Gerald Frederick Kicanas | |
|---|---|
| Bishop Emeritus of Tucson | |
 Bishop Kicanas in 2013. | |
| Church | Roman Catholic |
| Diocese | Tucson |
| Appointed | October 30, 2001 |
| Installed | March 7, 2003 |
| Retired | October 3, 2017 |
| Predecessor | Manuel Moreno |
| Successor | Edward Weisenburger |
| Previous posts | Auxiliary Bishop ofChicago andTitular Bishop ofBela (1995–2002) |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | April 27, 1967 by John Patrick Cody |
| Consecration | March 20, 1995 by Joseph Bernardin,Alfred Leo Abramowicz, andTimothy Joseph Lyne |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1941-08-18)August 18, 1941 (age 84) |
| Education | St. Mary of the Lake Seminary Loyola University Chicago |
| Motto | La justicia promueve la paz (Justice begets peace) |
| Styles of Gerald Frederick Kicanas | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Reference style | |
| Spoken style | Your Excellency |
| Religious style | Bishop |
Gerald Frederick Kicanas (born August 18, 1941) is an Americanprelate of theRoman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of theDiocese of Tucson in Arizona from 2002 to 2017 and has been serving as the apostolic administrator of that Diocese since 2025. He was the apostolic administrator of theDiocese of Las Cruces in New Mexico from September 2018 to July 2019.
Gerald Kicanas was born on August 18, 1941, inChicago,Illinois,[1] to Frederick and Eva Kicanas.[2] His ethnic background is Lebanese; his grandparents were born in Lebanon, and he was both baptized and confirmed in theMelkite Rite.[3] He attended Immaculate Heart Elementary School andArchbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary in Chicago. Kicanas obtained hisLicentiate in Sacred Theology fromSt. Mary of the Lake Seminary in Mundelein, Illinois.[1]
Kicanas was ordained to thepriesthood for theArchdiocese of Chicago at St. Mary of the Lake on April 27, 1967, by CardinalJohn Patrick Cody.[4] He then earned a Doctor of Educational Psychology degree and aMaster of Education degree in guidance and counseling fromLoyola University Chicago.[2]
He worked as an associate pastor until 1978 and then held various offices at the archdiocesan seminary for over 25 years. He served asrector, principal, anddean of formation atQuigley Preparatory Seminary South in Chicago, and became rector of Mundelein Seminary at theUniversity of St. Mary of the Lake in Mundelein, Illinois, in 1984.[4] While rector, he was alecturer in community and organization development at Loyola.
Kicanas' other diocesan jobs included acting as director of the Catholic Chaplaincy Program of the Juvenile Temporary Detention Center in Chicago, as a caseworker forCatholic Charities, and as chaplain for the Chicago Parental School, a facility for troubled boys.
On January 24, 1995,Pope John Paul II named Kicanas anauxiliary bishop of Chicago and titular bishop ofBela.[1] He received hisepiscopal consecration atHoly Name Cathedral in Chicago on March 20, 1995, from CardinalJoseph Bernardin, with Bishops Alfred Abramowicz andTimothy Lyne serving asco-consecrators.[5] Kicanas chose to express his episcopalmotto in both Spanish and English: "La Justicia Promueve La Paz" and "Justice begets peace", taken from Isaiah 32:17.[2]
During his tenure as an auxiliary bishop, Kicanas served asepiscopal vicar for Vicariate I in the archdiocese, which includes Lake andCook Counties. He also became involved with vocations, the permanentdiaconate, and the encouragement oflay ministry.
During his Chicago years Kicanas was twice involved in managing the cases of priests accused of sexual abuse. While hampered in responding in detail by an ongoing court case, he acknowledged knowing of inappropriate behavior that he connected with immaturity or alcohol, and he said he would have responded more energetically had he known a minor was involved.[6][7] He also vigorously contested press reports for failing to cite sources and provide context.[8]
Kicanas was namedcoadjutor bishop of Tucson on October 30, 2001,[1] and became bishop upon the resignation of BishopManuel Moreno on March 7, 2003.[9] The diocese had been beset by numerous claims of sexual abuse by priests and Kicanas was praised for managing the diocese's response, including using bankruptcy not to evade compensating victims but to establish a process for compensation.[10] The bankruptcy judge praised him, diocesan fundraising improved, and one expert on the US hierarchy called his work "a national model".[6]
On November 13, 2007, Kicanas was elected vice-president of theUnited States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), receiving 22 more votes than ArchbishopTimothy Dolan.[11] On February 28, 2008, the USCCB elected Kicanas a member of its delegation to the twelfthWorld Synod of Bishops inVatican City in October 2008.[12] In June 2009, Kicanas spoke at the annual meeting of theNational Leadership Roundtable on Church Management at theWharton School in Philadelphia. His talk addressed the need for effective communications in the Catholic Church.[13][14]
On November 16, 2010, Dolan defeated Kicanas in the vote for USCCB president.[15] It was the first time in USCCB history that a sitting vice president was not elected president.[16] According to an article in the Jesuit magazineAmerica, conservative Catholic groups had mounted a strong lobbying campaign against Kicanas.[17][6] On November 17, 2010, CardinalFrancis George, outgoing USCCB president, appointed Kicanas as chair of the board of directors ofCatholic Relief Services.[18]
Kicanas served as chair of the board of theCenter for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) in Washington, D.C., and was a member of the board of directors of theNational Pastoral Life Center in New York City.
On October 3, 2017,Pope Francis accepted Kicanas' resignation as bishop of Tucson and named as his successor BishopEdward J. Weisenburger.[19][20]Kicanas was appointed chair of the board of directors at theNational Catholic Educational Association on In January 2018, replacing BishopGeorge V. Murry.[21] On September 28, 2018, Kicanas was namedapostolic administrator of theDiocese of Las Cruces after BishopOscar Cantu was appointed bishop of theDiocese of San Jose.[22] His assignment there ended on July 23, 2019.[23]
In December 2021, Kicanas underwent successfulopen heart surgery atBanner University Medical Center in Tucson.[24][25] On March 21, 2025, Kicanas was named apostolic administrator of Tucson after Weisenburger was appointedarchbishop of Detroit.[26]
| Catholic Church titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - | Auxiliary Bishop of Chicago 1995–2002 | Succeeded by - |
| Preceded by | Bishop of Tucson 2003–2017 | Succeeded by |
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