Robert F. Vasa
Robert Francis Vasa (born May 7, 1951) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. On Monday, January 24, 2011, Bishop Vasa, 59, was named the Coadjutor Bishop (an Auxiliary Bishop with the right of succession), to Bishop Daniel F. Walsh of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Santa Rosa in California, by Pope Benedict XVI. Until then, he had been the fifth Bishop of Baker, in Oregon.
Robert Francis Vasa | |
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Bishop of Santa Rosa | |
Archdiocese | San Francisco |
Diocese | Santa Rosa |
Appointed | January 24, 2011 |
Installed | June 30, 2011 |
Predecessor | Daniel F. Walsh |
Orders | |
Ordination | May 22, 1976 by Glennon Patrick Flavin |
Consecration | January 26, 2000 by John George Vlazny, Thomas Joseph Connolly, and Fabian Bruskewitz |
Personal details | |
Born | Lincoln, Nebraska | May 7, 1951
Previous post | Bishop of Baker |
Motto | UNLESS A GRAIN OF WHEAT |
Styles of Robert Francis Vasa | |
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Reference style | |
Spoken style | Your Excellency |
Religious style | Bishop |
On 30 June 2011, Bishop Daniel F. Walsh's resignation was accepted by Pope Benedict XVI, and so Bishop Vasa officially succeeded him as Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Santa Rosa in California immediately afterwards.
Early life
Robert F. Vasa was born in Lincoln, Nebraska, to Joe and Leona Vasa.[1] From 1972 to 1976, he studied at Holy Trinity Seminary in Dallas, Texas, from where he obtained a Master of Divinity degree.[1]
Early service
He was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Glennon Patrick Flavin on May 22, 1976.[2] He then served as a curate at the Cathedral of the Risen Christ and a teacher at Pius X High School in Lincoln until 1977, when he became an advocate on the Diocesan Marriage Tribunal.[1] In 1979, he was sent to further his studies at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, earning a Licentiate of Canon Law in 1981.[1]
Later service
Following his return to Nebraska, Vasa was named assistant chancellor of the Diocese of Lincoln and afterwards Father Prior of Columbian Squires.[1] He became judicial vicar of the Diocesan Tribunal and pastor of St. James Church at Cortland in 1985.[1] He directed the Remodeling and Fund Drive for St. Stephen Church in Exter. In addition to his duties as judicial vicar, he was appointed pastor of St. Peter Church at Lincoln in 1990. He was raised to the rank of Honorary Prelate of His Holiness in 1995.[1] In 1996 he was named vicar general of the diocese and Moderator of the Curia.[1] He became chairman of the Diocesan Building Commission in 1996 and served as pastor of St. Michael Church in Cheney from 1997 to 1999.[1]
Bishop of Baker
On November 19, 1999, Vasa was named the fifth Bishop of Baker, Oregon, by Pope John Paul II.[2] He received his episcopal consecration on January 26, 2000 from Archbishop John George Vlazny, with Bishops Thomas Joseph Connolly and Fabian Bruskewitz serving as co-consecrators.[2] In 2006, he implied that people who support abortion are guilty of heresy.[3]
In February 2010, according to a December 21, 2010 Catholic News Service online article about the status of another formerly Catholic hospital, Bishop Vasa had stated that St. Charles Medical Center in Bend, Oregon, located within the Baker Diocese, had "gradually moved away" from the church's ethical directives and can no longer be called Catholic. As a result of that decision, Mass is no longer celebrated in the hospital's chapel and all items considered Catholic were removed from the hospital and returned to the church. The hospital retained the St. Charles name and a cross remains atop the building."
Bishop of Santa Rosa
On January 24, 2011, Pope Benedict XVI appointed Vasa as Coadjutor Bishop for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Santa Rosa in California. He was installed on March 6, 2011. On June 30, 2011, he succeeded Daniel F. Walsh as bishop of Santa Rosa.
Bishop Vasa has also engaged as the Episcopal Advisor to several Catholic organizations including the Catholic Medical Association, which he served as Advisor of until 2014,[4] and the online religious education provider, CatechismClass,[5] to which Bishop Vasa currently serves as their Episcopal Advisor.
See also
- Catholic Church hierarchy
- Catholic Church in the United States
- Historical list of the Catholic bishops of the United States
- List of Catholic bishops of the United States
- Lists of patriarchs, archbishops, and bishops
References
- "Curriculum Vitae". Roman Catholic Diocese of Baker. Archived from the original on 2009-05-07.
- "Bishop Robert Francis Vasa". Catholic-Hierarchy.org.
- Palmo, Rocco (2006-02-18). "The "Open Question" of Heresy". Whispers in the Loggia.
- Catholic Medical Association Board
- CatechismClass.com - About Us
External links
Episcopal succession
Catholic Church titles | ||
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Preceded by Daniel F. Walsh |
Bishop of Santa Rosa 2011–current |
Incumbent |
Preceded by Thomas Joseph Connolly |
Bishop of Baker 1999–2011 |
Succeeded by Liam Stephen Cary |