Joseph Strickland

His Excellency, The Most Reverend Joseph Edward Strickland
Bishop of Tyler
Archdiocese	Galveston-Houston
Diocese	Tyler
Appointed	September 29, 2012
Installed	November 28, 2012
Predecessor	Álvaro Corrada del Rio
Orders
Ordination	June 1, 1985 by Thomas Ambrose Tschoepe
Consecration	November 28, 2012 by Daniel DiNardo, Michael Sheehan, and Álvaro Corrada del Río
Personal details
Birth name	Joseph Edward Strickland
Born	October 31, 1958 Fredericksburg, Texas
Nationality	American
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Previous post	Delegate of the Apostolic Administrator (2011-2012) Vicar General (2010-2011) Judicial Vicar (1994-2010)
Alma mater	Holy Trinity Seminary
Motto	UT INHABITEM IN DOMO DOMINI I may dwell in the house of the Lord (Psalm 27:4)

Styles of Joseph Edward Strickland
Reference style	His Excellency The Most Reverend
Spoken style	Your Excellency
Religious style	Bishop

Joseph Edward Strickland (born October 31, 1958) is an American prelate of the Catholic Church. Since his consecration on November 28, 2012, he has been the Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tyler.

On the announcement of his appointment, Vatican Radio called Strickland "one of North America’s new generation of blogging priests" for his Running Priest Blog.^[1]

Strickland succeeds Álvaro Corrada del Río, SJ, who was appointed Bishop of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, in July 2011.^[2][3]

Biography

Strickland was born in Fredericksburg, Texas. As a young child, his family moved to Atlanta, Texas, where his parents were founding members of St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church.^[4] Strickland attended Holy Trinity Seminary and was ordained to the priesthood on June 1, 1985, for the Diocese of Dallas.^[5] His first assignment was to Immaculate Conception Parish in Tyler, Texas. Upon the creation of the Diocese of Tyler in 1987, Strickland was incardinated into the new diocese and was named the first vocation director for the diocese in March 1987 by Bishop Charles Herzig. His service in the diocese also included periods at Sacred Heart Parish in Nacogdoches, Texas and St. Michael Parish in Mt. Pleasant, Texas.^[6]

In 1992, Strickland was assigned by Bishop Edmond Carmody to study canon law at Catholic University of America, where he earned a JCL in 1994. He was then named judicial vicar of the Diocese of Tyler and Rector of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. In 1995, he was named a Prelate of Honor with the title of Monsignor by Pope John Paul II.

Strickland served as administrator of the diocese of Tyler from March 2000 until January 2001 when Bishop Alvaro Corrada was installed as the third bishop of the Diocese. In 2010, Strickland was named vicar general of the diocese. He served in that capacity until being named delegate of the apostolic administrator upon Bishop Corrada's departure for Puerto Rico.

Strickland is the first native East Texan to head the 33-county Church in Tyler.^[7]

He was appointed to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tyler by Pope Benedict XVI on September 29, 2012,^[8] and was consecrated on November 28, 2012, at Caldwell Auditorium in Tyler, Texas. Daniel Cardinal DiNardo was the celebrant and principal consecrator.^[9]

His Finance Council is chaired by Michael Emile Mahfood of Tyler, Texas.

Views

Strickland is a vigorous defender of the Catholic Church's doctrinal and dogmatic positions on marriage, human life, and religious freedom. On November 4, 2012, Strickland led a public rally and prayer service in downtown Tyler asking the faithful to turn toward God prior to the election. In an editorial written for the Tyler Morning Telegraph, Strickland said, "The fundamental truths that once were and still should be the bedrock of our society are being challenged daily. I believe the election on Nov. 6 brings a great task to all of us as people of faith to soberly reflect on what we believe and how those beliefs should be embodied in our laws and supported by our leaders."^[10]

Illness

While attending meetings in September 2012 for new Bishops in Rome, Strickland and Bishop John T. Folda of Fargo contracted Hepatitis A from contaminated food served to them.^[11]

See also

• Catholic Church hierarchy
• Catholic Church in the United States
• Historical list of the Catholic bishops of the United States
• List of Catholic bishops of the United States
• Lists of patriarchs, archbishops, and bishops

References

1. Vatican Radio. "Appointments: Bishop Joe Strickland to Tyler, Texas". Retrieved 11 October 2012.
2. "RINUNCE E NOMINE , 06.07.2011". Holy See Press Office. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
3. "Bishop Alvaro Corrada del Rio". Catholic Hierarchy. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
4. "Vicar general of Diocese of Tyler, Texas, named its bishop". Catholic News Service.
5. "Bishop Joseph Edward Strickland". Catholic Hierarchy. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
6. "Msgr. Strickland". Diocese of Tyler. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
7. Hoeffner, Rebecca. "First East Texas native to oversee diocese". Tyler Morning Telegraph. Retrieved 5 December 2012.
8. "RINUNCE E NOMINE , 29.09.2012". Holy See Press Office. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
9. "Bishop-Elect Joseph E. Strickland". Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
10. Strickland, Joseph E. "Important Elections, November 2". Tyler Morning Telegraph. Retrieved 5 December 2012.
11. Shiffer, Kathy. "Oh My Gosh! A Second American Bishop Has Contracted Hepatitis A!". Patheos.com. Retrieved 20 November 2013.

External links

• Roman Catholic Diocese of Tyler

Arms

Arms of Joseph Strickland

Notes The coat of arms was designed and adopted when he was appointed as the Bishop of Tyler. Adopted 28 November 2012 Escutcheon The left side is the Coat of Arms of the Diocese of Tyler. The right side includes at the top are the Sacred Heart and the Immaculate Heart, the shell represents the Strickland family crest and is also in Pope Benedict XVI's Coat of Arms. The wavy line is taken from the Coat of Arms of the Diocese of Dallas where He studied and was ordained to the priesthood. The cross of stars represents the Southern Cross which is visible in Australia and is part of the Australian flag. Motto UT INHABITEM IN DOMO DOMINI (Psalm 27:4)