Southside, where he was
serving when he received his episcopal appointment.
He
was consecrated auxiliary bishop in a ceremony held Dec. 30, 1994, in Panna
Maria.
The
bishop had a reputation as an organizer and a “doer.” An action that brought
the bishop into public view was his jail sentence in 1993 for blocking the
entrance to the New Women’s Clinic abortion center on San Pedro Avenue. It was
the way he chose to observe the 20th anniversary of the Roe vs. Wade Supreme
Court ruling.
“It
was a non-Catholic, Jack DeVault, who got me actively involved in the Right to
Life movement,” he said. “He made me realize that I should do more than give
lip service to saving the lives of the unborn.” He added, “I guess you could
say I give 101 percent to any project I undertake.”
On
Jan. 21, 1997, Bishop Yanta was appointed prelate for the Diocese of Amarillo,
and became the bishop there on March 17, 1997. He retired on January 3, 2008,
and moved back to San Antonio.
Upon
his retirement, Bishop Yanta remained active, forming study groups, recording,
producing, and distributing CD’s that featured him reciting all the mysteries
of the rosary.
Bishop
Yanta faced a life-threatening illness in December 2017 which had him out of
commission for eight months, but he rebounded.
He
was honored on June 13, 2019 during a presidential welcome reception at Our
Lady of CzÄ™stochowa Church in Houston with the Commander’s Cross of the Order
of Merit of the Republic of Poland.
The
honor was presented to Bishop Yanta by President Andrzej Duda and First Lady
Agata Kornhauser-Duda. The decoration is awarded to non-citizens and those
living abroad for distinguished contributions to international cooperation and
was presented in recognition of Bishop Yanta’s numerous initiatives in the
Polish community.
Bishop
Yanta thanked President Duda and the First Lady, stating, “You honor us with
your presence — welcome to America and to Texas and its Polonia. I humbly
accept this prestigious award in the name of our Polish people living today in
Texas and throughout the USA, and in Poland.”
A
number of high-ranking Polish government officials were in attendance, along
with over 300 representatives from Texas Polish communities, churches and
organizations.
Later
that year, Bishop Yanta celebrated his 25th anniversary as a bishop on the
Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph on Sunday, Dec. 29,
2019.
The
Mass of celebration was held at the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin
Mary Church in Panna Maria, where he had been ordained as a bishop 25 years
earlier on the same feast day.
Archbishop
Gustavo Garcia-Siller, MSpS, was the homilist and Bishop Emeritus Michael
Pfeifer, OMI, of the Diocese of San Angelo was the principal celebrant.
Six
other priests served as concelebrants including Bishop Yanta’s seminarian
classmate: Msgr. Emil Wesselsky.
Bishop
Yanta had specifically picked the day of the Feast of the Holy Family for his
ordination and this jubilee celebration as a reflection of his deep commitment
to family.
For
most of his retirement, the bishop had been focused intensely on the
development of the Polish Heritage Center at Panna Maria, whose founding he has
spearheaded.
The
first step began in 2008 when Bishop Yanta first conceived of how to remember
his immigrant ancestors. He began to ask certain professionals how to bring
this discernment to fruition. He made contact with Steve Harding, who had
impressed him with his work in Sarita, Texas, for the Kenedy Memorial
Foundation.
Bishop
Yanta provided him with the “Blue Book,” which was a compilation of the
bishop’s Polish heritage. The book was an aid to Harding in his task of
bringing the bishop’s vision to life. Harding designed the concept that was
given to Morkovsky AIA to draw the plans that would become a reality.
In
April 2016, the land was cleared and ground as prepared for construction. The
task of constructing the building itself went to MJ Boyle Construction. The
structure of the Heritage Center would be “dried in” with the roofing laid in
place. From the outside the Center looked finished. But the hardest work lay ahead.
In
2018 Keller-Martin was contracted to finish the inside of the Center. Revisions
were made for technology on the Center, and the challenge of COVID also
impacted completion.
The
building houses and makes available a vast inventory about those who left
Poland. The goal is to provide professionally prepared genealogies including
church and civil primary records. Another ambitious endeavor will be to index
all scanned family photographs provided by descendants.
The
growing collection of families’ histories are located in the Genealogical and
Research Library, where patrons can conduct research. There is a growing
collection of books related not only to immigration history but also Polish
history, available in both English and Polish.
The
rotunda features a dome with a blue sky and painted gold stars, embedded with
Swarovski Crystals. In the band that circles the dome written in English,
Polish, and Spanish is the great command given by Jesus to his disciples, “Go
and make disciples of all nations.”
In the
middle of the lobby floor is a nine-foot diameter, terrazzo tri-seal medallion
featuring the seals of the United States of America, the Republic of Poland,
and the State of Texas.
The
Center celebrated its grand opening October 23-24, 2021.
In a
September 2021 interview with The
West Texas Catholic, newspaper of the Diocese of Amarillo, Bishop
Yanta was asked what advice he would give to young men discerning a vocation to
the priesthood and what advice he would also give to parents who might be
encouraging their sons to seek a vocation to the priesthood.
He
responded, “I think my answer to both the men who are discerning a vocational
call and to his parents are the same: do not presume whom God calls, He calls
all! Be supportive, be prayerful, look for the gift that God is calling on to
benefit His Church.”
On
March 18 of this year, Bishop Yanta was honored at the Hope for the
Future 13th Annual Khaki and Plaid Gala for championing Catholic education for
a lifetime and a recent significant financial gift to Catholic education.
Bishop
Yanta graced one of his former schools, St. James the Apostle Catholic School
of San Antonio, with a $500,000 challenge grant to assist the people there
towards their hope for additional classroom space.
“This
is indeed a tremendous gift from which we thank you from the depths of our
faith and from our hearts,” said Auxiliary Bishop Michael Boulette at the event
held at the Witte Museum. “Be blessed, Bishop Yanta, as you have been a
blessing to us in all these years of service.”
The
following week, on March 22, Bishop Yanta was again
recognized at the 20th Annual Catholic Television of San Antonio Leadership
Luncheon for his invaluable role in the founding of the station 40 years ago.
The bishop had been honored the previous year, in 2021, in a virtual event, but
the station wished for Bishop Yanta to receive recognition in a public setting
as the COVID-19 pandemic eased and allowed for an in-person gathering.
“There
are still a few of us around who remember the absolute excitement of the
presbyterate, mixed a little concern, over 40 years ago when the possibility of
having a Catholic television station in San Antonio was being discussed,” said
Bishop Boulette at the luncheon. “We had now Bishop John Yanta, Msgr. Larry
Stuebben, and our Ordinary, Bishop Patricio F. Flores, clearly celebrating the
challenge and embracing the vision.”
Archbishop
Gustavo added, “I want to pay tribute to some of the people who were critical
to the foundation of CTSA: Archbishop Patrick Flores, Bishop John Yanta,
Monsignor Larry Stuebben, Sister Charlene Wedelich, Deacon Pat Rodgers, and
others who directed the fledgling station in its early days.”
Funeral
arrangements for Bishop Yanta are currently pending.