His Excellency, The Most Reverend

William Albert Wack

C.S.C.
Bishop of Pensacola–Tallahassee
DioceseDiocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee
AppointedMay 29, 2017
InstalledAugust 22, 2017
PredecessorGregory Parkes
Orders
OrdinationApril 9, 1994
by James MacDonald
ConsecrationAugust 22, 2017
by Thomas Wenski, Daniel R. Jenky, and Joe S. Vásquez
Personal details
Born (1967-06-28) June 28, 1967
South Bend, Indiana, US
EducationCollege of the Holy Cross
University of Notre Dame
MottoCome. Follow me.
Styles of
William Albert Wack, C.S.C.
Reference style
Spoken styleYour Excellency
Religious styleBishop

William Albert Wack, C.S.C. (born June 28, 1967) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church, serving as the bishop of the Diocese of Pensacola–Tallahassee in Florida since August 22, 2017.

Early life

William Wack was born June 28, 1967, in South Bend, Indiana. He is the second youngest of ten children, including a younger brother who followed him into the priesthood.[1] After graduating from LaSalle High School and attending Holy Cross College in Notre Dame, Indiana, for one year, Wack transferred to the University of Notre Dame.[2] He graduated in 1989 with a degree in government and international relations.

Wack entered the novitiate for the Congregation of Holy Cross in August 1989 and professed temporary vows in 1990. He returned to Notre Dame, where he received a Master of Divinity degree in May 1993. On August 28, 1993, Wack professed solemn vows as a member of the Congregation of Holy Cross and was ordained a deacon the following day.[2]

Priesthood

On April 9, 1994, Wack was ordained to the priesthood for the Congregation Order by Archbishop James MacDonald. His first assignment was as associate pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Colorado Springs, Colorado for three-plus years. From July 1997 to July 2002, he served as associate director of vocations for Holy Cross, as well as working in campus ministry at Notre Dame. He served as director of André House, a facility serving the homeless and poor of Phoenix, Arizona, from 2002 until December 2008. In June 2009, Wack moved to Austin, Texas to become pastor of St. Ignatius Martyr Parish.[2]

Bishop of Pensacola-Tallahassee

On May 29, 2017, Pope Francis appointed Wack as diocesan bishop for the Diocese of Pensacola–Tallahassee.[3][4][5]

In an interview just days before his consecration, Wack said "all I ever wanted to be was a priest[6]."

On August 22, 2017, Wack was consecrated by Archbishop Thomas Wenski and became the sixth Bishop of Pensacola-Tallahassee. At the time of his installation, Wack was 50 years old, making him one of the youngest bishops in the United States.

During his tenure as bishop, Wack has urged Catholics in his diocese to be missionary disciples[7] and has called for Catholics to be more evangelical in describing their relationship with Christ saying "Catholics have not always been comfortable talking about a 'personal relationship with Jesus Christ.' But even though that is not our preferred language, we know innately that this is what God wants for us. We can all start by asking God to help us to grow in our relationship with Jesus in the Holy Spirit.[8]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Fr. Neil Wack, C.S.C. // Holy Cross Vocations United States Province". Archived from the original on 2017-07-19. Retrieved 2017-05-31.
  2. 1 2 3 http://www.ptdiocese.org/documents/2017/5/Bishop-elect%20Wack%20bio.pdf Archived 2018-01-10 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ↑ "Pope Names Priest as New Bishop of Pensacola-Tallahassee". Retrieved May 30, 2017.
  4. ↑ "Our New Bishop". Retrieved May 30, 2017.
  5. ↑ "Father William Albert Wack, C.S.C." Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved 2017-05-30.
  6. ↑ "William Wack is the new bishop of the Diocese of Pensacola–Tallahassee". Pensacola News Journal. Retrieved July 3, 2023.
  7. ↑ "Interview: Bishop Wack discusses 'anger, division' in US Catholic Church". National Catholic Register. Retrieved July 3, 2023.
  8. ↑ "Bishop Wack: We need more evangelical Catholics". America Magazine. Retrieved July 3, 2023.

Episcopal succession

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