Bishop Stanislav Lipovšek (born 10 July 1943) is a Slovenian

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

prelate who served as the second Bishop of the Diocese of Celje from 15 March 2010 until his retirement on 18 September 2018. Also, he was an Apostolic Administrator during the vacancy of the Archdiocese of Maribor since 31 July 2013 until 26 April 2015.

Education

Bishop Lipovšek was born into a Roman Catholic family in Jankova near Vojnik during time of the Nazi occupation of Slovenia in the present day

Municipality of Vojnik The Municipality of Vojnik (; ) is a municipality in eastern Slovenia. The seat of the municipality is the town of Vojnik. The area is part of the traditional region of Styria. The municipality is now included in the Savinja Statistical Region. ...

. After finishing primary school, which he attended in Vojnik and graduation a classical gymnasium in

Celje Celje (, , ) is the List of cities and towns in Slovenia, third-largest city in Slovenia. It is a regional center of the traditional Slovenian region of Styria (Slovenia), Styria and the administrative seat of the City Municipality of Celje. Th ...

in 1962, he was admitted to the Major Theological Seminary in

Ljubljana {{Infobox settlement , name = Ljubljana , official_name = , settlement_type = Capital city , image_skyline = {{multiple image , border = infobox , perrow = 1/2/2/1 , total_widt ...

and in the same time joined the Theological Faculty at the

University of Ljubljana The University of Ljubljana (, , ), abbreviated UL, is the oldest and largest university in Slovenia. It has approximately 38,000 enrolled students. The university has 23 faculties and three art academies with approximately 4,000 teaching and re ...

, where studied from 1962 until 1968 and was ordained as

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

on June 29, 1968 for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Maribor, after completed his philosophical and theological studies. In the meantime, he also served his compulsory military service in the Yugoslavian Army.

Pastoral and educational work

After his ordination Fr. Lipovšek served as a priest in

Rogaška Slatina Rogaška Slatina (; ''Leksikon občin kraljestev in dežel zastopanih v državnem zboru,'' vol. 4: ''Štajersko''. 1904. Vienna: C. Kr. Dvorna in Državna Tiskarna, p. 248.) is a town in eastern Slovenia. It is the largest settlement in, and the s ...

(1968) and the parish of the St. Daniel in

(1968–1972). Later he continued his postgraduate studies at the Pontifical Atheneum of Saint Anselm in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

with a

Doctor of Theology Doctor of Theology (, abbreviated DTh, ThD, DTheol, or Dr. theol.) is a terminal degree in the academic discipline of theology. The ThD, like the ecclesiastical Doctor of Sacred Theology, is an advanced research degree equivalent to the Doctor o ...

degree in the camp of a liturgical science in 1976. After returning to Slovenia, he was appointed parish administrator of the parish of the Virgin Mary in

Maribor Maribor ( , , ; also known by other #Name, historical names) is the List of cities and towns in Slovenia, second-largest city in Slovenia and the largest city of the traditional region of Styria (Slovenia), Lower Styria. It is the seat of the ...

-Brezje (1976–1981). In 1981 he became a spiritual director in the Major Theological Seminary in

. Then in 1982 he was appointed

canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the material accepted as officially written by an author or an ascribed author * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western canon, th ...

of the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist in

, where he remained until his appointment as bishop in 2010. Meanwhile, in 2004 he became vice-dean of the Maribor archdeaconry (until 2010) During his priestly service (1978–1998), he was also active as a higher education lecturer, first as an assistant and later as a part-time professor, for

liturgy Liturgy is the customary public ritual of worship performed by a religious group. As a religious phenomenon, liturgy represents a communal response to and participation in the sacred through activities reflecting praise, thanksgiving, remembra ...

at the

University of Maribor The University of Maribor () is Slovenia's second-largest university, established in 1975 in Maribor, Slovenia. It currently has 17 faculties. History The university's roots reach back to 1859 when a theological seminary was established wi ...

unit of the Faculty of Theology.

Prelate

On March 15, 2010, he was appointed 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 ...

as the second Diocesan Bishop of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Celje The Diocese of Celje (; ) is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church located in the city of Celje in the ecclesiastical province of Maribor in Slovenia. History * April 7, 2006: Established as Diocese of Celje from the Diocese of Maribor ...

. On April 24, 2010, he was consecrated as bishop by Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop

Santos Abril y Castelló Santos Abril y Castelló (born 21 September 1935) is a Spanish prelate of the Catholic Church. After a career in the diplomatic corps of the Holy See, he held a number of positions in the Roman Curia and from 2011 to 2016 was Archpriest of the ...

and other prelates 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 ...

in the Cathedral of Saint Prophet Daniel in

. Also he served as an Apostolic Administrator of the Archdiocese of Maribor during its vacancy since 31 July 2013 until 26 April 2015. Bishop Lipovšek retired on September 18, 2018 after reaching of the age limit of 75 years old.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lipovšek, Stanislav 1943 births Living people People from the Municipality of Vojnik University of Ljubljana alumni Pontifical Atheneum of St. Anselm alumni Academic staff of the University of Maribor 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in Slovenia Bishops appointed by Pope Benedict XVI