Robert Francis Vasa (born May 7, 1951) is an American

prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Minister (Christianity), Christian clergy who is an Ordinary (church officer), ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which me ...

of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

. On Monday, January 24, 2011, Vasa was named the

coadjutor bishop A coadjutor bishop (or bishop coadjutor) ("co-assister" in Latin) is a bishop in the Latin Catholic, Anglican and (historically) Eastern Orthodox churches whose main role is to assist the diocesan bishop in administering the diocese. The coa ...

to Bishop Daniel F. Walsh of the Diocese of Santa Rosa in California by

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 ...

. Until then, he had been the fifth bishop of the Diocese of Baker in Oregon. On June 30, 2011, Walsh's resignation was accepted by Benedict XVI and Vasa succeeded him as bishop.

Biography

Early life

Robert Vasa was born on May 7, 1951, in

Lincoln, Nebraska Lincoln is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Nebraska. The city covers and had a population of 291,082 as of the 2020 census. It is the state's List of cities in Nebraska, second-most populous city a ...

, to Joe and Leona Vasa. Having decided to become a priest, Vasa in 1972 entered

Holy Trinity Seminary Holy Trinity Seminary is a Roman Catholic seminary residence in Irving, Texas, United States, in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Dallas, Diocese of Dallas, Texas that is located within the University of Dallas campus, founded in 1964. It is headed ...

in Dallas, Texas. He graduated in 1976 with a

Master of Divinity For graduate-level theological institutions, the Master of Divinity (MDiv, ''magister divinitatis'' in Latin) is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America. It is the most common academic degree in seminaries and ...

degree.

Priesthood

Vasa 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

Diocese of Lincoln The Diocese of Lincoln forms part of the Province of Canterbury in England. The present diocese covers the ceremonial county of Lincolnshire. History The diocese traces its roots in an unbroken line to the Pre-Reformation Diocese of Leice ...

by Bishop Glennon Flavin on May 22, 1976, at the Cathedral of the Risen Christ in Lincoln. After his 1976 ordination, the diocese assigned Vasa served as an assistant pastor at the Risen Christ Parish. He also started teaching at Pius X High School in Lincoln. The diocese in 1977 moved Vasa to a posting as an

advocate An advocate is a professional in the field of law. List of country legal systems, Different countries and legal systems use the term with somewhat differing meanings. The broad equivalent in many English law–based jurisdictions could be a ba ...

on the diocesan marriage tribunal. In 1979, Vasa traveled to Rome to study at 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 ...

. He was awarded a

Licentiate of Canon Law Licentiate of Canon Law (; JCL) is the title of an advanced graduate degree with canonical effects in the Roman Catholic Church offered by pontifical universities and ecclesiastical faculties of canon law. Licentiate is the title of a person who ...

in 1981. Following Vasa's return to Nebraska in 1981, Flavin appointed him as assistant chancellor of the diocese and afterwards father prior of the local Columbian Squires chapter. Four years later, he was named

judicial vicar In the Roman Catholic Church, a judicial vicar or episcopal official () is an officer of the diocese who has ordinary power to judge cases in the diocesan ecclesiastical court. Although the diocesan bishop can reserve certain cases to himself, ...

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 St. James Parish in Cortland, Nebraska . Vasa was appointed vice chancellor in 1987 and in 1988 directed the remodeling and fund drive for St. Stephen Parish in Exeter, Nebraska. In addition to his duties as judicial vicar, Vasa was appointed pastor of St. Peter Parish in Lincoln in 1990. He was raised by the Vatican to the rank of

honorary prelate A Prelate of Honour of His Holiness is a Catholic prelate to whom the Pope has granted this title of honour. They are addressed as Monsignor (typically abbreviated 'Mgr') and have certain privileges as regards clerical clothing.

in 1995. In 1996, Bishop

Fabian Bruskewitz Fabian Wendelin Bruskewitz (born September 6, 1935) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as bishop of the Diocese of Lincoln in Nebraska, from 1992 to 2012. A 2021 report by the Nebraska Attorney General cited sever ...

appointed Vasa was named

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 ...

of the diocese and

moderator of the curia Moderator of the curia is a top administrative position held by a Catholic priest in a diocese under the supervision of the bishop. The moderator coordinates the exercise of the administrative duties and oversees the office holders, or curia, in ...

. He became chair of the diocesan Building Commission in 1996 and served as pastor of St. Michael Parish in Cheney, Nebraska, from 1997 to 1999.

Bishop of Baker

On November 19, 1999, Vasa was named the fifth bishop of Baker by

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 ...

. He received his episcopal

consecration Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects ( ...

at the Three Sisters Convention Center in

Redmond, Oregon Redmond is a city in Deschutes County, Oregon, United States. The population was 33,274 at the 2020 census, and according to 2023 census estimates, the city is estimated to have a population of 37,009. The city is on the eastern side of Oregon ...

, on January 26, 2000, from Archbishop John Vlazny, with Bishops Thomas Connolly and

serving as

co-consecrators A consecrator is a bishop who ordains someone to the episcopacy. A co-consecrator is someone who assists the consecrator bishop in the act of ordaining a new bishop. The terms are used in the canon law of the Catholic Church, Lutheran Churche ...

. According to a ''

Catholic News Service Catholic News Service (CNS) is an American news agency owned by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) that reports on the Catholic Church. The agency's domestic (United States) service shut down on 30 December 2022, but CNS ...

'' article, Vasa stated in February 2010 that St. Charles Medical Center in

Bend, Oregon Bend is a city in central Oregon and the county seat of Deschutes County, Oregon, Deschutes County, Oregon, United States. It is located to the east of the Cascade Range, on the Deschutes River. The site became known by pioneers as a ford (cros ...

, located within the diocese, had "gradually moved away" from the church's ethical directives and could no longer be called Catholic. As a result, mass could not be celebrated in the hospital chapel and the hospital was forced to return all Catholic religious items to the diocese. However, the hospital retained the St. Charles name and the cross on his facility.

Bishop of Santa Rosa

On January 24, 2011,

appointed Vasa as coadjutor bishop of Santa Rosa. Vasa was installed on March 6, 2011. On June 30, 2011, he succeeded Bishop Walsh. Vasa served as the episcopal advisor to the Catholic Medical Association until 2014. He currently serves that role for the online religious education provider, CatechismClass. On July 22, 2019, Vasa suspended Reverend Oscar Diaz, the pastor of Resurrection Parish in

Santa Rosa, California Santa Rosa (Spanish language, Spanish for "Rose of Lima, Saint Rose") is a city in and the county seat of Sonoma County, California, Sonoma County, in the North Bay (San Francisco Bay Area), North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, Bay A ...

, from ministry. Diaz had admitted to stealing $95, 000 from the parish. While local prosecutors declined to press criminal charges, Vasa said that he would never allow Diaz to work as a priest again. In December 2022, Vasa announced that the diocese would seek

Chapter 11 bankruptcy Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code ( Title 11 of the United States Code) permits reorganization under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. Such reorganization, known as Chapter 11 bankruptcy, is available to every business, w ...

protection in order to deal with a large volume of sexual abuse lawsuits against the clergy. On March 13, 2023, the diocese filed its bankruptcy petition .

Viewpoints

Abortion rights

In a 2006 column, Vasa implied that Catholics who support

abortion rights Abortion-rights movements, also self-styled as pro-choice movements, are movements that advocate for legal access to induced abortion services, including elective abortion. They seek to represent and support women who wish to terminate their p ...

for women are guilty of the heresy of murder.

References

Episcopal succession

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vasa, Robert F 1951 births Living people Roman Catholic bishops of Santa Rosa in California 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States American people of Czech descent Roman Catholic Ecclesiastical Province of Portland Pontifical Gregorian University alumni Pontifical North American College alumni Roman Catholic Diocese of Lincoln Roman Catholic bishops of Baker Religious leaders from Nebraska