Richard Edmund Pates (born February 12, 1943) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. Pates served as bishop of the Diocese of Des Moines in Iowa from 2008 to 2019 and as an auxiliary bishop of the

Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis The Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis ( la, Archidiœcesis Paulopolitana et Minneapolitana) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or diocese of the Catholic Church in the United States. It is led by an archbishop who administers ...

in Minnesota from 2000 to 2008. After his retirement, Pates 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 both the

Diocese of Joliet The Diocese of Joliet in Illinois ( la, Diœcesis Joliettensis in Illinois) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the Catholic Church in the state of Illinois in the United States. The Diocese of Joliet in Illinois is a suff ...

in Illinois and the Diocese of Crookston in Minnesota for short terms.

Biography

Early life

The youngest of three sons, Richard Pates was born to Donald and Lenora Pates in

Saint Paul Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

. He attended

Nazareth Hall Preparatory Seminary Nazareth Hall Preparatory Seminary (known also as Naz Hall) was a high school seminary in Saint Paul, Minnesota serving the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. It was founded in 1923 by Archbishop Austin Dowling and was closed in 1971, be ...

in Saint Paul and St. Paul Seminary, where he earned

Bachelor of Philosophy Bachelor of Philosophy (BPhil, BPh, or PhB; la, Baccalaureus Philosophiae or ) is the title of an academic degree that usually involves considerable research, either through a thesis or supervised research projects. Unlike many other bachelor's d ...

and Bachelor of Latin degrees in 1965. Pates completed his

graduate studies Postgraduate or graduate education refers to academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate (bachelor's) degree. The organization and stru ...

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, where he resided at the Pontifical North American College. He received a Licentiate of Sacred Theology from the

Pontifical Gregorian University The Pontifical Gregorian University ( it, Pontificia Università Gregoriana; also known as the Gregorian or Gregoriana,) is a higher education ecclesiastical school ( pontifical university) located in Rome, Italy. The Gregorian originated as ...

Early priesthood

On December 20, 1968, Pates 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 ...

to the priesthood by Bishop Francis Reh at

St. Peter's Basilica The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican ( it, Basilica Papale di San Pietro in Vaticano), or simply Saint Peter's Basilica ( la, Basilica Sancti Petri), is a church built in the Renaissance style located in Vatican City, the papal e ...

in Rome. After returning to Minnesota in 1968, he was appointed

associate 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 ...

at Blessed Sacrament Parish in St. Paul. In 1970, he was named vocation director of the archdiocese holding that position until 1974. Pates also served as a weekend associate pastor at Annunciation Parish in

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

. In 1973, he was named as

private secretary A private secretary (PS) is a civil servant in a governmental department or ministry, responsible to a secretary of state or minister; or a public servant in a royal household, responsible to a member of the royal family. The role exists in ...

to Archbishop Leo Byrne and vice- chancellor of the Archdiocese.

Senior priestly postings

In 1975, Pates was appointed as secretary of the apostolic delegation to the United States in Washington, D.C.. During this time, he assisted at Blessed Sacrament Parish in

Chevy Chase Cornelius Crane "Chevy" Chase (; born October 8, 1943) is an American comedian, actor and writer. He became a key cast member in the first season of ''Saturday Night Live'', where his recurring ''Weekend Update'' segment became a staple of the ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

, and was raised to the rank of chaplain to his holiness in 1979. In 1981, Pates returned to Saint Paul to become rector of Saint John Vianney College Seminary, a position he would hold until 1987. He was also appointed chaplain of the Serra Club of Midway, Minnesota. In 1987, Pates was appointed

vicar A vicar (; Latin: '' vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English pre ...

for

seminaries A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy, ...

and

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 Saint Kevin Parish and the Resurrection Parish, both in Minneapolis. In 1991, the two parishes merged to form Our Lady of Peace Parish , where Pates continued as pastor until 1998. Pates served as moderator for the archdiocese

deaneries A deanery (or decanate) is an ecclesiastical entity in the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Anglican Communion, the Evangelical Church in Germany, and the Church of Norway. A deanery is either the jurisdiction or residenc ...

, the Council of Catholic Women (1990–1998) and was the founding pastor of Saint Ambrose of Woodbury Parish in St. Paul (1998–2001).

Auxiliary Bishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis

On December 22, 2000,

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 ...

appointed Pates as an auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis and titular tishop of Suacia. He was consecrated on March 26, 2001 by Archbishop Harry Flynn, with Archbishop John Roach and Bishop Frederick Campbell serving as co-consecrators, at the Cathedral of St. Paul. As an auxiliary bishop, Pates served as

vicar general A vicar general (previously, archdeacon) is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority and possesses the title of local ordinary. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar general exercises the bishop' ...

, vicar for

clergy Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...

, vicar for youth and young adults, and vicar for evangelization.

Bishop of Des Moines

On April 10, 2008,

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 ...

appointed Pates as the ninth bishop of the Diocese of Des Moines. He was installed on May 29, 2008. Pates was the third consecutive

Twin Cities Twin cities are a special case of two neighboring cities or urban centres that grow into a single conurbation – or narrowly separated urban areas – over time. There are no formal criteria, but twin cities are generally comparable in sta ...

' auxiliary bishop to be named ordinary of that diocese; his two immediate predecessors, Bishop

Joseph Charron Joseph Léo Charron C.PP.S. is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. Charron served as bishop of the Diocese of Des Moines in Iowa from 1994 to 2007 and as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis in Minn ...

and Bishop William Bullock, previously served the St. Paul and Minneapolis Archdiocese. On November 14, 2011, Pates was elected Chairman of the

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is the episcopal conference of the Catholic Church in the United States. Founded in 1966 as the joint National Conference of Catholic Bishops (NCCB) and United States Catholic Conference (US ...

' (USCCB) Committee on International Justice and Peace at the 2011 meeting, on a 122–114 vote over Bishop Frank Dewane of

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges. The isla ...

, Florida. Pates advocated lifting the

embargo Economic sanctions are commercial and financial penalties applied by one or more countries against a targeted self-governing state, group, or individual. Economic sanctions are not necessarily imposed because of economic circumstances—they m ...

and the other restrictions the US placed on

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

, and for further dialogue between the two countries, earning some support from Florida-area Catholics.

Retirement

On February 16, 2018, Pates submitted his letter of resignation as bishop of the Diocese of Des Moines to

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. ...

having reached the canonical retirement age of 75. His successor, then Father William M. Joensen, was announced in late July 2019.

Apostolic administrator

On December 27, 2019, Francis named Pates as apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Joliet after Bishop R. Daniel Conlon took medical leave. He continued in that role when Conlon retired on May 4, 2020. His responsibilities in Joliet ended when new Bishop Ronald Hicks was installed in Joliet on September 29, 2020. On April 13, 2021, Francis named Pates as apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Crookston. The Pope had asked Bishop Michael Hoeppner to resign due to his mishandling of

sexual abuse Sexual abuse or sex abuse, also referred to as molestation, is abusive sexual behavior by one person upon another. It is often perpetrated using force or by taking advantage of another. Molestation often refers to an instance of sexual assa ...

allegations against priests. Pates' term ended on December 6, 2021, with the installation of new Bishop

Andrew H. Cozzens Andrew Harmon Cozzens (born August 3, 1968) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who has been serving as bishop of the Diocese of Crookston in Minnesota since 2021. He previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese ...

as Bishop of Crookston.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pates, Richard 1943 births Living people Clergy from Saint Paul, Minnesota 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States Saint Paul Seminary School of Divinity alumni Pontifical Gregorian University alumni Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis Roman Catholic bishops of Des Moines Religious leaders from Minnesota