Phillip Francis Straling (born April 25, 1933) is an American prelate 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 San Bernardino The Diocese of San Bernardino ( la, Dioecesis Sancti Bernardi, es, Diócesis de San Bernardino) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese in Southern California. Erected by Pope Paul VI on July 14, 1978, and its jurisdiction extends ...

in California from 1978 to 1995, and as bishop of the

Diocese of Reno The Diocese of Reno is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the northern Nevada region of the United States, centered on the city of Reno. The diocese is composed of 12 counties in Nevada. The See of Reno ...

in Nevada from 1995 to 2005.

Biography

Early life and ministry

Born in

San Bernardino, California San Bernardino (; Spanish for "Saint Bernardino") is a city and county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States. Located in the Inland Empire region of Southern California, the city had a population of 222,101 in the 2020 ce ...

, Straling was ordained into the priesthood for the Diocese of San Diego on March 19, 1959. He served 11 years in campus ministry before serving as executive secretary of the second Synod of the Diocese of San Diego. In 1976, Straling became

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 Rosary Parish in San Bernardino.

Bishop of San Bernardino

On July 14, 1978,

Pope The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...

Paul VI named Straling as the first bishop of the newly created Diocese of San Bernardino. He was consecrated on November 6, 1978 by Cardinal Timothy Manning. The co-consecrators were Archbishop John Quinn and Bishop Leo Maher. As Bishop of San Bernardino, Straling was noted for his collaborative leadership style. He was challenged by the rapid growth of the diocese and limited personnel. During his episcopate the diocese grew from about 235,000 people to 800,000, and from 85 parishes to 105. Therefore, he had to rely on the leadership skills of the laity and the vowed religious of the diocese. To the necessary formation for ministry he established a

diaconate A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Chur ...

program, and started the Straling Institute in 1980 for laymen. On January 28, 1992, 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 Gerald Barnes as the first auxiliary bishop of the diocese and Straling consecrated him on March 18 of the same year.

Bishop of Reno

On March 21, 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 ...

divided the Diocese of Reno-Las Vegas into two dioceses and appointed Straling as the Bishop of the new Diocese of Reno. He was installed on June 29, 1995 and served there for ten years.

Retirement

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 soverei ...

accepted Straling's letter of resignation as bishop of the Diocese of Reno on June 21, 2005.

References

External links

Roman Catholic Diocese of Reno Official Site

Episcopal succession

{{DEFAULTSORT:Straling, Phillip Francis 1933 births Living people People from San Bernardino, California Roman Catholic bishops of Reno 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States