|
Under the pastoral leadership of Archbishop John J.
Mitty (1935-1961) the total population of the 13-county
Archdiocese of San Francisco swelled from 1.8 million
to 4.3 million. After his death in 1961, plans were
discussed to divide the huge Archdiocese into smaller
suffragan diocese, each with its own local bishop. On
January 13, 1962, Pope John XXIII established three
new dioceses: Oakland, Stockton, and Santa Rosa. The
Diocese of Santa Rosa comprised four counties from the
Archdiocese of San Francisco (Sonoma, Napa, Mendocino,
Lake) and two counties (Humboldt, Del Norte) from the
Diocese of Sacramento. The new diocese, while larger
that the state of Maryland, had a total population of
only 300,000.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Most Reverend Leo T. Maher, First Bishop of Santa
Rosa
1962-1969
Monsignor Leo T. Maher of San Francisco was appointed
Founding Bishop and ordained in St. Mary's Cathedral
on April 5, 1962.
Upon arrival in the new diocese of 58,000 Catholics,
Bishop Maher saw there was a pressing need for new parishes,
schools and residences. Other parishes established since
the nineteenth century had long since outgrown their
facilities. He undertook an ambitious and far-sighted
program of building and purchasing property to serve
the rapidly increasing numbers of the faithful.
By the end of Bishop Maher's tenure, seven new parishes,
one mission, three high schools, four elementary schools
and several rectories and convents were erected. Three
missions were elevated to parish status. Four existing
parish churches were replaced or extensively remodeled.
Bishop Maher also sought priests and religious to minister
to the rapidly expanding diocese. He ordained many priests
for Santa Rosa, the first of whom was Father Michael
H. Kenny, former Bishop of Juneau, Alaska.
Just as the Church of Santa Rosa was enjoying a vast
expansion of its physical presence, the Universal Church
was entering one of the most dramatic periods of renewal
in its history. The four sessions of the Second Vatican
Council (1962-1965) met during Bishop Maher's tenure
and initiated a comprehensive renewal of nearly all
areas of church life. Before all these changes could
be implemented, Bishop Maher was transferred to the
Diocese of San Diego in August, 1969.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Most Reverend Mark J. Hurley, Second Bishop of Santa
Rosa
1970-1987
It was fitting that Monsignor Mark J. Hurley's ordination
in 1968 as Auxiliary Bishop of San Francisco was one
of the first such liturgies in the vernacular. In the
months and years after his installation as Second Bishop
of Santa Rosa at St. Eugene's Cathedral on January 14,
1970, it was his task to implement many of the reforms
of the Second Vatican Council.
During his seventeen years in Santa Rosa, Bishop Hurley
firmly established the financial security of the diocese,
while inauguration policies and programs which were
of great benefit to priests, parishes, and communities
throughout the diocese: parish-level pastoral and financial
councils, terms of office for pastors and associate
pastors, and founding of the Priests' Retirement Fund.
The successes of Project Hope and the Apostolic Endowment
Fund were examples of Christian stewardship which greatly
increased the diocese's ability to minister through
parishes, schools, and diocesan institutions.
Under Bishop Hurley's leadership, the diocese opened
Vigil Light, a low-income senior residence in Santa
Rosa, and also gave faithful support to the St. Vincent
de Paul Society, which serves over 100,000 hot meals
per year, in addition to numerous other charitable works.
Increasingly mindful of the ethnic diversity of the
Church of Santa Rosa, Bishop Hurley founded the Centro
Pastoral Hispano and re-dedicated Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha
Mission to better serve the needs and share the great
spiritual and cultural riches of the Hispanic and Native
American Catholics.
Steady increases of population in Sonoma County necessitated
the establishment of two new parishes during the last
five years of Bishop Hurley's ministry in the diocese.
In his last three years as Bishop of Santa Rosa he ordained
more than a dozen men to the priesthood or diaconate.
On April 15, 1986, Bishop Hurley announced his resignation
as Bishop of Santa Rosa and appointments to the Vatican
Congregation on Education and the Secretariat for Non-Believers.
Bishop Hurley passed away in February 2001.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Most Reverend John T. Steinbock, Third Bishop of
Santa Rosa
1987-1991
On January 27, 1987, Pope John Paul II appointed Bishop
John T. Steinbock, an Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese
of Orange, as Third Bishop of Santa Rosa. Bishop Steinbock
was installed at St. John the Baptist Church in Napa
on March 31, 1987. The Diocese of Santa Rosa also celebrated
its Silver Anniversary on that occasion.
During his almost five-year ministry in the Diocese
of Santa Rosa, Bishop Steinbock paid special attention
to the morale and welfare of the priests, insuring that
they would be cared for especially during their years
of retirement.
He instituted a formal four-year program for the training
and formation of permanent deacons in the diocese.
Ministry to the ever-growing number of Hispanic people
in the diocese became a priority for Bishop Steinbock.
He accepted Spanish-speaking priests from other dioceses
for service in the Diocese of Santa Rosa to minister
to the Hispanic people. He encouraged priests of the
diocese to become familiar with Spanish and the Hispanic
culture so that they could better minister to the Spanish-speaking
people and better form one community of believers.
Bishop Steinbock reached out to the general public
as well. He instituted the Catholic Professional and
Business Breakfast Club as one way to remind people
to incorporated Christian values into their daily lives
at home and at work. Aware of the plight of the homeless,
he directed Catholic Charities to manage the Family
Shelter in Santa Rosa and to work with a coalition of
other community agencies to provide care to the homeless.
Under Bishop Steinbock's leadership, the people of
the diocese committed themselves to a pastoral planning
process and adopted twenty diocesan pastoral goals for
implementation over a five-year period. Committing himself
to a collaborative style of ministry, he appointed a
Ministries Board whose members, directors of diocesan
departments, coordinated their ministries and worked
together in an effort to facilitate the implementation
of the goals of the Diocesan Pastoral Plan.
Before his appointment as the Fourth Bishop of the
Diocese of Fresno on October 15, 1991, Bishop Steinbock
introduced a Stewardship Program and initiated the Bishop's
Annual Appeal to finance present and future diocesan
and parish ministries.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Most Reverend G. Patrick Ziemann, Fourth Bishop
of Santa Rosa
1992-1999
Born: September 13, 1941, Pasadena, California
Ordained to the Priesthood April 29, 1967 for the
Archdiocese of Los Angeles
College Education:
Our Lady of the Angels Seminary, San Fernando, two
years of College (1959-1961)
St. Johns Seminary, Camarillo (1963-1967)
Educational Degrees:
St. Johns Seminary College, B.A. Degree in Philosophy
St. johns Seminary, M.A. Degree in Religion
Mount St. Marys College, M.S. Ed.
State Credentials in secondary teaching, administration,
pupil personnel services
Languages Spoken: English and Spanish
Appointments Since Priestly Ordination:
St. Matthias Parish, Huntington Park, Associate Pastor
(1967-1971)
Mater Dei High School, Santa Ana, teacher of Religion
(1971-1974)
Our Lady Queen of Angels Seminary, Mission Hills,
Vice Rector, Dean of Studies, teacher (1974-1987)
Ordained to Episcopacy:
February 23, 1987, Los Angeles Auxiliary Bishop
of Los Angeles
Appointed Bishop of Santa Rosa: July 14, 1992
Resigned as Bishop of Santa Rosa: July 22, 1999
Committee Membership:
Member, Committee on Education, United States Catholic
Conference, 1994-1999; chair of its Committee on Catechesis,
1996-1999, member 1993-1996; Committee on Laity, National
Conference of Catholic Bishops, 1996-1999; member of
Administrative Committee, National Conference of Catholic
Bishops, 1996-1999; Ad Hoc Committee on the Catholic
Charismatic Renewal, National Conference of Catholic
Bishops
Episcopal Advisor:
National Association of Catholic Chaplains, Region
XI
National Association of Diocesan Directors of Campus
Ministry
National Catholic Cemetery Conference
National Conference of Catechetical Leadership
|
Website
by Web Presence