Richard
Sitka was born July 4th, 1957 in St Louis. He
graduated from DuBourg High School and the
University of St Louis, where he earned a Bachelor
of Science degree in business. He then earned a
Master of Arts degree in philosophy fro Cardinal
Glennon College and Master of Divinity degree in
theology from Kenrick Seminary St. Louis. He was
ordained to the proiesthood for the Archdiocese of
St. Louis on December 14th, 1985
Invariably described as "sweet," "down-to-earth,"
"kind" and "approachable," the bishop-elect became
secretary to then-Archbishop Justin Rigali on his
1994 appointment to the Gateway City; within months,
Rigali made the young aide his chancellor and, three
years later, elevated him to vicar-general of the
560,000-member archdiocese.
Ordained in 1985, the Stika's profile increased after his coordination of the 1999 papal visit to St Louis, which included the largest indoor gathering in American history as John Paul celebrated Mass for 100,000-plus in its TransWorld Dome. Following the visit, the late pontiff was said to have especially enjoyed how the priest left photos of his family in place for John Paul to see and bless while he occupied Stika's bedroom during his stay.
An alumnus of the archdiocese's Kenrick-Glennon Seminary, Stika received a bachelor's in business from St Louis University before entering priestly formation. After the bishop-elect underwent heart bypass surgery in 2004, shortly after Rigali's transfer to Philadelphia, the cardinal's successor Archbishop Raymond Burke assigned his top deputy to the wealthy Ladue parish, keeping him at the helm of the local church's abuse-prevention and survivor-outreach efforts. Granted bi-ritual faculties in the Maronite church at the time of his ordination, the appointee has also served for several years as chaplain to a Carmelite convent.
Founded in 1988, the Knoxville church comprises just 2% of its area's total population, but stands in the front rank of the Stateside church's ever-burgeoning Southern emergence. Encompassing some 47 parishes and 10 schools spread over 14,000 square miles of Volunteer Country, the growing, energetic diocese has more than doubled in size since 1990. Its seven seminarians may not sound like much, but a diocese of a million members would need 140 men in formation to have a contingent of equal proportion; widely celebrated for his efforts at energizing the turf and bulking up its ordained ranks, Kurtz ordained three priests and 29 permanent deacons in his final weeks before leaving for Louisville. Just in recent weeks, one booming parish near the see city opened a new 900-seat, $11 million church built in the Romanesque style.
In terms of the wider chessboard, the bishop-elect arrives to find one major vacancy in his new curia: Kurtz's lead lieutenant, Vann Johnston, was named bishop of Missouri's Springfield-Cape Girardeau diocese early last year. Meanwhile, in St Louis, this morning's appointment removes a longtime star from the diocesan scene as the city awaits a successor to Burke, who was called to Rome as the church's "chief justice" last June.
What's more, the timing is especially notable given the impending 75th birthday of the Bishops' prefect Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re. An ally and key collaborator of Stika's mentor for close to four decades, with leading observers currently tipping that the longtime head of the dicastery responsible for recommending episcopal appointments to the Pope won't be waiting long for the arrival of his own successor, this scenario will do little to quell the buzz anticipating a rapid handover of the all-important Curial post.
Already on the ground in his new charge for the traditional Appointment Day introductions and press conference later, the bishop-elect will be ordained and installed on St Joseph's Day, 19 March, in a Mass to be held in Knoxville's convention center. In a break from the normal protocol -- which would see the metropolitan (in this case, Kurtz) perform the ordination -- Pharaoh himself will serve as principal consecrator.
With the move, the number of vacant Stateside dioceses falls to nine, the group now led by South Carolina's statewide church of Charleston, which has been awaiting a new head since August 2007.
PHOTO: Diocese of Knoxville
Ordained in 1985, the Stika's profile increased after his coordination of the 1999 papal visit to St Louis, which included the largest indoor gathering in American history as John Paul celebrated Mass for 100,000-plus in its TransWorld Dome. Following the visit, the late pontiff was said to have especially enjoyed how the priest left photos of his family in place for John Paul to see and bless while he occupied Stika's bedroom during his stay.
An alumnus of the archdiocese's Kenrick-Glennon Seminary, Stika received a bachelor's in business from St Louis University before entering priestly formation. After the bishop-elect underwent heart bypass surgery in 2004, shortly after Rigali's transfer to Philadelphia, the cardinal's successor Archbishop Raymond Burke assigned his top deputy to the wealthy Ladue parish, keeping him at the helm of the local church's abuse-prevention and survivor-outreach efforts. Granted bi-ritual faculties in the Maronite church at the time of his ordination, the appointee has also served for several years as chaplain to a Carmelite convent.
Founded in 1988, the Knoxville church comprises just 2% of its area's total population, but stands in the front rank of the Stateside church's ever-burgeoning Southern emergence. Encompassing some 47 parishes and 10 schools spread over 14,000 square miles of Volunteer Country, the growing, energetic diocese has more than doubled in size since 1990. Its seven seminarians may not sound like much, but a diocese of a million members would need 140 men in formation to have a contingent of equal proportion; widely celebrated for his efforts at energizing the turf and bulking up its ordained ranks, Kurtz ordained three priests and 29 permanent deacons in his final weeks before leaving for Louisville. Just in recent weeks, one booming parish near the see city opened a new 900-seat, $11 million church built in the Romanesque style.
In terms of the wider chessboard, the bishop-elect arrives to find one major vacancy in his new curia: Kurtz's lead lieutenant, Vann Johnston, was named bishop of Missouri's Springfield-Cape Girardeau diocese early last year. Meanwhile, in St Louis, this morning's appointment removes a longtime star from the diocesan scene as the city awaits a successor to Burke, who was called to Rome as the church's "chief justice" last June.
What's more, the timing is especially notable given the impending 75th birthday of the Bishops' prefect Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re. An ally and key collaborator of Stika's mentor for close to four decades, with leading observers currently tipping that the longtime head of the dicastery responsible for recommending episcopal appointments to the Pope won't be waiting long for the arrival of his own successor, this scenario will do little to quell the buzz anticipating a rapid handover of the all-important Curial post.
Already on the ground in his new charge for the traditional Appointment Day introductions and press conference later, the bishop-elect will be ordained and installed on St Joseph's Day, 19 March, in a Mass to be held in Knoxville's convention center. In a break from the normal protocol -- which would see the metropolitan (in this case, Kurtz) perform the ordination -- Pharaoh himself will serve as principal consecrator.
With the move, the number of vacant Stateside dioceses falls to nine, the group now led by South Carolina's statewide church of Charleston, which has been awaiting a new head since August 2007.
PHOTO: Diocese of Knoxville
