Christian Riesbeck

Last updated

His Excellency, the Most Reverend

Christian Riesbeck

CC
Bishop of Saint John
Diocese Diocese of Saint John
Orders
OrdinationOctober 12, 1996
ConsecrationMarch 19, 2014
by  Terrence Prendergast
Personal details
BornFebruary 7, 1970
Denomination Catholic Church
Alma mater University of Ottawa (B. Soc. Sc.)
Saint Paul University (S.T.B.)
Motto"Evangelii Gaudium"
Coat of arms Coat of arms of Christian Riesbeck.svg
Styles of
Christian Riesbeck
Coat of arms of Christian Riesbeck.svg
Reference style His Excellency, The Most Reverend
Spoken style The Most Reverend

Christian Riesbeck CC (born February 7, 1970) is the Catholic bishop of the Diocese of St. John, New Brunswick. [1]

Contents

Early life and education

Riesbeck was born in Montreal, Quebec, the child of a German father and New Brunswick-francophone mother. [2] He received a Bachelor of Social Sciences in Political Science at the University of Ottawa, a Master of Divinity from St. Augustine's Seminary, and a Licentiate in Canon Law from St. Paul University in Ottawa. [3] He was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Ottawa on October 12, 1996. [1]

Priesthood

After working for three years as a parochial vicar in Ottawa, Ontario, he was sent to Houston, Texas as a parish priest in 1999. There Riesbeck learned Spanish over seven weeks in order to celebrate mass for the congregation at predominantly Hispanic Queen of Peace parish. He was credited with a "remarkable turnaround" of the parish and its school. [2]

Riesbeck was incardinated as a member of the Companions of the Cross in 2003, and served as its Assistant General Superior. In 2010, Riesbeck was appointed Chancellor of the Diocese of Ottawa and was a judge on the Catholic Church's regional marriage tribunal. Riesbeck speaks French, English, German and Spanish. [4]

Episcopal ministry

On January 7, 2014, Christian Riesbeck was appointed an auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Ottawa and titular bishop of Tipasa in Numidia by Pope Francis. On March 19, 2014, he received episcopal ordination by archbishop Terrence Prendergast joined by archbishop-emeritus Marcel Gervais and bishop Paul-Andre Durocher.

Riesbeck criticized Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's position on abortion and suggested it would be unseemly for him to continue receiving communion, saying he takes issue with "the fact that he considers himself to be a devout Catholic but then adheres to, or advocates for, abortion." He suggested that to ameliorate his relationship with the Catholic Church, Trudeau would "have to make a public retraction of his views." [5]

The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Saint John, New Brunswick, where Riesbeck was installed as bishop. Cathedral 006.JPG
The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Saint John, New Brunswick, where Riesbeck was installed as bishop.

On October 15, 2019, Riesbeck was appointed bishop of the Diocese of Saint John by Pope Francis. [6] Riesbeck chose the episcopal motto "Evangelii Gaudium" — meaning "joy of the gospel" — in reference to Pope Francis's apostolic exhortation of the same name. [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco</span> Latin Church ecclesiastical territory of the Catholic Church in northern California

The Archdiocese of San Francisco is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the northern California region of the United States. The Archdiocese of San Francisco was erected on July 29, 1853, by Pope Pius IX and its cathedral is the Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles</span> Archdiocese in California

The Archdiocese of Los Angeles is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church located in the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. The archdiocese's cathedra is in Los Angeles, the archdiocese comprises the California counties of Los Angeles, Santa Barbara and Ventura. The cathedral is the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles, and its present archbishop is José Horacio Gómez Velasco. With over five million professing members and weekly liturgies celebrated in 32 languages, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles is numerically the single largest and most ethnically diverse archdiocese in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore</span> Archdiocese of the Catholic Church; premier see of the United States

The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Baltimore is the archdiocese of the Latin Church of the Catholic Church in northern and western Maryland in the United States. It is the metropolitan see of the Ecclesiastical Province of Baltimore.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Diocese of Paterson</span> New Jersey diocese of the Catholic Church

The Diocese of Paterson is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the Catholic Church in northern New Jersey. It is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Newark.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas</span> Roman Catholic archdiocese in Kansas, USA

The Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas is a Latin Church ecclesiastical province, or archdiocese, of the Catholic Church in eastern Kansas in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Diocese of Salina</span> Diocese of the Catholic Church in Kansas, U.S.

The Diocese of Salina is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the Catholic Church in northern Kansas in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Ottawa–Cornwall</span> Catholic ecclesiastical territory

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Ottawa–Cornwall is a Catholic archdiocese that includes part of the Province of Ontario and includes the suffragan dioceses of Hearst, Pembroke, and Timmins. On 6 May 2020, Pope Francis amalgamated the Archdiocese of Ottawa and the Diocese of Alexandria-Cornwall to create the Archdiocese of Ottawa–Cornwall.

John Francis Whealon was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Hartford in Connecticut from 1968 to 1991.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walter A. Hurley</span> Canadian-born American Roman Catholic bishop

Walter Allison Hurley is a Canadian-born prelate of the Roman Catholic Church.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Francis Joseph Christian</span> Catholic bishop

Francis Joseph Christian is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as an auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Manchester in New Hampshire from 1996 to 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Leo Thomas</span> American prelate of the Catholic Church (born 1950)

George Leo Thomas is an American prelate of the Catholic Church who has served as Archbishop of Las Vegas since 2023. He has been the ordinary of the diocese since 2018, when it was still a suffragan see. He previously served as Bishop of Helena from 2004 to 2018 and as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Seattle from 1999 to 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joseph Fred Naumann</span> American Christian cleric

Joseph Fred Naumann is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church, serving as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas since 2004. He previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of St. Louis in Missouri from 1997 to 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">W. Francis Malooly</span> American prelate

William Francis Malooly is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. Malooly served as the bishop of the Diocese of Wilmington in Delaware from 2008 until 2021. He previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Baltimore in Maryland from 2000 to 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Francis Kinney</span> American Roman Catholic prelate (1937–2019)

John Francis Kinney was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the ninth bishop of the Diocese of St. Cloud in Minnesota from 1995 to 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daniel Edward Thomas</span> American prelate of the Catholic Church (born 1959)

Daniel Edward Thomas is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. Since 2014, he has served as the eighth bishop of the Diocese of Toledo in Ohio. Thomas previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia in Pennsylvania from 2006 to 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timothy C. Senior</span> American Catholic prelate (born 1960)

Timothy Christian Senior is an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He was an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia from 2009 to 2023, as well as rector and later chancellor of St. Charles Borromeo Seminary. In 2023 Pope Francis named him bishop of the Diocese of Harrisburg.

Edward Cornelius O'Leary was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Portland in Maine from1974 to 1988 and as auxiliary bishop of the same diocese from 1970 to 1974

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Charles Dunne</span>

John Charles Dunne is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. Dunn served as an auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Rockville Centre in New York from 1988 until 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nelson J. Pérez</span>

Nelson Jesus Pérez is an American prelate of the Catholic Church who serves as the 10th Archbishop of Philadelphia, having been appointed by Pope Francis in January 2020. He previously served as Bishop of Cleveland from 2017 to 2020 and as an auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Rockville Centre from 2012 to 2017.

References

  1. 1 2 "Bishop Christian Heribert Riesbeck [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 11 June 2023.
  2. 1 2 "A confession from Ottawa's next bishop" . Retrieved 11 June 2023 via PressReader.
  3. "Ottawa auxiliary bishop named bishop of Saint John, NB". BC Catholic. Retrieved 11 June 2023.
  4. "Resignations and Appointments". press.vatican.va. Retrieved 11 June 2023.
  5. Do, Trin Theresa (21 May 2014). "Trudeau defends abortion stance amid sharp Catholic criticism". CBC. Retrieved 11 June 2023.
  6. "Bishop Christian Riesbeck". Diocese of Saint John. Retrieved 11 June 2023.
  7. General, Office of the Secretary to the Governor. "Christian Heribert Riesbeck". The Governor General of Canada. Retrieved 11 June 2023.