Richard Edmund Pates (born February 12, 1943) is an
American Catholic
The Catholic Church in the United States is part of the worldwide Catholic Church in communion with the pope, who as of 2025 is Chicago, Illinois-born Leo XIV. With 23 percent of the United States' population , the Catholic Church is the cou ...
prelate who served as
Bishop of Des Moines from 2008 to 2019 and as an auxiliary bishop of the
Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis from 2000 to 2008.
After his retirement, Pates served as
apostolic administrator
An apostolic administration in the Catholic Church is administrated by a prelate appointed by the pope to serve as the ordinary for a specific area. Either the area is not yet a diocese (a stable 'pre-diocesan', usually missionary apostolic admi ...
of both the
Diocese of Joliet in Illinois and the
Diocese of Crookston for short terms. On April 4, 2023,
Pope
The pope is the bishop of Rome and the Head of the Church#Catholic Church, visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. He is also known as the supreme pontiff, Roman pontiff, or sovereign pontiff. From the 8th century until 1870, the po ...
Francis
Francis may refer to:
People and characters
*Pope Francis, head of the Catholic Church (2013–2025)
*Francis (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters
* Francis (surname)
* Francis, a character played by YouTuber Boogie2 ...
appointed Pates as administrator of the
Archdiocese of Dubuque
The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Dubuque () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or archdiocese, of the Catholic Church in the northeastern quarter of the state of Iowa in the United States.
The Diocese of Dubuque was erected in 1837 and ...
due to the abrupt retirement of Archbishop
Michael Jackels.
Biography
Early life
The youngest of three sons, Richard Pates was born on February 12, 1943, to Donald and Lenora Pates in
Saint Paul
Paul, also named Saul of Tarsus, commonly known as Paul the Apostle and Saint Paul, was a Christian apostle ( AD) who spread the teachings of Jesus in the first-century world. For his contributions towards the New Testament, he is generally ...
,
Minnesota
Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...
.
He attended
Nazareth Hall Preparatory Seminary
Nazareth Hall Preparatory Seminary, known familiarly as Naz Hall, was a Minor seminary, high school seminary in Arden Hills, Minnesota, United States, serving the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, Archdiocese of Saint Pa ...
in Saint Paul and
St. Paul Seminary, where he earned
Bachelor of Philosophy
Bachelor of Philosophy (BPhil, BPh, or PhB; or or ) is the title of an academic degree in philosophy that usually involves considerable research, either through a thesis or supervised research projects. Unlike many other bachelor's degrees, the ...
and Bachelor of Latin degrees in 1965. Pates completed his
graduate studies
Postgraduate education, graduate education, or graduate school consists of academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications usually pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate (bachel ...
in Rome, where he resided at the
Pontifical North American College
The Pontifical North American College (NAC) is a Catholic Church, Roman Catholic educational institution in Rome, Italy, that prepares seminarians to become priests in the United States and elsewhere. The NAC also provides a residence for Prie ...
. He received a
Licentiate of Sacred Theology
Licentiate in Sacred Theology (; abbreviated LTh or STL) is the second of three ecclesiastical degrees in theology (the first being the Baccalaureate in Sacred Theology and the third being the Doctorate in Sacred Theology) which are conferred ...
from the
Pontifical Gregorian University
Pontifical Gregorian University (; also known as the Gregorian or Gregoriana), is a private university, private pontifical university in Rome, Italy.
The Gregorian originated as a part of the Roman College, founded in 1551 by Ignatius of Loyo ...
.
Early priesthood
On December 20, 1968, Pates was
ordained
Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...
to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis by
Bishop Francis Reh at
St. Peter's Basilica
The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican (), or simply St. Peter's Basilica (; ), is a church of the Italian High Renaissance located in Vatican City, an independent microstate enclaved within the city of Rome, Italy. It was initiall ...
in Rome.
After returning to Minnesota in 1968, he was appointed
associate pastor at Blessed Sacrament Parish in St. Paul.
Minneapolis
Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...
. In 1973, he was named as private secretary to Archbishop Leo Byrne and vice-chancellor
Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...
of the Archdiocese.
Senior priestly postings
In 1975, Pates was appointed as secretary of the apostolic delegation to the United States in Washington, D.C.. During this time, he assisted at Blessed Sacrament Parish in Chevy Chase
Cornelius Crane "Chevy" Chase (; born October 8, 1943) is an American comedian, actor, and writer. He became the breakout cast member in the first season of ''Saturday Night Live'' (1975–1976), where his recurring ''Weekend Update'' segment b ...
, Maryland
Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...
, and was raised by the Vatican to the rank of chaplain to his holiness in 1979.chaplain
A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secular institution (such as a hospital, prison, military unit, intellige ...
of the Serra Club of Midway, Minnesota. In 1987, Pates was appointed vicar
A vicar (; Latin: '' vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English p ...
for seminaries
A seminary, school of theology, theological college, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called seminarians) in scripture and theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clerg ...
and pastor
A pastor (abbreviated to "Ps","Pr", "Pstr.", "Ptr." or "Psa" (both singular), or "Ps" (plural)) is the leader of a Christianity, Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutherani ...
of Saint Kevin Parish and the Resurrection Parish, both in Minneapolis. In 1991, the two parishes
A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or ...
merged to form Our Lady of Peace Parish, where Pates continued as pastor until 1998.deaneries
A deanery (or decanate) is an ecclesiastical entity in the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Anglican Communion, the Evangelical Church in Germany, and the Church of Norway. A deanery is either the jurisdiction or residence of a ...
, the Council of Catholic Women (1990–1998) and was the founding pastor of Saint Ambrose of Woodbury Parish in St. Paul (1998–2001).
Auxiliary Bishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis
On December 22, 2000, Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005.
In his you ...
appointed Pates as an auxiliary bishop
An auxiliary bishop is a bishop assigned to assist the diocesan bishop in meeting the pastoral and administrative needs of the diocese. Auxiliary bishops can also be titular bishops of sees that no longer exist as territorial jurisdictions.
...
of the Diocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis and titular bishop of Suacia.[ He was consecrated on March 26, 2001, by Archbishop Harry Flynn, with Archbishop John Roach and Bishop Frederick Campbell serving as co-consecrators, at the Cathedral of St. Paul.][
As an auxiliary bishop, Pates served as ]vicar general
A vicar general (previously, archdeacon) is the principal deputy of the bishop or archbishop of a diocese or an archdiocese for the exercise of administrative authority and possesses the title of local ordinary. As vicar of the bishop, the vica ...
, vicar for clergy
Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...
, vicar for youth and young adults, and vicar for evangelization.
Bishop of Des Moines
On April 10, 2008, Pope Benedict XVI
Pope BenedictXVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until his resignation on 28 February 2013. Benedict's election as p ...
appointed Pates as the ninth bishop of the Diocese of Des Moines.[ He was installed on May 29, 2008. Pates was the third consecutive ]Twin Cities
Twin cities are a special case of two neighboring cities or urban centres that grow into a single conurbation – or narrowly separated urban areas – over time. There are no formal criteria, but twin cities are generally comparable in stat ...
' auxiliary bishop to be named bishop Des Moines; his two immediate predecessors, Bishop Joseph Charron and Bishop William Bullock, previously served the St. Paul and Minneapolis Archdiocese.[
On November 14, 2011, Pates was elected chair of the ]United States 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 2001 after the merger of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops (NCCB) and United States Catholic C ...
' (USCCB) Committee on International Justice and Peace at the 2011 meeting. He was elected on a 122–114 vote over Bishop Frank Dewane of the Diocese of Venice in Florida. Pates advocated lifting the Cuban embargo and other restrictions the US Government had placed on Cuba
Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...
. He called for further dialogue between the two countries, earning some support from Catholics in South Florida
South Florida, sometimes colloquially shortened to SoFlo, is the Regions of the United States#Florida, southernmost region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is one of Florida's three most commonly referred to directional regions; the two others are ...
.
Retirement
On February 16, 2018, Pates submitted his letter of resignation as bishop of the Diocese of Des Moines to Pope Francis
Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...
having reached the canonical retirement age of 75. His successor, Reverend William M. Joensen, was announced in late July 2019.
Apostolic administrator
On December 27, 2019, Francis named Pates as apostolic administrator
An apostolic administration in the Catholic Church is administrated by a prelate appointed by the pope to serve as the ordinary for a specific area. Either the area is not yet a diocese (a stable 'pre-diocesan', usually missionary apostolic admi ...
of the Diocese of Joliet after Bishop R. Daniel Conlon took medical leave. He continued in that role when Conlon retired on May 4, 2020. Pates' responsibilities in Joliet ended when new Bishop Ronald Hicks was installed there on September 29, 2020.
On April 13, 2021, Francis named Pates as apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Crookston. The pope had asked Bishop Michael Hoeppner to resign due to his mishandling of sexual abuse
Sexual abuse or sex abuse is abusive sexual behavior by one person upon another. It is often perpetrated using physical force, or by taking advantage of another. It often consists of a persistent pattern of sexual assaults. The offender is re ...
allegations against priests. Pates' term ended on December 6, 2021, with the installation of Auxiliary Bishop Andrew H. Cozzens as bishop of Crookston.
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pates, Richard
1943 births
Living people
Clergy from Saint Paul, Minnesota
21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States
Saint Paul Seminary alumni
Pontifical Gregorian University alumni
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis
Roman Catholic bishops of Des Moines
Religious leaders from Minnesota