Pablo Ervin Schmitz Simon

O.F.M. Cap. The Order of Friars Minor Capuchin (; postnominal abbr. O.F.M. Cap.) is a religious order of Franciscan friars within the Catholic Church, one of Three " First Orders" that reformed from the Franciscan Friars Minor Observant (OFM Obs., now OFM) ...

(born December 3, 1943) is an American prelate 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 ...

who was bishop of Bluefields, Nicaragua, from 1994 to 2020.

Biography

Born in

Fond du Lac, Wisconsin Fond du Lac () is a city in Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 44,678 at the 2020 census. The city forms the core of the United States Census Bureau's Fond du Lac United States metrop ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, on December 3, 1943, Schmitz was ordained to the priesthood on September 3, 1970 for the Capuchin order. On June 22, 1984, he was appointed

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 ...

of Elepla and auxiliary bishop of the Roman Catholic Vicariate Apostolic of Bluefields,

Nicaragua Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the cou ...

. He was ordained bishop on September 17, 1984. On January 2, 1990, Schmitz was injured in an attack in Nicaragua by armed men identified as "contra" fighters that led to the deaths of two Roman Catholic nuns. On July 28, 1994, he was appointed bishop of the Apostolic Vicariate of Bluefields. On 30 November 2017, the Apostolic Vicariate was promoted to a diocese and Schmitz was named its first diocesan bishop. He was installed there on 20 January 2018. Pope Frances accepted his resignation on 12 November 2020. On 9 January 2020,

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. ...

appointed him apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Siuna following the death of Bishop

David Albin Zywiec Sidor David Albin Zywiec Sidor, OFM Cap (July 15, 1947 – January 5, 2020) was an American-Nicaraguan Roman Catholic bishop. Born in East Chicago, Indiana, United States, Zywiec Sidor was ordained to the priesthood, for the Capuchin order, on June 1, ...

. He held that post until the 26 June 2021.

References

External links

1943 births Living people People from Fond du Lac, Wisconsin American Roman Catholic priests 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Nicaragua Catholics from Wisconsin Capuchin bishops 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in Nicaragua Roman Catholic bishops of Bluefields {{Nicaragua-RC-bishop-stub