The Superior Express -

Bishop Elect Rev. Erik T. Pohlmeier, of Little Rock, Arkansas, is the second man with ancestral ties to Lawrence appointed a Bishop of the Roman Catholic Church in about 13 months.  Both men had forefathers who were part of the history of the St. Stephen and Lawrence area.

Bishop Elect Pohlmeier will be ordained the 11th bishop of St. Augustine, Florida on July 22, 2022.

Father Pohlmeier was born July 20, 1971 in Colorado Springs, Colo. He was ordained to the priesthood on July 25, 1998. He had served a wide variety of duties in the Little Rock diocese most recently as pastor at Christ the King Parish in Little Rock, the largest parish in the diocese.

Rev. Pohlmeier is one of five children born to Tom and Sharon Pohlmeier. He is fluent in Spanish.

For his episcopal motto, Rev. Pohlmeier chose the phrase: "Seek first the kingdom of God."

A little more than a year ago, Bishop James Golka was ordained a Bishop of the Diocese of Colorado Spring, Colo. Bishop Golka's ancestry family names in the Lawrence area include Ostdiek, Brockman, Hoelting among others.

Lawrence history: The Pohlmeier family and the Golka ancestors both lived in the same general area in Germany before their immigration to America. However, they did not know each other in Germany as best we know.

The original Pohlmeier ancestor we know of came to America in the 1850s or 1860s. They lived in Iowa for a number of years before moving to Nebraska. Quite a number of other German families living in Iowa moved again in the late 1860s or later, this time to Nebraska.

Bishop Golka's ancestors (Ostdiek and Brockman) along with many other families whose names are familiar to the Lawrence area followed the same route to Nebraska.

In 1879, the great-great grandfather of Bishop elect Pohlmeier and the great-great grandfather (and two brothers) of Bishop Golka also moved to the St. Stephen -Lawrence area in Nebraska.

Then, in the year 1909 another migration took place. This time it was from the Lawrence area to Nazareth, Texas. Bishop Elect Pohlmeier's grandfather was part of this move while Bishop Golka's relatives were involved.

If the genealogy study of this reporter is correct, Bishop Pohlmeier is the fourth cousin to his generation of Pohlmeiers living in south central Nebraska, like Gene Pohlmeier, Kevin Pohlmeier, Lyle Pohlmeier and relatives.