David Ricken

Styles of David Laurin Ricken
Reference style	The Most Reverend
Spoken style	Your Excellency
Religious style	Bishop
Posthumous style	not applicable

David Laurin Ricken (born November 9, 1952) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He currently serves as the twelfth Bishop of Green Bay, having previously served as Bishop of Cheyenne.^[1]

Early life

David Ricken was born to George William "Bill" Ricken (d. July 1, 1993) and Bertha (Davis) Ricken (d. August 20, 2001) in Dodge City, Kansas. He has two siblings: a brother, Mark, and a sister, Carol, who is presently principal of St. Mary’s School in Cheyenne, Wyoming. For his primary education, Ricken attended Sacred Heart Cathedral Grade School in Dodge City.^[1] He later attended St. Francis High School Seminary in Victoria,^[1] graduating in 1970.^[2]

Ricken did undergraduate studies in philosophy at the Pontifical College Josephinum in Worthington, Ohio and Conception Seminary College in Conception, Missouri, graduating from the latter institution in 1974.^[1] As a seminarian for the Diocese of Pueblo, he attended St. Meinrad School of Theology in St. Meinrad, Indiana and the American College of the Immaculate Conception in Leuven, Belgium, obtaining a master's degree in theology in 1980 from the Catholic University of Leuven.^[1]

Priesthood

Ricken was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Arthur Tafoya on September 12, 1980,^[1] and then served as associate pastor of the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Pueblo until 1985.^[1] From 1985 to 1987, he was both parish administrator of Holy Rosary Church and Vice-Chancellor of the diocese.^[1] In 1987, he was sent to the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, from where he earned a Licentiate of Canon Law in 1989.^[1]

Ricken, upon his return to the United States, was made diocesan Vocation Director and Vicar for Ministry Formation, as well as becoming diocesan Chancellor in 1992.^[1] In 1996, he began work as an official of the Congregation for the Clergy in the Roman Curia, a position that he served until 1999.^[1]

Episcopate

On December 14, 1999, Ricken was appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Cheyenne by Pope John Paul II.^[1] He received his episcopal consecration on January 6, 2000 from John Paul II, with Archbishops Giovanni Re and Marcello Zago, OMI, serving as co-consecrators, in St. Peter's Basilica. Ricken later succeeded Joseph Hubert Hart as Bishop of Cheyenne on September 26, 2001, upon the latter's retirement.^[3][1]

Pope Benedict XVI named Ricken the twelfth Bishop of Green Bay, Wisconsin, on July 9, 2008.^[1] Bishop Ricken was installed on August 28, 2008.^[4]

On December 8, 2010, Bishop Ricken by official decree and proclamation made Our Lady of Good Help in Champion, Wisconsin the very first and the only site in the United States of an approved apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The ruling concluded two years of investigation officially approving the authenticity of the Marian apparitions that took place in 1859.^[5]

Hall of fame

Ricken is a 2009 inductee in the Catholic Education Foundation's Hall of Fame.^[6] While the Cheyenne bishop, he had co-founded the Wyoming Catholic College, found the Wyoming School of Catholic Thought, founded the John Paul II Catholic School in Gillette, WY.^[6] He oversaw the building of a new school for St. Mary's Catholic School in Cheyenne.^[6]

Catholic Church titles
Preceded by Joseph Hubert Hart	Bishop of Cheyenne 26 September 2001 - 9 July 2008	Succeeded by Paul D. Etienne
Preceded by David Zubik	Bishop of Green Bay 9 July 2008 - incumbent	Succeeded by incumbent

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k l m n} Welcome, Most Reverend David L. Ricken. J.S. Paluch / Roman Catholic Diocese of Green Bay. August 2008. 
2. ^ Welcome to the Catholic Diocese of Green Bay
3. ^ Bishop David Laurin Ricken [Catholic-Hierarchy]
4. ^ http://www.wbay.com/Global/story.asp?S=8916117
5. ^ National Catholic Register: "Bishop Ricken: Why I Approved the Apparition" December 8, 2010
6. ^ ^{a b c} "Bishop Ricken to be inducted into education foundation's Hall of Fame". The Compass: official newspaper of the Catholic Diocese of Green Bay. April 3, 2009. 

External links

• Roman Catholic Diocese of Cheyenne

Persondata
Name	Ricken, David Laurin
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	November 9, 1952
Place of birth
Date of death
Place of death