His Excellency, The Most Reverend

Steven John Raica

J.C.D.
Bishop of Birmingham
ChurchCatholic Church
DioceseBirmingham
AppointedMarch 25, 2020
InstalledJune 23, 2020
PredecessorRobert Joseph Baker
Orders
OrdinationNovember 19, 1977 (deacon)
October 14, 1978 (priest)
by Kenneth Joseph Povish
ConsecrationAugust 28, 2014
by Allen Henry Vigneron, Carl Frederick Mengeling, and Bernard Hebda
Personal details
Born (1952-11-08) November 8, 1952
Munising, Michigan, US
Previous post(s)
Alma mater
MottoSursum Corda
Lift up your hearts
Styles of
Steven John Raica
Reference style
Spoken styleYour Excellency
Religious styleBishop

Steven John Raica (born November 8, 1952) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He has been serving as bishop of the Diocese of Birmingham in Alabama since 2020. He previously served as bishop of the Diocese of Gaylord in Michigan from 2014 to 2020

Biography

Early life and education

Steven Raica was born on November 8, 1952, in Munising, Michigan to Steve and Mary Raica.[1] He earned a bachelor's degree from Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan, a Master of Divinity degree from St. John's Provincial Seminary in Plymouth, Michigan, and a Master of Religious Studies degree from the University of Detroit.

Ordination and ministry

Raica was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Lansing by Bishop Kenneth Povish on October 14, 1978.[2]After his ordination, Raica served as the parochial vicar at two parishes between 1978 and 1984: Holy Redeemer in Burton, Michigan and St. Pius X in Flint, Michigan. He served as pastor of Holy Family Parish in Ovid, Michigan from 1984 to 1985 and as co-rector of St. Mary Cathedral from 1985 to 1988. Raica earned a licentiate and a doctorate in canon law from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome.

After his return to Michigan in 1991, Raica became the pastor of St. Mary Parish in Charlotte, Michigan, serving there until 1993. He became pastor of St. Ann Parish in Bellevue, Michigan from 1995 to 1997. From 1997 to 1999 and from 2005 to 2014 Raica served as chancellor of the diocese.[2] Pope John Paul II named him an honorary prelate of his holiness, with the title monsignor, in 1998.

Raica served as superior of Casa Santa Maria, the graduate studies house of the Pontifical North American College in Rome, from 1999 to 2005. At the same time, he served as a spiritual director and adjunct faculty at the college. In addition, Raica served the diocese tribunal as a pro-synodal judge, the promoter of justice and a tribunal judge. He was also involved in ministry to the deaf and is fluent in American Sign Language. Raica can converse in Italian and Polish, and has a reading knowledge of Latin, French, Spanish and German.[1]

Bishop of Gaylord

Coat of Arms as Bishop of Gaylord

On June 27, 2014, Pope Francis appointed Raica as the fifth bishop of the Diocese Gaylord.[3][4] He was consecrated by Archbishop Allen Vigneron on August 28, 2014, in St. Mary, Our Lady of Mount Carmel Cathedral in Gaylord, Michigan. Bishop Emeritus Carl Mengeling and Coadjutor Archbishop Bernard Hebda were the principal co-consecrators.

Bishop of Birmingham

Francis named Raica as bishop of the Diocese of Birmingham on March 25, 2020.[5][6] He was installed on June 23, 2020.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Pope selects Michigan priest to become bishop". Catholic News Agency. Retrieved August 28, 2014.
  2. 1 2 "Pope Names Lansing, Michigan Chancellor as Bishop of Gaylord, Michigan". United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved August 28, 2014.
  3. ↑ "Bishop Steven John Raica". Catholic-Hierarchy. Retrieved August 28, 2014.
  4. ↑ "Diocese of Gaylord". Giga-Catholic. Retrieved August 28, 2014.
  5. ↑ "Resignations and Appointments, 25.03.2020" (Press release). Holy See Press Office. March 25, 2020. Retrieved March 25, 2020.
  6. ↑ "The Roman Catholic Diocese of Birmingham in Alabama Press Kit" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on March 31, 2020. Retrieved March 25, 2020.
Wikiquote has quotations related to Steven John Raica.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Steven John Raica.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.