William A. Jurgens (July 3, 1928 — September 1, 1982) was an American Roman Catholic priest, composer, historian, musician, and translator of patristic and other works.
Early life
He was born July 3, 1928, in Akron, Ohio, to Charles B. and Ruth C. ( Gardner) Jurgens. He had two brothers (Charles and James) and two sisters (Donna and Jeanne).
Jurgens attended Immaculate Conception Elementary School and then St. Vincent High School in Akron, where he was president of the National Honor Society. He graduated in 1946.
Jurgens then attended St. Joseph Minor Seminary in Westmont, Illinois, before completing his religious studies at St. Mary Seminary in Wickliffe, Ohio. A talented organist, he played the instrument at Our Lady of Victory Church in Tallmadge, Ohio, while attending seminary.
At the time of his ordination, Macmillan published his translation of St. John Chrysostom treatise On the Priesthood. Jurgens left Cleveland in 1956 and began studying sacred music at the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music and ecclesiastical history at Gregorian University, both in Rome, Italy. Less than two months later, he was assigned to the faculty of St. Mary's Seminary where he was professor of patrology. He was given an additional assignment teaching at Borromeo Seminary in Wickliffe in 1961. He was appointed instructor of chant at both seminaries in 1965. He served as director until 1968. and was named the first chairman
Bishop Clarence Issenmann made Jurgens his secretary in 1974. Catholic writer Karl Keating says it ranks with Joseph Tixeront's History of Dogmas and Johannes Quasten Patrology as a fundamental collection of patrological works, the "premier work of its kind" and "prime reading for the apologist". Jurgens and Tixeront cover the same years, more so than Quasten. Jurgens' work is more inclusive and contains works from a greater variety of authors. Reviewing The Faith of the Early Fathers, scholar Herbert T. Mayer applauded the work's inclusiveness, the inclusion of canons and decrees, the length of excerpts (longer than in most works), Jurgens' doctrinal analysis, and the index (missing in many other works). He called it "a good history of the Christian church" suitable for seminaries.
Musical works
Jurgens was considered a composer and musician of some skill.