Michael Duca

His Excellency, The Most Reverend

Michael Gerard Duca
Bishop of Baton Rouge
ChurchCatholic
DioceseBaton Rouge
AppointedJune 26, 2018
InstalledAugust 24, 2018
PredecessorRobert William Muench
Previous postBishop of Shreveport (2008-2018)
Orders
OrdinationApril 29, 1978
by Thomas Ambrose Tschoepe
ConsecrationMay 19, 2008
by Alfred Clifton Hughes, Michael Sheehan, and Kevin Farrell
Personal details
Born (1952-06-05) June 5, 1952 (age 74)
Dallas, Texas, US
EducationHoly Trinity Seminary
Southern Methodist University
Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas
MottoSpera in Domino
(Latin for 'Hope in the Lord')
Styles
Reference style
Spoken styleYour Excellency
Religious styleBishop

Michael Gerard Duca (born June 5, 1952) is an American Catholic prelate serving as Bishop of Baton Rouge since 2018. He previously served as Bishop of Shreveport from 2008 to 2018.

Biography

Early life

Duca was born on June 5, 1952, in Dallas, Texas. He attended Saint Thomas Aquinas School in Dallas for primary and secondary education and graduated from Bishop Lynch High School in 1970. Duca attended Holy Trinity Seminary in Irving, Texas, from 1970 to 1978.

Priesthood

Duca was ordained a priest by Bishop Thomas Ambrose Tschoepe for the Diocese of Dallas at St. Thomas Aquinas Church on April 29, 1978. After his 1978 ordination, the diocese assigned Duca as parochial vicar at the following parishes:

In 1985, Duca was appointed as diocesan vocations director and as chaplain at Southern Methodist University. In 1994, Duca traveled to Rome to study at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, receiving a Licentiate in Canon Law in 1996. After returning to Texas in 1996, Duca was named rector of Holy Trinity Seminary, a position he would hold until 2008.

Bishop of Shreveport

Coat of arms as bishop of Shreveport

Duca was appointed as bishop of Shreveport by Pope Benedict XVI on April 1, 2008. He was consecrated by Archbishop Alfred Hughes on May 19, 2008, at the Shreveport Convention Center, with approximately 3,000 people in attendance. Archbishop Michael Sheehan and Bishop Kevin Farrell were the co-consecrators. Duca was one of the regular panelists on the American Religious Townhall television program.[citation needed]

Bishop of Baton Rouge

Duca was appointed on June 26, 2018, by Pope Francis as the sixth bishop of Baton Rouge, succeeding Bishop Robert Muench, who retired. Duca was installed on August 24, 2018.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "RINUNCE E NOMINE, 01.04.2008". Vatican Press Office. Retrieved 27 April 2026.
  2. ↑ "The Most Rev. Michael G. Duca, Bishop of Baton Rouge". Diocese of Baton Rouge. Retrieved 2024-03-01.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Pope Francis Accepts Resignation of Most Reverend Robert Muench from the Diocese of Baton Rouge; Appoints Most Reverend Michael Duca of Shreveport as Bishop of that Same See". US Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved 2024-03-01.
  4. 1 2 3 "Bishop Michael Gerard Duca [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 2024-03-01.
  5. 1 2 "Msgr. Michael Duca appointed as bishop for Diocese of Shreveport". Catholic News Agency. Retrieved 2024-03-01.
  6. ↑ Gallo, Andrea (2018-06-26). "Pope Francis appoints Bishop Michael Duca sixth leader of Baton Rouge diocese". The Advocate. Retrieved 2024-03-01.

Episcopal succession