The Roman Catholic Diocese of Birmingham in Alabama has a new bishop. On March 25, Pope Francis named Bishop Steven J. Raica as the fifth bishop of Birmingham. 
Bishop Raica is currently the Bishop of Gaylord, Michigan. He will succeed Bishop Robert J. Baker, who has served the Diocese of Birmingham since October of 2007. 

The Diocese of Birmingham held a press conference to introduce the new bishop, which is posted on this page. 

With the nomination of Bishop Raica, Bishop Baker’s retirement becomes effective and he becomes bishop emeritus of Birmingham in Alabama. The Holy See has appointed him apostolic administrator of the diocese until the time of Bishop Raica’s installation. Bishop Baker issued a statement this morning welcoming his successor and pledging his “support, prayer, and collaboration” to the new bishop.

Bishop Raica, son of Mary and the late Steve Raica, was born Nov. 8, 1952 in Munising, Michigan. He has a younger brother, Joseph, who cares for their 93 year old mother near the bishop’s hometown. His father passed away in 1987.

At the age of 17, Bishop Raica left the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to attend Michigan State University in Lansing, Michigan. After receiving a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Michigan State, he went on to attend St. John’s Provincial Seminary in Plymouth, Michigan where he received a master of divinity degree. He also earned a master of arts degree in religious studies from the University of Detroit.

On Oct. 14, 1978, Bishop Raica was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Lansing. After his ordination, he served as the parochial vicar for Holy Redeemer Parish in Burton, Michigan and St. Pius X Parish in Flint, Michigan until 1984. He served one year as pastor of Holy Family Parish in Ovid, Michigan before becoming the co-rector of St. Mary Cathedral in Lansing, Michigan and chaplain of Olivet College in Olivet.

In 1988, Bishop Raica began studies at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome earning a licentiate and a doctorate in Canon Law. After completing his studies in Rome, he returned to Michigan in 1991 and became pastor of St. Mary Parish in Charlotte, Michigan until 1993. From 1995 to1997, Bishop Raica served as pastor of St. Ann Parish in Bellevue, Michigan. In 1997, he was made chancellor of the Diocese of Lansing, a position he held until 1999. 

Shortly after becoming chancellor of the diocese, Bishop Raica was named as an Honorary Prelate of His Holiness, with the title of Monsignor, in 1998, by Pope John Paul II. A year later in 1999, he began a six year term as superior of Casa Santa Maria in Rome, which is the graduate studies house of the Pontifical North American College (PNAC). During this time in Rome, Bishop Raica also served as a spiritual director and adjunct faculty member at the PNAC.

Upon his return to the Lansing diocese in 2005, he was again asked to serve as the diocesan chancellor, where he served for 9 years. Pope Francis appointed Bishop Raica as the fifth bishop of Gaylord on June 27, 2014, and his episcopal ordination and installation took place Aug. 28, 2014 in St. Mary, Our Lady of Mount Carmel Cathedral in Gaylord, Michigan, celebrated by Archbishop Allen Vigneron of Detroit. Bishop Emeritus Carl Mengeling of Lansing and Coadjutor Archbishop Bernard Hebda of Newark were the principal co-consecrators.

As a priest of the Diocese of Lansing, he also served the diocesan tribunal as the promoter of justice, a tribunal judge, and a pro-synodal judge. He has also served on several boards, including that of Faith Catholic, and as vice postulator of the sainthood cause of Servant of God Antonietta Meo, an Italian girl who, in 1937, died of cancer at the age of six. 

The bishop is fluent in American Sign Language and has been involved in ministry to the deaf. He also has conversational ability in Italian and Polish and has reading capability in Spanish, French, Latin, and German.

Birmingham’s new shepherd will be welcomed with solemn vespers on Monday, June 22, the night before his installation. Both the vespers and the Mass of Installation, on Tuesday, June 23, will take place at the Cathedral of St. Paul in Birmingham. More details will be published soon about the installation events.