St. Joan of Arc pastor becomes Bishop of Grand Rapids (Michigan) on June 18
A special Mass of Thanksgiving celebrating the appointment of Cleveland Diocesan priest, Reverend David J. Walkowiak as the 12th Bishop of Grand Rapids, Michigan is scheduled for Friday evening June 7th at 7:30 p.m. in the Cathedral of Saint John the Evangelist in downtown Cleveland.
All are welcome. A reception will immediately follow at the Galleria on E. 9th Street and St. Clair Avenue.
"This is happy news as one of our Cleveland priests is chosen by our Holy Father to shepherd the faithful of the Diocese of Grand Rapids. While we will miss Father Walkowiak here in our diocese, and especially at St. Joan of Arc parish in Chagrin Falls, we are confidant of his ability to be a holy and pastoral bishop," said Cleveland Bishop Lennon.
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Father Walkowiak, 59, was ordained to the priesthood on June 9, 1979. He will become the 12th Bishop of Grand Rapids, Michigan. Father Walkowiak grew up in Westlake, a suburb of Cleveland. He graduated from St. Ignatius High School in Cleveland, obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Notre Dame, a Masters in Divinity from Saint Mary Seminary in Cleveland, and received advanced studies at Catholic University of America.
Following his ordination in June of 1979, Father Walkowiak first served as a Parochial Vicar (assistant to the pastor) at St. Mary parish in Lorain, Ohio. Later, he entered graduate studies at Saint Mary Seminary in the Cleveland Diocese and was named a Vice-Chancellor in 1986.
While serving as a Vice Chancellor in the Diocese and as a faculty member at Saint Mary Seminary, he also has served as an Associate Judge of the Appellate Tribunal for the Province of Cincinnati.
On March 20, 2006, Father Walkowiak was named pastor at St. Joan of Arc parish in Chagrin Falls, Ohio where he has lead the parish since that appointment.
May 7, 2013