Stanislaus Joseph Brzana (July 7, 1917 – March 1, 1997) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church who served as the tenth bishop of the

Diocese of Ogdensburg The Diocese of Ogdensburg ( la, Dioecesis Ogdensburgensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in New York. It was founded on February 15, 1872. It comprises the entirety of Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Jeff ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

from 1968 to 1993.

Biography

Stanislaus Brzana was born in Buffalo, New York, to Frank and Catherine (née Mikosz) Brzana. He studied a
Christ the King Seminary
at

St. Bonaventure University St. Bonaventure University is a private Franciscan university in St. Bonaventure, New York. It has 2,381 undergraduate and graduate students. The Franciscan Brothers established the university in 1858. In athletics, the St. Bonaventure Bonn ...

, and was ordained to the priesthood on June 7, 1941. He then did missionary work at the

Cattaraugus Reservation Cattaraugus Reservation is an Indian reservation of the federally recognized Seneca Nation of Indians, formerly part of the Iroquois Confederacy located in New York. As of the 2000 census, the Indian reservation had a total population of 2,412. Its ...

and during World War II served as a

chaplain A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a Minister (Christianity), minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a laity, lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secularity, secular institution (such as a hosp ...

with the Ninth Armored Division, ministering to troops in the Battle of the Bulge. After returning to New York and doing pastoral work, he earned a Doctor of Sacred Theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome in 1953. On May 24, 1964, Brzana was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Buffalo and Titular Bishop of Cufruta by Pope Paul VI. He received his

episcopal Episcopal may refer to: *Of or relating to a bishop, an overseer in the Christian church *Episcopate, the see of a bishop – a diocese *Episcopal Church (disambiguation), any church with "Episcopal" in its name ** Episcopal Church (United State ...

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 the following June 29 from Bishop

James A. McNulty James Aloysius McNulty (January 16, 1900 – September 4, 1972) was an American clergyman of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Paterson in New Jersey (1953–1963) and bishop of the Diocese of Buffalo in New York ...

, with Bishops Celestine Damiano and

James Johnston Navagh James Johnston Navagh (April 4, 1901 – October 2, 1965) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as an auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Raleigh in North Carolina (1952-1957), bishop of the Diocese of Ogdensburg in Northe ...

serving as

co-consecrators A consecrator is a bishop who ordains someone to the episcopacy. A co-consecrator is someone who assists the consecrator bishop in the act of ordaining a new bishop. The terms are used in the canon law of the Catholic Church, Lutheran Churches, ...

. When

Thomas Andrew Donnellan Thomas Andrew Donnellan (January 24, 1914 – October 15, 1987) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church who served as the ninth bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Ogdensburg, Diocese of Ogdensberg in New York from 1964 to 1968, an ...

was made

Archbishop of Atlanta In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdioc ...

, Brzana was appointed as Bishop of Ogdensburg on October 22, 1968. During his tenure, he served on committees of the

National 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 ...

and took part in deliberations of the Second Vatican Council. He also established several churches and education centers, and was active in regional civic and social activities, including caring for striking

miner A miner is a person who extracts ore, coal, chalk, clay, or other minerals from the earth through mining. There are two senses in which the term is used. In its narrowest sense, a miner is someone who works at the rock face; cutting, blasting, ...

s and their families. In addition to receiving a Caritas award from Catholic Charities, he was made an honorary Mohawk Indian chief in 1977. After 25 years in Ogdensburg, Brzana resigned on November 11, 1993. He spent his retirement in his native Buffalo, and later died at St. Joseph Hospital in Cheektowaga, aged 79.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brzana, Stanislaus Joseph 1917 births 1997 deaths St. Bonaventure University alumni Religious leaders from Buffalo, New York Participants in the Second Vatican Council World War II chaplains United States Army chaplains Roman Catholic bishops of Ogdensburg 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States