Charles Herman Helmsing

Charles Herman Helmsing (March 23, 1908 – December 20, 1993) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as bishop of the Diocese of Kansas City–St.

He worked as secretary and master of ceremonies for Cardinal Ritter and took on a number of other positions, including director of the Diocesan Society for the Propagation of the Faith.

In his installation homily on April 3, 1962, Helmsing explained his motto: "In the sacrifice of the Cross, Christ our Lord identified Himself with the Old Testament servant of Yahweh, the slave of Almighty God, foretold by the prophets.

Helmsing returned to Kansas City, where he supported civil rights and brought home the documents of the Second Vatican Council and was responsible for implementing them in the diocese.

In the late 1960s, Helmsing objected most specifically to the paper's strong stands against the Church’s magisterium on artificial birth control, priestly celibacy, as well as its criticism of the hierarchy, citing an imbalance by the Reporter in its news coverage.

In the fall of 2006, Bishop Robert W. Finn named a new adult faith formation initiative in the Diocese of Kansas City-Saint Joseph after Helmsing.