Richard Earl Dicus (September 1, 1910 – January 13, 1996) was

suffragan bishop A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations. In the Anglican Communion, a suffragan bishop is a bishop who is subordinate to a metropolitan bishop or diocesan bishop (bishop ordinary) and so is not normally jurisdiction ...

of the

Episcopal Diocese of West Texas The Episcopal Diocese of West Texas is the diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America whose territory comprises the southernmost part of the state of Texas. Territory The see city is San Antonio, and the diocese includes the ...

, serving from 1955 until his retirement in 1976.

Early life and education

Dicus was born in

Jerome, Arizona Jerome is a town in the Black Hills of Yavapai County in the U.S. state of Arizona. Founded in the late 19th century on Cleopatra Hill overlooking the Verde Valley, Jerome is located more than above sea level. It is about north of Phoenix alon ...

on September 1, 1910 to Harry Everett Dicus and Matilda Elizabeth Lawrence. He attended

Phoenix College Phoenix College (PC) is a public community college in Encanto, Phoenix, Arizona. Founded in 1920, it is one of the oldest community colleges in the country. History The college was originally a part of the Phoenix Union High School and Junio ...

and

Hampden–Sydney College gr, Ye Shall Know the Truth , established = , type = Private liberal arts men's college , religious_affiliation = Presbyterian Church (USA) , endowment = $258 million (2021) , president = Larry Stimpert , city = Hampden Sydney, Virginia , cou ...

. He then studied at the

University of the South The University of the South, familiarly known as Sewanee (), is a private Episcopal liberal arts college in Sewanee, Tennessee. It is owned by 28 southern dioceses of the Episcopal Church, and its School of Theology is an official seminary of ...

from where he graduated with a

Bachelor of Divinity In Western universities, a Bachelor of Divinity or Baccalaureate in Divinity (BD or BDiv; la, Baccalaureus Divinitatis) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded for a course taken in the study of divinity or related disciplines, such as theology ...

in 1937.

Ordained ministry

Dicus was ordained

deacon 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 Churc ...

in January 1938 and priest in November 1938 by the Missionary Bishop of Arizona Walter Mitchell. He married Mildred Dawson on September 10, 1938 and together had two children. He served as vicar of Good Samaritan Mission in

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1 ...

between 1938 and 1941, and then was priest- in-charge of St Andrew's Church in

Tucson, Arizona , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...

from 1941 to 1942. From 1942 to 1946, he was rector of St Paul's Church in

Batesville, Arkansas Batesville is the county seat and largest city of Independence County, Arkansas, Independence County, Arkansas, United States, 80 miles (183 km) northeast of Little Rock, Arkansas, Little Rock, the state capital. According to the 2010 Census, ...

, and between 1944 and 1946 he was also vicar of Trinity Church in

Searcy, Arkansas Searcy ( ) is the largest city and county seat of White County, Arkansas, United States. According to 2019 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 23,767. It is the principal city of the Searcy, AR Micropolitan Statistical Area ...

. In 1946, he moved to

Eagle Pass, Texas Eagle Pass is a city in and the county seat of Maverick County in the U.S. state of Texas. Its population was 28,130 as of the 2020 census. Eagle Pass borders the city of Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico, which is to the southwest and across th ...

to serve as rector of the Church of the Redeemer and priest-in-charge of Holy Trinity Church in

Carrizo Springs, Texas Carrizo Springs is the largest city in and the county seat of Dimmit County, Texas, United States. The population was 5,368 at the 2010 census. (2018 estimate 5,470). The name of the town is derived from the local springs, which were named by th ...

, and remained there until 1955.

Bishop

On April 18, 1955, during a special council meeting at St Mark's Church, Dicus was elected Suffragan Bishop of West Texas on the fifth ballot. He was consecrated on July 22, 1955 by Bishop Everett Holland Jones of West Texas and remained in office until his retirement in 1976.(1989). ''Worthy of Much Praise. A History of St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Batesville, Arkansas, from Its Earliest Beginnings to 1952'', p. 167. Craig Printing Company. He died on January 13, 1996.

References

1910 births 1996 deaths 20th-century American Episcopalians Episcopal bishops of West Texas 20th-century American clergy Sewanee: The University of the South alumni {{US-Anglican-bishop-stub