Robert Francis Vasa (born May 7, 1951) 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 ...

. On Monday, January 24, 2011, Vasa was named the

coadjutor bishop A coadjutor bishop (or bishop coadjutor) is a bishop in the Catholic, Anglican, and (historically) Eastern Orthodox churches whose main role is to assist the diocesan bishop in the administration of the diocese. The coadjutor (literally, "co ...

to Bishop Daniel F. Walsh of the Diocese of Santa Rosa in California 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 ...

. Until then, he had been the fifth bishop of the

Diocese of Baker The Diocese of Baker (Latin: ''Dioecesis Bakeriensis'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Eastern Oregon, United States. It is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolis (reli ...

in Oregon. On June 30, 2011, Walsh's resignation was accepted by Benedict XVI and Vasa succeeded him as bishop.

Biography

Early life

Robert Vasa was born on May 7, 1951, in

Lincoln, Nebraska Lincoln is the capital city of the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Lancaster County. The city covers with a population of 292,657 in 2021. It is the second-most populous city in Nebraska and the 73rd-largest in the United Sta ...

, to Joe and Leona Vasa. From 1972 to 1976, he studied at

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

in Dallas, Texas, where he 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.

Priesthood

Vasa 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 va ...

to the priesthood for the Diocese of Lincoln by Bishop Glennon Flavin on May 22, 1976. After his ordination, Vasa served as a

curate A curate () is a person who is invested with the ''care'' or ''cure'' (''cura'') ''of souls'' of a parish. In this sense, "curate" means a parish priest; but in English-speaking countries the term ''curate'' is commonly used to describe clergy w ...

at the Cathedral of the Risen Christ Parish. He also taught at Pius X High School in Lincoln until 1977, when he became an

advocate An advocate is a professional in the field of law. Different countries' legal systems use the term with somewhat differing meanings. The broad equivalent in many English law–based jurisdictions could be a barrister or a solicitor. However, ...

on the diocesan Marriage Tribunal. In 1979, Vasa entered 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 ...

in Rome, earning a

Licentiate of Canon Law Licentiate of Canon Law ( la, Juris Canonici Licentiatus; JCL) is the title of an advanced graduate degree with canonical effects in the Roman Catholic Church offered by pontifical universities and ecclesiastical faculties of canon law. Licentiat ...

in 1981. Following his return to Nebraska, Vasa was named assistant

chancellor Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...

of the diocese and afterwards father prior of the local

Columbian Squires The Columbian Squires is an international youth fraternity run by the Knights of Columbus for Catholic boys between the ages of 10 and 18. Its stated mission is "to develop young men as leaders who understand their Catholic religion, who have a st ...

chapter. He was appointed

judicial vicar In the Roman Catholic Church, a judicial vicar or episcopal official ( la, links=no, officialis) is an officer of the diocese who has ordinary power to judge cases in the diocesan ecclesiastical court. Although the diocesan bishop can reserv ...

of the diocesan tribunal 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 St. James Parish in

Cortland, Nebraska Cortland is a village in Gage County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 482 at the 2010 census. History Cortland was platted in 1884 when the railroad was extended to that point. An early variant name was "Galesburg". The present name ...

, in 1985. He directed the remodeling and fund drive for St. Stephen Parish in Exter, Nebraska. In addition to his duties as judicial vicar, Vasa was appointed pastor of St. Peter Parish in Lincoln in 1990. He was raised by the Vatican to the rank of

honorary prelate A Prelate of Honour of His Holiness is a Catholic prelate to whom the Pope has granted this title of honour. They are addressed as Monsignor and have certain privileges as regards clerical clothing. In 1996 Vasa was named

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's ...

of the diocese and

moderator of the curia Moderator of the curia is a top administrative position held by a Catholic priest in a diocese under the supervision of the bishop. The moderator coordinates the exercise of the administrative duties and oversees the office holders, or curia, in ...

. He became chair of the Diocesan Building Commission in 1996 and served as pastor of St. Michael Parish in

Cheney, Nebraska Cheney is an unincorporated community in Lancaster County, Nebraska, United States. History In 1867, the Midland Pacific Railroad was established in Nebraska City. Midland Pacific began to build a line to Lincoln the following year, passing t ...

, from 1997 to 1999.

Bishop of Baker

On November 19, 1999, Vasa was named the fifth bishop of the Diocese of Baker by

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 ...

. He received his episcopal

consecration Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service. The word ''consecration'' literally means "association with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different grou ...

on January 26, 2000, from Archbishop John Vlazny, with Bishops Thomas Connolly and

Fabian Bruskewitz Fabian Wendelin Bruskewitz (born September 6, 1935) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as bishop of the Diocese of Lincoln in Nebraska, from 1992 to 2012. He is known for often taking conservative stands on social ...

serving as co-consecrators. In a 2006 column, Vasa implied that Catholics who support

abortion rights Abortion-rights movements, also referred to as pro-choice movements, advocate for the right to have legal access to induced abortion services including elective abortion. They seek to represent and support women who wish to terminate their pre ...

for women are guilty of a so-called heresy of murder.According to a ''

Catholic News Service Catholic News Service (CNS) is an American news agency owned by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) that reports on the Catholic Church. The agency's domestic service is set to shut down at the end of 2022, but its Rome bur ...

'' article, Vasa stated in February 2010 that St. Charles Medical Center in

Bend, Oregon Bend is a city in and the county seat of Deschutes County, Oregon, United States. It is the principal city of the Bend Metropolitan Statistical Area. Bend is Central Oregon's largest city, with a population of 99,178 at the time of the 2020 U.S ...

, located within the diocese, had "gradually moved away" from the church's ethical directives and could no longer be called Catholic. As a result, mass is no longer celebrated in the hospital chapel and the hospital returned all Catholic religious items to the diocese. However, the hospital retained the St. Charles name and the cross on his facility.

Bishop of Santa Rosa

On January 24, 2011,

appointed Vasa as coadjutor bishop for the Diocese of Santa Rosa. Vasa was installed on March 6, 2011. On June 30, 2011, he succeeded Bishop Walsh. Vasa served as the episcopal advisor to the Catholic Medical Association until 2014. He currently serves that role for the online religious education provider, CatechismClass. On July 22, 2019, Vasa suspended from ministry Oscar Diaz, the pastor of St. Eugene Parish in

Santa Rosa, California Santa Rosa (Spanish language, Spanish for "Rose of Lima, Saint Rose") is a city and the county seat of Sonoma County, California, Sonoma County, in the North Bay (San Francisco Bay Area), North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, Bay Area ...

, after Diaz admitted to stealing $95, 000 from the parish. While local prosecutors said they did not have a strong enough case for criminal charges, Vasa said that Diaz would never be allow to work as a priest again. In December 2022, Vasa announced that the diocese would seek

Chapter 11 bankruptcy Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code (Title 11 of the United States Code) permits reorganization under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. Such reorganization, known as Chapter 11 bankruptcy, is available to every business, whe ...

protection in order to deal with a large volume of sexual abuse lawsuits against the clergy. On March 13, 2023, the Santa Rosa Diocese filed its Chapter 11 bankruptcy petition in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of California, Santa Rosa Division. The case is The Roman Catholic Bishop of Santa Rosa, Bankr. N.D. Cal., Case No. 23-10113.

References

External links

Roman Catholic Diocese of Santa Rosa Official Site

Episcopal succession

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vasa, Robert F 1951 births Living people Roman Catholic bishops of Santa Rosa in California 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States American people of Czech descent Roman Catholic Ecclesiastical Province of Portland Pontifical Gregorian University alumni Pontifical North American College alumni Roman Catholic Diocese of Lincoln Roman Catholic bishops of Baker Religious leaders from Nebraska