Alfred Ernest Novak, C.Ss.R. (Portuguese: Alfredo Ernesto Novak)(June 2, 1930 – December 3, 2014) was an American member of the

Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer The Redemptorists officially named the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer ( la, links=no, Congregatio Sanctissimi Redemptoris), abbreviated CSsR,is a Catholic clerical religious congregation of pontifical right for men (priests and brother ...

, commonly referred to as the Redemptorists, who worked as a

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Tho ...

in Brazil. He served as the second Bishop of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Paranaguá The Roman Catholic Diocese of Paranaguá ( la, Dioecesis Paranaguensis) is a diocese located in the city of Paranaguá in the Ecclesiastical province of Curitiba in Brazil. History * July 21, 1962: Established as Diocese of Paranaguá from the ...

from 1989-2006.

Biography

Novak was born in

Dwight, Nebraska Dwight is a village in Butler County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 204 at the 2010 census. History Dwight was started in 1887 when the Fremont, Elkhorn and Missouri Valley Railroad was extended to that point. The fact that a large ...

. He was educated at the

Redemptorist The Redemptorists officially named the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer ( la, links=no, Congregatio Sanctissimi Redemptoris), abbreviated CSsR,is a Catholic clerical religious congregation of pontifical right for men (priests and brother ...

minor seminary A minor seminary or high school seminary is a secondary day or boarding school created for the specific purpose of enrolling teenage boys who have expressed interest in becoming Catholic priests. They are generally Catholic institutions, and ...

, St. Joseph’s College, in

Kirkwood, Missouri Kirkwood is an inner-ring western suburb of St. Louis located in St. Louis County, Missouri. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 27,540. Founded in 1853, the city is named after James P. Kirkwood, builder of the Pacific Railroad th ...

. He was admitted to the congregation at their

novitiate The novitiate, also called the noviciate, is the period of training and preparation that a Christian ''novice'' (or ''prospective'') monastic, apostolic, or member of a religious order undergoes prior to taking vows in order to discern whether ...

De Soto, Missouri De Soto is a city in Jefferson County, Missouri, United States. The population was 6,449 at the 2020 census and the city is part of the St. Louis metropolitan area. The Van Metre family were first to settle in 1803. The town was organized in 185 ...

, where he professed

religious vows Religious vows are the public vows made by the members of religious communities pertaining to their conduct, practices, and views. In the Buddhism tradition, in particular within the Mahayana and Vajrayana tradition, many different kinds of re ...

as a Redemptorist. He studied for the priesthood at Immaculate Conception Seminary in

Oconomowoc, Wisconsin Oconomowoc ( ) is a city in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States. The name was derived from Coo-no-mo-wauk, the Potawatomi term for "waterfall." The population was 15,712 at the 2010 census. The city is partially adjacent to the Town of Oco ...

and was ordained there on July 2, 1956. Novak was serving as a

in Brazil when, on April 19, 1979,

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

named him

Titular Bishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox an ...

Vardimissa Medjana is a town and commune (municipality) in Bordj Bou Arréridj Province, Algeria. It is the (approximative) location the Ancient city and bishopric Vardimissa, which remains a Latin Catholic titular see. According to the 1998 census it has ...

and an Auxiliary Bishop of

São Paulo São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for 'Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the GaWC a ...

. He was ordained a bishop by

Cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to: Animals * Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae **''Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, the ...

Paulo Evaristo Arns Paulo Evaristo Arns OFM (; 14 September 1921 – 14 December 2016) was a Brazilian prelate of the Catholic Church, who was made a cardinal and the Archbishop of São Paulo by Pope Paul VI, and later became cardinal protopriest. His ministr ...

, O.F.M., the Archbishop of São Paulo. The principal co-consecrators were Bishops

José Ivo Lorscheiter José Ivo Lorscheiter (7 December 1927 – 5 March 2007) was a Brazilian prelate of the Catholic Church. He was a bishop from 1965 to his retirement in 2004. He was a leading proponent of liberation theology and denounced abuses of human rights by ...

of Santa Maria and Aloísio Ariovaldo Amaral, C.Ss.R., of

Limeira Limeira is a city in the eastern part of the Brazilian state of São Paulo. The population is 308,482 (2020 est.) in an area of 581 km2. The elevation is 588 m. It is 154 km from São Paulo, the state capital, and 1011 km from ...

. He served the archdiocese for ten years. On March 15, 1989, Pop John Paul named Novak as the second Bishop of Paranaguá. He served the diocese as its bishop for 17 years before

Pope Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the sovereign ...

accepted his resignation on August 2, 2006, and he was granted the title of bishop emeritus.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Novak, Alfredo Ernest 1930 births 2014 deaths People from Butler County, Nebraska American Roman Catholic missionaries Roman Catholic missionaries in Brazil Redemptorist bishops 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Brazil 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in Brazil American expatriates in Brazil Catholics from Nebraska Roman Catholic bishops of São Paulo Roman Catholic bishops of Paranaguá

Biography

See also

References