FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Dennis B. McGrath
651-291-4412 or 612-867-9968 (cell)
mcgrathd@archspm.org
SAINT PAUL, MN, April 10, 2008 -- The Vatican today announced that Pope Benedict XVI has appointed Richard E. Pates, current auxiliary bishop of The Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, as bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Des Moines, Iowa.
Pates succeeds Des Moines Bishop Joseph Charron, who has retired. He will assume his new duties next month and will be installed as Bishop of Des Moines at a Mass to be celebrated in Des Moines on May 29th.
"I am ever so grateful to His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI, for appointing me as the Ninth Bishop of Des Moines," Pates said today. "It is a welcome privilege to be called to serve such a vibrant, spirited community in America's heartland. It is a particular honor to succeed Bishop Charron, a good friend and a conscientious shepherd and effective leader.
"At this time," Pates continued, "I also express profound gratitude for the great joy and opportunity of ministering for most of my priesthood at home in the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis.
"I have been blessed in my association with its outstanding priests and men and women religious, with its remarkably dedicated faithful and with the cherished friendships which have sustained me over the years. In particular, I am grateful to Archbishop Harry J. Flynn. He has been a mentor without peer-one who preaches the Gospel in season and out of season with a heart which, like that of Jesus, has room for all. I am indebted to him and to Coadjutor Archbishop John C. Nienstedt for their friendship and support."
Flynn, who will soon retire after 12 years as Archbishop of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, said, "I am delighted that Bishop Pates has been named by the Holy Father to become ordinary of the Diocese of Des Moines. He is a person of outstanding quality and exemplary administrative ability with a pastoral touch that is sorely needed in the church today. I will miss him, but I send him to the priests, women religious and people of Des Moines with my best wishes and congratulate them for receiving such an outstanding leader."
Archbishop John Nienstedt, who will succeed Archbishop Flynn next month, stated, "I wish to congratulate the priests, deacons, religious and lay faithful of the Diocese of Des Moines on the appointment of Bishop Richard Pates as their new Ordinary. I assure you that he is a wonderful shepherd who will lead you in the ways of Jesus Christ. Bishop Pates has been a successful pastor and administrator. I have had the good fortune of working with him in the Archdiocese these past ten months. He has a passion for the New Evangelization, having led our archdiocesan wide program on the topic these past four years. He is an approachable and compassionate leader. I truly believe our loss is Des Moines' gain."
A native of St. Paul, Pates attended the North American College in Rome for his seminary formation and was ordained a priest in 1968 at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. He holds a License in Sacred Theology in Dogmatics from the Gregorian University in Rome. He served as associate pastor of the Church of the Blessed Sacrament in St. Paul until 1970 and then spent four years as Vocation Director of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. From 1973 to 1975, he served as Secretary to Archbishop Leo Byrne and as Vice Chancellor of the Archdiocese.
He served as Secretary to the Apostolic Delegation (Vatican Representation in the United States) in Washington, D C from 1975 to 1981. In 1979, with the title Reverend Monsignor, he was appointed a chaplain to Pope John Paul II. He served as rector of St. John Vianney College Seminary from 1981 to1987 and also became the Archdiocese's Vicar for Seminaries. After serving as pastor of the merged south Minneapolis parish, the Church of Our Lady of Peace for eight years, he became founding pastor of the Church of Saint Ambrose of Woodbury a Twin Cities suburb.
In December of 2000, then Monsignor Pates was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, serving the approximately 650,000 Catholics of the Archdiocese. In this capacity, he has served as Vicar General, Vicar for Clergy, Vicar for Youth and Young Adults and Vicar for Evangelization.
MEET BISHOP PATES
Bishop Richard E. Pates was born February 12, 1943 in Saint Paul, Minnesota. After attending Nazareth Hall Seminary in Saint Paul, MN, he attended and graduated in 1965 with a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and
Following his priestly ordination, then-Father Pates served as Associate Pastor of the Church of the Blessed Sacrament, Saint Paul, Minnesota from 1969 to 1970. From 1970 to 1974, he served as Vocation Director of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis and as Weekend Associate Pastor at the Church of the Annunciation, Minneapolis. From 1973-1975, he also served as Secretary to Archbishop Leo C. Byrne, Coadjutor Archbishop of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, and as Vice Chancellor of the Archdiocese.
From 1975-1981, Pates served as Secretary to the Apostolic Delegation (Vatican Representation in the United States) in Washington, D.C., and as a weekend assisting priest at the Church of the Blessed Sacrament, Chevy Chase, Maryland. In 1979, he was appointed a Papal Chaplain to Pope John Paul II, receiving the title of Reverend Monsignor. From 1981-1987, he served as Rector of St. John Vianney Seminary, Saint Paul, and from 1981-1990 as Chaplain of the Serra Club of Midway in Saint Paul. From 1987-1990 Pates served the Archdiocese as Vicar for Seminaries, and in 1990 was appointed Pastor of the Church of Saint Kevin, Minneapolis and the Church of the Resurrection, Minneapolis. In 1991, the Church of Saint Kevin and the Church of the Resurrection merged to form the Church of Our Lady of Peace, Minneapolis, where then-Msgr. Pates continued on as Pastor until 1998. During this period, he was also Moderator for Minneapolis Deaneries Council of Catholic Women from 1990 to 1998. From 1998-2001, Pates served as Pastor of the Church of Saint Ambrose of Woodbury.
On December 22, 2000, then-Msgr. Pates was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. On March 26, 2001, he was ordained Bishop at the Cathedral of Saint Paul, Saint Paul. Bishop Pates currently assists Archbishop Harry J. Flynn, Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, in serving the approximately 650,000 Roman Catholics of the Archdiocese. in this capacity he was Vicar General, Vicar for Clergy, Vicar for Youth and Young Adults, and Vicar for Evangelization. Bishop Pates has been a member of the following committees of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops:
Committee on Education
Committee on Evangelization
Committee on Pastoral Practices
Committee on Women in Society and in the Church
Committee on World Mission
He served as Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors of the North American College in Rome. Bishop Pates currently is on the following Boards:
St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity
St. Paul Outreach (President)
Catholic Community Foundation
Catholic Senior Services, Inc (Chair)
St. Therese Home, Inc.
Academy of the Holy Angels
Saint Bernard's School
National Advisory Board, center for the Study of Church Management, Villanova University
He is the Episcopal Moderator of DISC - Diocesan Information Systems Conference
On April 10, 2008, His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI appointed Bishop Pates as the Ninth Bishop of Des Moines, Iowa
Pates to be Bishop in DesMoines - StarTribune
9 comments:
Is a Bishopo higher up than a bishop? ;)
Mary Ann:
Since I can't get anybody to comment on my blog, I make spelling and grammatical errors to get the language geeks to come out of the closet. That and publishing in a hurry, hoping to beat the "big guys" with a scoop.
Please, Minnesotans, give a street level opinion of his man. Rocco Palmo suggesest that these new appointments are of the "Glory and Praise" variety by quipping that they should not forget their guitar cases. What say you of Richard Pates?
Hopefully they have a few parishes down in Iowa that already have the TLM in place.
"The times they are a changin!!"
Pray for the bishop!!
Marc
"Please, Minnesotans, give a street level opinion of his man. Rocco Palmo suggesest that these new appointments are of the "Glory and Praise" variety by quipping that they should not forget their guitar cases. What say you of Richard Pates?"
Rocco knows what he is talking about.
Don't mess with the wreckovation man.
You can always tell which side to take by listening to National Public Radio--what they push is BAD and what they dislike is GOOD. Same, I'm afraid, goes for Rocco Palmo. By their fruits ye shall know them!!
Bet you dollars to doughnuts that Harry J. Flynn engineered this appointment. What's the word on St. Thomas U? Flynn engineered that, too. He's arranged it so that Nienstedt will never be Chancellor there. Catholics in the archdiocese should scream bloody-blue-murder over this and set things aright. Just when the Jadot sppointments were about to be flushed out of the system, Flynn's parting shot gives us Pates. Oremus
No. There is no TLM in Des Moines to speak of, unless you count that once a month thing at 2pm. Please pray of us here in DM.
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