Dietz, Peter Ernest
- Steven M. Avella
Extract
Dietz, Peter Ernest (10 July 1878–11 October 1947), Roman Catholic priest and labor activist, was born in New York City, the son of Frederick Dietz, a varnisher, and Eva Kern. His parents had emigrated from Bavaria, and the family was large and poor. After attending parish schools and a series of Catholic colleges in Pennsylvania and New York, Dietz, in 1900, entered the novitiate of the missionary community of the Society of the Divine Word in Moedling, Germany. Two years later, however, hoping to found a new religious order, he withdrew from the community. His plans came to naught, and in 1903 he returned to the United States, subsequently studying at Catholic University and at St. Mary’s Seminary in Baltimore. Dietz affiliated himself with the diocese of Cleveland, Ohio, and was ordained to the priesthood by Cardinal ...
