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"
(Ps. 118:1)
Coat of arms
x
Styles of
David John Walkowiak
Coat of arms of David Walkowiak.svg
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 is currently serving as the twelfth bishop ordinary of the Diocese of Grand Rapids.[1]

Early life and education[]

David John Walkowiak was born in East Cleveland, Ohio on June 18, 1952 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, later, Cleveland's Saint Ignatius High School.[3]

Walkowiak earned his Bachelor of Arts in government and international studies from the University of Notre Dame in 1975 and Masters of Divinity four years later from Saint Mary Seminary in Wickliffe, Ohio. Beginning in the early 1980s, he studied at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., earning his licentiate of Canon Law in 1984 and his doctorate in 1987.[3]

Priesthood[]

Walkowiak was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop James A. Hickey for the Diocese of Cleveland on June 9, 1979.[3] He served the diocese as;

  • Pastoral vicar of Saint Mary Parish in Lorain, Ohio (1979–1984)
  • Vice-Chancellor of the Diocese of Cleveland (1988–2006)
  • Professor of Canon Law at Saint Mary Seminary in Wickliffe (1988–2006)
  • Pastor of Saint Joan of Arc Parish in Chagrin Falls, Ohio (2006–2013)[3]

Additionally, Walkowiak was a member of the Council of Priests for the diocese and served as an associate Judge of its Court of Appeals.

Episcopate[]

Bishop of Grand Rapids[]

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 and installed by Archbishop Allen Vigneron on Walkowiak's 60th birthday (June 18, 2013) at the Cathedral of Saint Andrew. Assisting Vigneron as co-consecrators were Bishop Hurley, Apostolic Nuncio Carlo Maria Viganò, and twenty other American bishops.[4]

Walkowiak released a statement on November 27, 2019 in which he supported the decision of 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.[5][6]

On May 27, 2021, Walkowiak announced that Pope Francis had laicized William Langlois, a priest from the diocese. The diocese has received in 2018 allegations 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.[7]

References[]

  1. ^ "Bishops of the Diocese". dioceseofgrandrapids.org. Retrieved 2016-02-04.
  2. ^ http://www.posteaglenewspaper.com/new-polish-bishop-in-michigan/
  3. ^ a b c d "Biography of Bishop Walkowiak". Diocese of Grand Rapids. Retrieved February 10, 2016.
  4. ^ "Bishops of the Diocese". dioceseofgrandrapids.org. Retrieved 2016-02-04.
  5. ^ "Library : Full Statement of Bishop Walkowiak Concerning Priest Refusing Communion". www.catholicculture.org. Retrieved 2022-01-03.
  6. ^ "Grand Rapids-area pastor denies Holy Communion to gay judge". thealpenanews.com. Retrieved 2022-01-03.
  7. ^ "Catholic priest in West Michigan removed over credible allegations of sexual abuse". WXMI. 2021-05-07. Retrieved 2022-01-03.

External links[]

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