Michael Gerard Duca (born June 5, 1952) 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

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 ...

who has been serving as

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

of the

Diocese of Baton Rouge The Roman Catholic Diocese of Baton Rouge (Latin ''Dioecesis Rubribaculensis''; French ''Diocèse de Bâton-Rouge''; Spanish: ''Diócesis de Baton Rouge'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church spanning Asc ...

in Louisiana since his installation on August 24, 2018. He previously served as the bishop of the Diocese of Shreveport in Louisiana from 2008 to 2018.

Biography

Early life

Michael Duca was born on June 5, 1952, in

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County w ...

. He attended elementary and secondary school in Dallas and graduated from

Bishop Lynch High School Bishop Lynch High School is a college preparatory school of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Dallas founded by the Dominican Order in Dallas, Dallas, Texas, United States. The school serves grades 9–12. It opened in 1963 with 365 students and now h ...

in 1970. He attended

Holy Trinity Seminary Holy Trinity Seminary is a Roman Catholic seminary residence in Irving, Texas, United States, in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Dallas, Diocese of Dallas, Texas that is located within the University of Dallas campus, founded in 1964. It is headed ...

in Irving, Texas, from 1970 to 1978, receiving a

Bachelor of Psychology A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ye ...

degree. He also obtained a

Master of Divinity For graduate-level theological institutions, the Master of Divinity (MDiv, ''magister divinitatis'' in Latin) is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America. It is the most common academic degree in seminaries and divi ...

degree in theology from the

University of Dallas The University of Dallas is a Private university, private Catholic church, Catholic university in Irving, Texas. Established in 1956, it is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. The university comprises four academi ...

Priesthood

Duca was ordained a priest by Bishop Thomas Tschoepe for the Diocese of Dallas on April 29, 1978, in Dallas. He attended the

Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas A pontifical ( la, pontificale) is a Christian liturgical book containing the liturgies that only a bishop may perform. Among the liturgies are those of the ordinal for the ordination and consecration of deacons, priests, and bishops to Holy O ...

in Rome, training as a

canonist Canon law (from grc, κανών, , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its members. It is th ...

. He served his diocese as a vocations director and as chaplain at

Southern Methodist University , mottoeng = "The truth will make you free" , established = , type = Private research university , accreditation = SACS , academic_affiliations = , religious_affiliation = United Methodist Church , president = R. Gerald Turner , prov ...

in Dallas, both from 1985 to 1992. Before his appointment as bishop, Duca served as rector of Holy Trinity Seminary.

Bishop of Shreveport

Duca was appointed as bishop of the Diocese of Shreveport by

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 ...

on April 1 2008. He was consecrated by Archbishop Alfred Hughes on May 19, 2008, at the Shreveport Convention Center, with approximately 3,000 people in attendance. Duca was one of the regular panelists on the ''

American Religious Townhall The ''American Religious Townhall'' is a syndicated weekly television program in which clergy from various religious denominations debate various religious, political, and social issues.1 The show was started in 1952 by Bishop A. A. Leiske and c ...

'' television program.

Bishop of Baton Rouge

Duca was appointed on June 26, 2018, by

Pope Francis Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...

as the sixth bishop of the diocese of Baton Rouge, succeeding Bishop Robert Muench, who retired. Duca was installed by Archbishop Hughes on August 24, 2018. Bishop Michael Duca appointed sixth bishop of Baton Rouge by Pope Francis
The Advocate, June 26, 2018

References

External links

Roman Catholic Diocese of Baton Rouge Official Site

Episcopal succession

{{DEFAULTSORT:Duca, Michael Living people 1952 births People from Shreveport, Louisiana Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas alumni University of Dallas alumni Catholics from Louisiana 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States