Carl A. Kemme
Carl Alan Kemme (born August 14, 1960) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. Since 2014, he has been serving as bishop of the Diocese of Wichita in Kansas. Early life and education. Carl Alan Kemme was born in Effingham, Illinois to Donald and Marita (Kortte) Kemme, who ran a farm near Shumway, Illinois. Carl Kemme has four brothers and one sister. Kemme attended Shumway Elementary School in Shumway and then Beecher High School in Beecher, Illinois. After deciding to study for the priesthood, Kemme transferred to St. Henry's Preparatory Seminary in Belleville, Illinois  where he finished high school. After high school, Kemme enrolled at Immaculate Conception Seminary in Springfield, Illinois. He later graduated from Cardinal Glennon College in St. Louis and Kenrick Seminary in St. Louis with a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Master of Divinity degree. Priesthood. Kemme was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Springfield at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception by Bishop Daniel L. Ryan on May 10, 1986. After his ordination, Kemme served as parochial vicar in the following parishes in Illinois: From 1992 to 1996, Kemme was named pastor of three parishes in Illinois: Kemme  served as the diocesan administrator of Our Lady of the Holy Spirit Parish in Mt. Zion, Illinois from 1996 to 1997. He was then appointed pastor of Holy Family Parish in Decatur, serving there for the next six years. While still at Holy Family, Kemme was appointed priest moderator of St. James Parish in Decatur for two years. In 2002, Kemme was named pastor St. Peter Parish in Petersburg, Illinois, staying there from 2002 to 2005. In 2002, Kemme was named as vicar general and moderator of the curia for the diocese; he would hold both positions until 2009. On  August 23, 2002 Pope John Paul II named Kemme a prelate of honor with the title monsignor. He was assigned as pastor of St. John Vianney Parish in Sherman, Illinois. In 2009, Kemme resigned as vicar general and moderator to become diocesan administrator sede vacante after the departure of Bishop George Lucas. With the installation of a new bishop in Springfield, Kemme returned to being vicar general and moderator, remaining in both roles until 2014. Episcopacy. Bishop of Wichita. On February 20, 2014, Pope Francis appointed Kemme as the eleventh bishop of the Diocese of Wichita. He was consecrated by  Archbishop Joseph Naumann on May 1, 2014, in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Wichita. Archbishop Lucas and Bishop Thomas Paprocki were the principal co-consecrators. On September 20, 2019, Kemme published a list of 15 priests that faced credible accusations of sexual abuse of minors. Eleven of the priests were deceased and the others were no longer in ministry. Kemme added this statement:Owning our past is the first step in building a new future, one in which we will continue to diligently work hard as we have been for many years now, so that these violations to  human dignity will never happen again. Many of the faithful will no doubt experience great anger in receiving this information. I share that anger.On November 1, 2021, Kemme placed Michael Schemm, a priest with Resurrection Parish in Bel Aire, Kansas, on suspension pending investigation. The diocese had received sexual abuse allegations again Schemm dating back to the 1990's. The diocese also forwarded the allegations to local police.