Bishop Wiesław Śpiewak, C.R. (born 19 October 1963) is a Polish-born Bermudian

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

prelate who serves as the first Diocesan Bishop of

Roman Catholic Diocese of Hamilton in Bermuda The Roman Catholic Diocese of Hamilton in Bermuda ( la, Dioecesis Hamiltonensis in Bermuda) is a diocese of the Latin Church of the Catholic Church in North America. The diocese comprises the entirety of the dependency of Bermuda. The diocese i ...

since 13 June 2015.

Education

Bishop Śpiewak was born into a Polish Roman Catholic family in

Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...

and was parishioner of the Resurrection parish in Wola Duchacka district. After completion of his school education, he joined a

religious congregation A religious congregation is a type of religious institute in the Catholic Church. They are legally distinguished from religious orders – the other major type of religious institute – in that members take simple vows, whereas members of religio ...

of the Resurrectionists and after the

novitiate The novitiate, also called the noviciate, is the period of training and preparation that a Christian ''novice'' (or ''prospective'') monastic, apostolic, or member of a religious order undergoes prior to taking vows in order to discern whether ...

made a

profession A profession is a field of work that has been successfully ''professionalized''. It can be defined as a disciplined group of individuals, '' professionals'', who adhere to ethical standards and who hold themselves out as, and are accepted by ...

on 15 September 1984. He consequently studied philosophy at the Vincentian Institute in

and continued his studies of theology at 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 ...

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 ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

, the master's degree at the Academy of Theology in Kraków and the licentiate of the Spirituality degree at the

Salesian Pontifical University The Salesian Pontifical University (; ) is a pontifical university in Italy run by the Salesians of Don Bosco. It has three campuses, one in Rome, one in Turin, and one in Jerusalem. The Salesian Pontifical University is an ordinary member of th ...

in Rome and was ordained a

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

on 19 May 1990 by Bishop

Stanisław Smoleński Stanislav and variants may refer to: People * Stanislav (given name), a Slavic given name with many spelling variations (Stanislaus, Stanislas, Stanisław, etc.) Places * Stanislav, a coastal village in Kherson, Ukraine * Stanislaus County, C ...

, after completed his philosophical and theological studies.

Pastoral, administrative and educational work

After his ordination Fr. Śpiewak was engaged in the different services and from 1990 until 1992 was a Vice-Rector of the Minor Seminary of the Resurrectionists in

Poznań Poznań () is a city on the River Warta in west-central Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business centre, and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint John ...

, Poland; during 1992–1995 was a Vocational Pastoral Director and Secretary of the Provincial Superior in

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

and

and during 1996–1997 was a Vocational Pastoral Director and Head of the Emmaus Vocation Center in Mszana Górna. In 1997 he was transferred to

and here held a various positions at the Generalate. During 1998–2014 was a

Postulator General A postulator is the person who guides a cause for beatification or canonization through the judicial processes required by the Roman Catholic Church. The qualifications, role and function of the postulator are spelled out in the ''Norms to be Obse ...

of the Resurrections, while served a parish priest of Santa Maria Maddalena in

Capranica Prenestina Capranica Prenestina is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Rome in the Italian region Lazio, located about east of Rome. It is located in the Monti Prenestini The Monti Prenestini is a mountain range in the Lazio sub-Apenn ...

in the

Roman Catholic Suburbicarian Diocese of Palestrina The Roman Catholic Suburbicarian Diocese of Palestrina ( la, Diocesis Praenestina) is a Roman Catholic suburbicarian diocese centered on the comune of Palestrina in Italy. The current bishop of Palestrina is Domenico Sigalini, who from 3 Novemb ...

from 1998 until 2003, when he returned to Rome to serve at the Generalate. Later he returned to Poland and was elected a Provincial Superior of the Resurrectionists in Poland (2010–2015).

Prelate

On 13 June 2015, Fr. Śpiewak was appointed by

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. ...

as a Diocesan Bishop of

. On 1 October 2015, he was consecrated as bishop by his predecessor, Bishop Emeritus Robert Kurtz and other prelates 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 ...

in the

Cathedral of Saint Theresa of Lisieux The Cathedral of Saint Theresa of Lisieux, or the Cathedral of Saint Theresa of the Little Flower, normally referred to as St. Theresa's Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Hamilton, in the British Overseas Territory of Bermuda. It is o ...

Hamilton, Bermuda The City of Hamilton, in Pembroke Parish, is the territorial capital of the British Overseas Territory of Bermuda. It is the territory's financial centre and a major port and tourist destination. Its population of 854 (2016) is one of the sm ...

is the feast of St.

Thérèse of Lisieux Thérèse of Lisieux (french: Thérèse de Lisieux ), born Marie Françoise-Thérèse Martin (2 January 1873 – 30 September 1897), also known as Saint Therese of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face (), was a French Catholic Discalced Carmelite ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Spiewak, Wieslaw 1963 births Living people Clergy from Kraków Bermudian Roman Catholic bishops Resurrectionist Congregation Pontifical Gregorian University alumni Pontifical University of John Paul II alumni Salesian Pontifical University alumni 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in British Overseas Territories Roman Catholic bishops of Hamilton in Bermuda 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops Bishops appointed by Pope Francis