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David John Walkowiak

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His Excellency, The Most Reverend

David John Walkowiak

J.C.D.
Bishop of Grand Rapids
Bp. Walkowiak on the Thone
Bishop Walkowiak sits on the cathedra of the Grand Rapids Diocesan Cathedral, May 2015
ProvinceDetroit
SeeGrand Rapids
AppointedApril 18, 2013
InstalledJune 18, 2013
PredecessorWalter Allison Hurley
Orders
OrdinationJune 9, 1979
by James A. Hickey
ConsecrationJune 18, 2013
by Allen Henry Vigneron, Richard Lennon, and Walter A. Hurley
Personal details
BornJune 18, 1953
Cleveland, Ohio
NationalityAmerican
DenominationRoman Catholic
Alma materCatholic University of America
MottoGratitas agite Domino
(Give thanks to the Lord)
(Psalm 118:1)
Coat of arms
Styles of
David John Walkowiak
Reference style
Spoken styleYour Excellency
Religious styleBishop

The Most Reverend David John Walkowiak, J.C.D. (born June 18, 1953) is a prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who has been serving as the twelfth bishop of the Diocese of Grand Rapids in Michigan since 2013.[1]

Biography

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Early life

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David Walkowiak was born in East Cleveland, Ohio, on June 18, 1953, to Dr. John and Virginia Walkowiak. He has three sisters, and the family is of Polish descent.[2] He attended Saint Bernadette school in Westlake, Ohio and then Saint Ignatius High School in Cleveland, Ohio.[1] Walkowiak earned a Bachelor of Arts in government and international studies from the University of Notre Dame in Notre Dame, Indiana, in 1975.

Walkowiak entered Saint Mary Seminary in Wickliffe, Ohio, soon after his college graduation. He received a Master of Divinity from Saint Mary in 1979.

Priesthood

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Walkowiak was ordained to the priesthood at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Cleveland by Bishop James Aloysius Hickey for the Diocese of Cleveland on June 9, 1979.[1][3]

After his 1979 ordination, the diocese assigned Walkowiak as pastoral vicar of Saint Mary Parish in Lorain, Ohio, where he would remain for the next four years. In 1984, he entered Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. Walkowiak received a Licentiate of Canon Law in 1984 and a Doctor of Canon Law in 1987.[1]

After Walkowiak returned to Cleveland in 1988, Bishop Anthony Michael Pilla appointed him as vice-chancellor and as a professor of canon law at Saint Mary Seminary. In 2006, Walkowiak was also appointed as pastor of Saint Joan of Arc Parish in Chagrin Falls, Ohio.[1] He also served as a member of the council of priests and as an associate judge of the court of appeals.[1]

Bishop of Grand Rapids

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On April 18, 2013, Pope Francis accepted the resignation of Bishop Walter A. Hurley of the Diocese of Grand Rapids and appointed Walkowiak as his successor. He was consecrated by Archbishop Allen Henry Vigneron on June 18, 2013, at the Cathedral of Saint Andrew in Grand Rapids. Assisting Vigneron as co-consecrators were Bishop Hurley, Apostolic Nuncio Carlo Maria Viganò, and twenty other American bishops.[1][3]

Walkowiak released a statement on November 27, 2019, in which he supported the decision of Reverend Scott Nolan, pastor of St. Stephen Parish in East Grand Rapids, Michigan, to withhold the Eucharist from Sara Smolenski. A town judge, Smolenski told the local media that Nolan notified her before mass that she could not receive communion because of her same-sex marriage. She also said that Nolan had given her communion the week before.[4][5]

On May 27, 2021, Walkowiak announced that Pope Francis had laicized Reverend William Langlois. The diocese had received allegations in 2018 that Langlois had sexually abused a parishioner when they were a minor between 1999 and 2006. The diocese immediately suspended Langlois, notified local authorities, and started an internal investigation.[6]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g "Most Reverend David John Walkowiak, J.C.D." Diocese of Grand Rapids. Retrieved 2023-11-22.
  2. ^ "New Polish Bishop in Michigan". The Post Eagle. August 7, 2013. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
  3. ^ a b "Bishop David John Walkowiak [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 2023-11-22.
  4. ^ Walkowiak, David. "Full Statement of Bishop Walkowiak Concerning Priest Refusing Communion". Catholic Culture. Retrieved 2022-01-03.
  5. ^ "Grand Rapids-area pastor denies Holy Communion to gay judge". The Alpena News. November 30, 2019. Retrieved 2022-01-03.
  6. ^ Harmon, Zac (2021-05-07). "Catholic priest in West Michigan removed over credible allegations of sexual abuse". WXMI. Retrieved 2022-01-03.
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