By Elise Harris
Vatican City, Jun 13, 2018 / 04:27 am
The Vatican announced Wednesday that Pope Francis has named Michigan-native Msgr. Gerald Vincke as the new bishop of the Diocese of Salina, Kan., pulling him from several roles in the Diocese of Lansing, Mich.
In a June 13 statement on Vincke's appointment, Bishop Earl Boyea of Lansing said the diocese is "very happy" about the priest's nomination.
"The priests of our diocese as well as myself will deeply miss our brother priest as he moves into this new ministry," he said, and voiced his "love and gratitude" to Pope Francis for the appointment.
Vincke "is a fine priest, a man of deep faith in Jesus Christ, and a gentle soul," he said, adding that Lansing's loss is Salina's gain.
Born in Saginaw, Mich., in 1964, Bishop-elect Vincke is the ninth of 10 children and has a degree in public relations and marketing from Ferris State University in Big Rapids.
He studied philosophy at the Thomas More College in Crestview, Ken., before going on to study theology at the Athenaeum Seminary in Cincinnati, Ohio, and at the Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit.
He was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Lansing June 12, 1999, after which he served in various pastoral roles. In 2003 he was named as the diocese's Director of Seminarians and Vocations Director, roles he held until his 2010 appointment as spiritual director at the Pontifical North American College in Rome.
Vincke was given the title "monsignor" by Pope Benedict XVI in 2012, and in 2015, while still in Rome, he obtained a licentiate in Sacred Theology. The title of his thesis, which places an emphasis on spiritual theology, is "Following the Path of St. John Vianney for the New Evangelization with Evangelii Gaudium as a Guide."
After returning to Lansing later in 2015, he was assigned as pastor to Holy Family parish in Grand Blanc. He currently serves on the diocese's Presbyteral Council and the College of Consultors.
The date and time of Vincke's ordination as a bishop and installation have yet to be announced.
