Draft:Charles Kram
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Charles William Kram Jr. (September 30, 1929 – August 13, 2000) was an American Catholic priest of the Diocese of Victoria. Paralyzed by polio soon after his ordination to the subdiaconate in 1952, Kram waited 23 years for permission to be ordained a priest. During that time, he evangelized over ham radio. After the Second Vatican Council, loosening of restrictions allowed for his priestly ordination. He was ordained a priest on December 5, 1975. He served as a chaplain at Yoakum Community Hospital in Yoakum, Texas for two decades. A group in the Diocese of Victoria has put him forward as a candidate for sainthood.
- Archdiocese of San Antonio
- Diocese of Victoria
- May 30, 1952 (subdiaconate)
- December 4, 1975 (diaconate)
- December 5, 1975 (priesthood)
Father Charles William Kram Jr. | |
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| Church | Catholic Church |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | September 20, 1929 |
| Died | August 13, 2000 (aged 70) |
Early life
Charles William Kram Jr. was born on September 30, 1929 to Charlies William Kram and Emma Zander, the youngest of five children.[1]: 1, 3 He graduated high school in 1946, after which he attended St. John's Seminary in San Antonio.[2] Kram was ordained to the subdiaconate on May 30, 1952.[3]
Illness
Shortly after his subdiaconate ordination, in June 1951, Kram began to experience flu-like symptoms and pain between his shoulders.[4][5] Soon after, paralysis set in.[4] Kram was diagnosed with bulbospinal polio, a combination of bulbar and spinal polio which paralyzed both the legs and the cranial nerves, leaving him paralyzed from the neck down.[6] He was transported from Shiner, Texas to Robert B. Green Hospital in San Antonio to receive treatment.[4] In February 1953, he was transferred to Gonzales Warm Springs in Gonzales, Texas, a leading polio treatment facility.[3] In the fall of 1953, he was discharged from the springs and went home to his parents' farm in Shiner, his breathing assisted by a rocking bed.[7]
During his time in rehabilitation, Kram took up amateur radio as a hobby, and taught himself to type with a stick in his mouth on a donated electric typewriter.[5][8]
Priesthood
Kram was ordained to the diaconate on December 4, 1975 in his home in a small, private ceremony. The next day, he was ordained to the priesthood at the church of Sts. Cyril and Methodius; both ordinations were performed by Archbishop Francis James Furey.[9]
Kram served as a chaplain at Yoakum Community Hospital,[10] and also served as the chaplain to the Yoakum Fire Department.[2]