John Huston Ricard, S.S.J. (born February 29, 1940) is an American

prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Christian clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which means 'carry before', 'be set above or over' or 'pref ...

of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

. He served as bishop of the

Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associat ...

in Florida from 1997 to 2011 and as an auxiliary bishop of the

Archdiocese of Baltimore The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Baltimore ( la, link=no, Archidiœcesis Baltimorensis) is the premier (or first) see of the Latin Church of the Catholic Church in the United States. The archdiocese comprises the City of Baltimore and nine of Mar ...

in Maryland from 1984 to 1997.Catholic Hierarchy: Bishop John Huston Ricard
/ref> Ricard was elected as

superior general A superior general or general superior is the leader or head of a religious institute in the Catholic Church and some other Christian denominations. The superior general usually holds supreme executive authority in the religious community, while t ...

of the

Society of St. Joseph of the Sacred Heart The Society of Saint Joseph of the Sacred Heart ( la, Societas Sodalium Sancti Joseph a Sacra Corde) abbreviated SSJ, also known as the Josephites is a society of apostolic Life of Pontifical Right for men ( priests and brothers) headquartered ...

in August 2019.

Biography

Early life and education

Born on February 29, 1940, in

New Roads, Louisiana New Roads (historically french: Poste-de-Pointe-Coupée) is a city in and the parish seat of Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana, United States. The center of population of Louisiana was located in New Roads in 2000. The population was 4,831 at the 2 ...

, John Ricard is of Creole descent. After graduating from

Xavier University Preparatory School Xavier University Preparatory School was a private, Catholic high school in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament founded, owned and operated the school, having opened it in 1915 as what would eventually become Xavier Unive ...

in New Orleans in 1958, he joined the Society of St. Joseph of the Sacred Heart, entering the Mary Immaculate Novitiate in

Walden ''Walden'' (; first published in 1854 as ''Walden; or, Life in the Woods'') is a book by American transcendentalist writer Henry David Thoreau. The text is a reflection upon the author's simple living in natural surroundings. The work is part ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. Ricard then attended

Epiphany Apostolic College Epiphany Apostolic College, formerly known as the Josephite Collegiate Seminary, was a Catholic minor seminary founded in Baltimore, Maryland in 1889 by John R. Slattery for the Mill Hill Missionaries, a UK-based society of apostolic life. A ...

Newburgh, New York Newburgh is a city in the U.S. state of New York, within Orange County. With a population of 28,856 as of the 2020 census, it is a principal city of the Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown metropolitan area. Located north of New York City, a ...

. He completed his

theological Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

studies at St. Joseph's Seminary in Washington, D.C.

Priestly ministry

On May 25, 1968. Ricard was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Robert Tracy for the Society of St. Joseph of the Sacred Heart. Ricard's first assignment was as

associate pastor A pastor (abbreviated as "Pr" or "Ptr" , or "Ps" ) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and ...

at St. Peter Claver Parish in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

. In 1970, he earned a masters degree from

Tulane University Tulane University, officially the Tulane University of Louisiana, is a private university, private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by seven young medical doctors, it turned into ...

. In 1972, Ricard was assigned as

pastor A pastor (abbreviated as "Pr" or "Ptr" , or "Ps" ) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and ...

of Holy Redeemer Parish, then in 1975 at Holy Comforter-St. Cyprian Parish, both in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

He also served as an instructor at the National Catholic School of Social Service at the

Catholic University of America The Catholic University of America (CUA) is a private Roman Catholic research university in Washington, D.C. It is a pontifical university of the Catholic Church in the United States and the only institution of higher education founded by U.S. ...

in Washington from 1976 to 1978. In 1979, Richard was appointed pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Washington. He was awarded a doctorate from Catholic University in 1983.

Auxiliary Bishop of Baltimore

On May 25, 1984,

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 ...

appointed Ricard as an auxiliary bishop of the

and titular bishop of

Rucuma Rucuma is a former city and bishopric in Roman North Africa, which remains a Latin Catholic titular see. History It was among the cities of sufficient importance in the late Roman province of Africa Proconsularis to become a suffragan bishopri ...

. He was consecrated on July 2, 1984, at the

Cathedral of Mary Our Queen The Cathedral of Mary Our Queen is a Catholic cathedral located in northern Baltimore, Maryland. The structure, remarkable in size, was completed in 1959. The cathedral is the seat of the Archbishop of Baltimore, joining the Basilica of the Nati ...

in Baltimore by Archbishop William Borders.

Bishop of Pensacola-Tallahassee

On January 20, 1997, John Paul II appointed Ricard as bishop of the

. He was installed on March 13, 1997. On May 14, 2004, Ricard issued a statement denouncing the "abuse and torture" by US military forces of Iraqi combatants captured during the

Iraqi insurgency Iraqi insurgency may refer to: * Iraqi insurgency (2003–2011), part of the Iraq War ** Iraqi insurgency (2003–2006), 2003–2006 phase of the Iraqi insurgency ** Iraqi civil war (2006–2008), multi-sided civil war in Iraq * Iraqi insurgency (20 ...

. During his episcopal tenures, Ricard served as chair of

Catholic Relief Services Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is the international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. Founded in 1943 by the Bishops of the United States, the agency provides assistance to 130 million people in more than 110 ...

from 1995 to 2002, member of

Pontifical Council Cor Unum The Pontifical Council ''Cor Unum'' for Human and Christian Development was a pontifical council of the Roman Curia of the Catholic Church from 1971 to 2016. History The Pontifical Council was established by Pope Paul VI on 15 July 1971 an ...

, and chair of the

USCCB The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is the episcopal conference of the Catholic Church in the United States. Founded in 1966 as the joint National Conference of Catholic Bishops (NCCB) and United States Catholic Conference (US ...

's Committee on Social Development and World Peace, Domestic Social Development from 1992 to 1995. He was also a member of the USCCB's Secretariat of Black Catholics. On December 22, 2009, Ricard suffered a

stroke A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...

and was treated at Sacred Heart Hospital of Pensacola.

Retirement

Ricard tendered his letter of resignation as bishop of the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee to

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 ...

in February 2011, citing poor health. The pope accepted Ricard's resignation on March 11, 2011. In June 2011, Ricard was appointed rector of St. Joseph's Seminary. In June 2019, Ricard was elected as superior general of the Josephites.On November 24, 2021, Ricard issued a statement with Archbishop

Wilton Gregory Wilton Daniel Gregory (born December 7, 1947) is an American prelate of the Catholic Church who is the Archdiocese of Washington, archbishop of Washington, US. Pope Francis elevated him to the rank of Cardinal (Catholic Church), cardinal on No ...

calling for justice following the 2020

murder of Ahmaud Arbery On February 23, 2020, Ahmaud Arbery, a 25-year-old black man, was murdered during a racially motivated Hate crime laws in the United States, hate crime while jogging in Satilla Shores, a neighborhood near Brunswick, Georgia, Brunswick in Glynn ...

by three men in a suburb of

Brunswick, Georgia Brunswick () is a city in and the county seat of Glynn County in the U.S. state of Georgia. As the primary urban and economic center of the lower southeast portion of Georgia, it is the second-largest urban area on the Georgia coastline after Sa ...

References

External links

Roman Catholic Diocese of Pensacola–Tallahassee Official Site

National Black Catholic Congress
bio of John Ricard
National Black Catholic Clergy Caucus
bio of John Ricard

Episcopal succession

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ricard, John Roman Catholic bishops of Pensacola–Tallahassee Living people 1940 births Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore National Catholic School of Social Service faculty African-American Roman Catholic bishops Tulane University alumni Roman Catholic bishops in Louisiana 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States Louisiana Creole people Catholic University of America alumni Josephite bishops Superiors General of the Society of St. Joseph of the Sacred Heart 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American people People from New Roads, Louisiana African-American Catholic consecrated religious African-American Catholic superiors general Epiphany Apostolic College St. Joseph's Seminary (Washington, DC)