Bishop John H. Ricard, S.S.J., Bishop of
the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee from March 13, 1997 - March 11, 2011.
Bishop Ricard was installed as the Fourth Bishop of Pensacola-Tallahassee,
having been appointed by Pope John Paul II. In additions to serving as shepherd
for the diocese's nearly 65,000 Catholics, Bishop Ricard served in national and
international roles within the Catholic Church.
Bishop was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and upon
completion of high school entered the Josephite College Seminary in Newburgh,
New York. He completed his theological training at St. Joseph Seminary in
Washington, D.C., and was ordained to the priesthood on May 25, 1968. Since
ordination, Bishop Ricard continued his studies, receiving a Masters Degree from
Tulane University in New Orleans in 1970 and a Ph.D. from The Catholic
University of America in Washington, D.C., in 1984.
Bishop Ricard moved from the Archdiocese of
Baltimore where he served as Auxiliary Bishop since his Episcopal Ordination
on July 2, 1984. Bishop Ricard is the former Chair of Catholic Relief
Services where he served from 1995 to 2002. Bishop Ricard is the recent past
Chair of the International Policy Committee for the United States Conference
of Catholic Bishops where he served from 2002-2005. He continues to serve on
the board of the International Policy Committee and sits as Chair of the Ad
Hoc Committee for the Church in Africa. Bishop Ricard also served as
chairman of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' Office of
International Justice and Peace (2002 to 2005). He serves on the board of
trustees of the National Black Catholic Congress, Inc.
Bishop Ricard is now the Bishop Emeritus of
Pensacola-Tallahassee and residing at St. Joseph Seminary in Washington, DC
where he is serving as rector for his former religious community, the St.
Joseph's Society of the Sacred Heart (S.S.J.).
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