Kenneth Joseph Povish (April 19, 1924 – September 5, 2003) was 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 'pre ...

of the

Roman 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 Crookston in Minnesota from 1970 to 1975 and as bishop of the Diocese of Lansing in Michigan from 1975 to 1995.

Biography

Early life

Kenneth Povish was born in Alpena,

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

, the eldest child and only son of Joseph and Elizabeth (née Yachaik) Povish. He attended the parochial school of St. Anne's Parish in

Gaylord, Michigan Gaylord is a city in and the county seat of Otsego County in the U.S. state of Michigan. Gaylord had a population of 4,286 at the 2020 census, an increase from 3,645 at the 2010 census. Gaylord styles itself as an "alpine village" and contain ...

, and graduated from Alpena High School in 1942. Povish studied for the priesthood at St. Joseph's Seminary in

Grand Rapids, Michigan Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the second most-populated city in the state after Detroit. Grand Rapids is the ...

, then at Sacred Heart Seminary in Detroit, where he earned a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

degree in 1946. Povish completed his priestly studies at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.

Priesthood

Povish was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform ...

a priest by Bishop Stephen Woznicki for the Diocese of Saginaw on June 3, 1950. After his ordination, Povish had pastoral assignments in the following Michigan parishes: * Assistant pastor at St. Ignatius in Rogers City (1950 to 1952) * Assistant pastor at St. Hyacinth's in Bay City (1952 to 1956) * Pastor at St. Mary's in

Port Sanilac Port Sanilac is a village in Sanilac Township, Sanilac County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 567 at the 2020 census. History This village was originally a lumberjack settlement on the shore of Lake Huron named "Bark Shant ...

(1956 to 1957) * Pastor at St. Norbert's in

Munger Munger, formerly spelt as Monghyr, is a twin city and a Municipal Corporation situated in the Indian state of Bihar. It is the administrative headquarters of Munger district and Munger Division. Munger was one of the major cities in Eastern ...

(1957 to 1960) In 1960, Povish joined the faculty at St. Paul's Seminary in

Saginaw, Michigan Saginaw () is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the seat of Saginaw County. The city of Saginaw and Saginaw County are both in the area known as Mid-Michigan. Saginaw is adjacent to Saginaw Charter Township and considered part of Greater ...

. He left St. Paul's in 1966 to become pastor of St. Stanislaus Parish in Bay City. He was named a prelate of honor in October 1967. In addition to his pastoral duties, Povish served as diocesan director of

Catholic Charities The Catholic Church operates numerous charitable organizations. Catholic spiritual teaching includes spreading the Gospel, while Catholic social teaching emphasises support for the sick, the poor and the afflicted through the corporal and spi ...

and of religious education. He wrote a weekly column entitled "The Question Box" in ''The Catholic Weekly'' from 1954 to 1970, and was active in the Mexican apostolate, the League of Catholic Women, and the St. Vincent de Paul Society.

Bishop of Crookston

On July 28, 1970, Povish was appointed as the fifth bishop of the Diocese of Crookston by

Pope Paul VI Pope Paul VI ( la, Paulus VI; it, Paolo VI; born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini, ; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 to his death in Augus ...

. He received his episcopal consecration on September 29, 1970, from Archbishop Luigi Raimondi, with Bishops Francis Reh and James Hickey serving s co-consecrators, at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Crookston Povish selected as his episcopal

motto A motto (derived from the Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of an individual, family, social group, or organisation. Mot ...

: ''"To Accomplish His Work"'' ( John 4:34) . During his five-year tenure, he implemented the reforms of the

Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions), each lasting between 8 and ...

, establishing parish councils in each

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one o ...

and a pastoral council for the diocese. He also supported

liturgical Liturgy is the customary public ritual of worship performed by a religious group. ''Liturgy'' can also be used to refer specifically to public worship by Christians. As a religious phenomenon, liturgy represents a communal response to and partic ...

reform and the ecumenical movement.

Bishop of Lansing

Following the death of Bishop Alexander M. Zaleski, Paul VI named Povish as the third bishop of the Diocese of Lansing on October 8, 1975. His installation took place on December 11, 1975. As a member of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops (NCCB), he was chair of the Committee for Catholic Charismatic Renewal and of the Committee on Vocations. He was also a member of the NCCB Executive Board, the Committee for Laity, and the Committee for Communications.

Retirement and legacy

On November 7, 1995,

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 ...

accepted Povish's early retirement due to poor health as bishop of the Diocese of Lansing. He then served as

apostolic administrator An Apostolic administration in the Catholic Church is administrated by a prelate appointed by the pope to serve as the ordinary for a specific area. Either the area is not yet a diocese (a stable 'pre-diocesan', usually missionary apostolic adm ...

of the diocese until the installation of his successor, Bishop Carl Mengeling in January 1996. Kenneth Povish died on September 5, 2003, from colon cancer in

Lansing Lansing () is the capital of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is mostly in Ingham County, although portions of the city extend west into Eaton County and north into Clinton County. The 2020 census placed the city's population at 112,644, makin ...

at age 79.

Sources

"Short History of the Diocese of Crookston." Diocese of Crookston. <>. {{DEFAULTSORT:Povish, Kenneth Joseph 1924 births 2003 deaths Roman Catholic bishops of Crookston Roman Catholic bishops of Lansing 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States Sacred Heart Major Seminary alumni Catholic University of America alumni American people of Polish descent People from Alpena, Michigan