Steven John Raica (born November 8, 1952) is an American prelate 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 ...

. He has been serving as bishop of the Diocese of Birmingham in Alabama since 2020. He previously served as bishop of the

Diocese of Gaylord The Diocese of Gaylord () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the Catholic Church in the northern region of the lower peninsula of Michigan in the United States. The diocese is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical pr ...

in Michigan from 2014 to 2020

Biography

Early life and education

Steven Raica was born on November 8, 1952, in

Munising, Michigan Munising ( ') is a city in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Alger County, Michigan. The population was 1,986 at the 2020 census. The city is partially surrounded by Munising Township, but the two are a ...

to Steve and Mary Raica. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from

Michigan State University Michigan State University (Michigan State or MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State o ...

in East Lansing, Michigan, 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 from

St. John's Provincial Seminary St. John's Provincial Seminary was a Catholic major seminary in the Archdiocese of Detroit that operated between 1949 and 1988 in Plymouth, Michigan. Catholic Seminary St. John's was founded in 1949 for the province of the Archdiocese of Detroi ...

in Plymouth, Michigan, and a Master of Religious Studies degree from the

University of Detroit The University of Detroit Mercy is a private Catholic university in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is sponsored by both the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) and the Sisters of Mercy. The university was founded in 1877 and is the largest Catho ...

Ordination and ministry

Raica was ordained a priest at St. Mary Cathedral in Lansing for the

Diocese of Lansing The Diocese of Lansing () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory – or diocese – of the Catholic Church located in the south-central portion of Michigan in the United States. It is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of metr ...

by Bishop Kenneth Povish on October 14, 1978. After his 1978 ordination, the diocese assigned Raica as

parochial 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 pre ...

at Holy Redeemer Parish in

Burton, Michigan Burton is a city in Genesee County, Michigan, United States and a suburb of Flint. The population was 29,715 at the 2020 census, and was estimated to be 29,420 in 2024. making Burton the second largest city in Genesee County. Neighborhoods * ...

and St. Pius X Parish in

Flint, Michigan Flint is the largest city in Genesee County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. Located along the Flint River (Michigan), Flint River northwest of Detroit, it is a principal city within the Central Michigan, Mid Michigan region. Flin ...

. In 1984, the diocese moved Raica to Holy Family Parish in Ovid, Michigan to serve as pastor. The next year, he left Holy Family to become co-rector of St. Mary Cathedral. In 1988, Raica traveled to Rome to attend 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 ...

, receiving a Licentiate in Canon Law and a

Doctor of Canon law Doctor of Canon Law (, JCD) is the doctoral-level terminal degree in the studies of canon law of the Roman Catholic Church. It can also be an honorary degree awarded by Anglican colleges. It may also be abbreviated ICD or dr.iur.can. (''Iuris Can ...

degree. After his return to Michigan in 1991, the diocese named Raica as pastor of St. Mary Parish in

Charlotte, Michigan Charlotte ( ) is a city and county seat of Eaton County, Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 9,299. Charlotte is in the central portion of the county on the boundary between Eaton Township and Carmel Township but is polit ...

, serving there until 1993. He became pastor of St. Ann Parish in

Bellevue, Michigan Bellevue is a village in Eaton County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,308 at the 2020 census. The village is located within Bellevue Township. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total ...

in 1995. In 1997, Raica was appointed as

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 diocese.

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 ...

named him an honorary prelate of his holiness, with the title of

monsignor Monsignor (; ) is a form of address or title for certain members of the clergy in the Catholic Church. Monsignor is the apocopic form of the Italian ''monsignore'', meaning "my lord". "Monsignor" can be abbreviated as Mons.... or Msgr. In some ...

, in 1998. Raica returned to Rome in 1999 to serve as the superior of Casa Santa Maria, the graduate studies house of 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 ...

. At the same time, he was also spiritual director and adjunct faculty at the college. When Raica came back to Lansing in 2005, he resumed his role as chancellor. Raica served the diocese tribunal as a pro-synodal judge, the promoter of justice and a tribunal judge. He was also involved in ministry to the

deaf Deafness has varying definitions in cultural and medical contexts. In medical contexts, the meaning of deafness is hearing loss that precludes a person from understanding spoken language, an audiological condition. In this context it is written ...

and is fluent in

American Sign Language American Sign Language (ASL) is a natural language that serves as the predominant sign language of Deaf communities in the United States and most of Anglophone Canadians, Anglophone Canada. ASL is a complete and organized visual language that i ...

Bishop of Gaylord

On June 27, 2014,

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 ...

appointed Raica as the fifth bishop of Gaylord. He was consecrated by Archbishop

Allen Vigneron Allen Henry Vigneron (born October 21, 1948) is an American Catholic prelate who served as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Detroit in Michigan and ecclesiastical superior of the Cayman Islands from 2008 to 2025. Vigneron previously served as ...

on August 28, 2014, in St. Mary, Our Lady of Mount Carmel Cathedral in Gaylord, Michigan. Bishop Emeritus Carl Mengeling and Coadjutor Archbishop Bernard Hebda were the principal co-consecrators. In February 2017, Reverend Sylvestre Obwaka, a Nigerian priest from St. Ignatius Parish in

Rogers City, Michigan Rogers City is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of and largest city in Presque Isle County, Michigan, Presque Isle County. The city had a population of 2,850 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, a slight increa ...

, was arrested on sexual assault charges. Another priest had accused Obwaka of assaulting him when he was sleeping at Obwaka's residence after a night of drinking. Raica later spoke with Obwaka, who admitted sexual contact with the man. Obwaka was acquitted in July 2017.

Bishop of Birmingham

Francis named Raica as bishop of Birmingham on March 25, 2020. He was installed on June 23, 2020. Raica can converse in Italian and Polish, and has a reading knowledge of Latin, French, Spanish and German.

References

External links

Roman Catholic Diocese of Birmingham Official SiteRoman Catholic Diocese of Gaylord Official Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Raica, Steven J. 1952 births Living people People from Munising, Michigan Michigan State University alumni University of Detroit Mercy alumni Pontifical North American College alumni Pontifical Gregorian University alumni 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States Roman Catholic Diocese of Lansing Roman Catholic bishops of Gaylord Bishops appointed by Pope Francis