Raymond Leo Burke

Archbishop Raymond Burke

Most Reverend Raymond Leo Burke (b. 30 June, 1948) is the current Roman Catholic Archbishop of Saint Louis, USA. He has served as Archbishop of St. Louis since 26 January, 2004. He previously served as Bishop of the Diocese of La Crosse, Wisconsin.

History

Archbishop Burke was born in Richland Center, Wisconsin on June 30, 1948. The son of Thomas F. and Marie B. Burke, he was the youngest of six children. From 1962 to 1968 he attended the Holy Cross Seminary in La Crosse, Wisconsin. From 1968 to 1971 Burke studied at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. He then completed his studies at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, Italy from 1971 to 1975. Pope Paul VI ordained Burke to the priesthood on June 29, 1975 at Saint Peter's Basilica.

Priestly career

After ordination, his first assignment was as assistant rector at the Cathedral of St. Joseph the Workman in La Crosse, Wisconsin. He also taught at Aquinas High School in La Crosse. From 1980 to 1984 Father Burke studied Canon Law at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, where he received his license and doctorate. He then returned to La Crosse and was named the Moderator of the Curia as well as the Vice Chancellor of the La Crosse Diocese. In 1989 Pope John Paul II assigned Burke to be the first American Defender of the Bond of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura - the highest court in the church.

Episcopal history

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Archbishop Burke's Coat of Arms.

In 1994 the Pope named Burke to be the head of the Diocese of La Crosse. Burke was ordained by the Pope as Bishop on January 6, 1995 at Saint Peter's Basilica. He was formally installed in office on February 22, 1995. During his time in La Crosse, he helped establish the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in the diocese. Bishop Burke Hall at Aquinas High School in La Crosse is named in his honor. He served as the Bishop of La Crosse until December 2, 2003, when he was named as the replacement for Justin Cardinal Rigali—who had been reassigned to be the Archbishop of Philadelphia in July of 2003. He was formally installed as Archbishop of St. Louis on January 26, 2004. On the 29th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood, Burke was presented with the pallium on June 29, 2004 by Pope John Paul II.

2004 Presidential Election

During the 2004 presidential election season, Burke publicly stated that John Kerry and other pro-choice politicians who are Catholic should not receive the Eucharist. He has also stated that Catholic voters who support a candidate because of the candidate's pro-choice views are committing grave sin and should also not receive Communion without first having their sin absolved through the sacrament of Penance. This made the Archbishop a controversial figure nationally. It made him one of a small number of Bishops who decided to deny communion to such politicans. It is a continuation of a policy that he had begun while Bishop of the Diocese of La Crosse.

His actions during this time were seen as further evidence that the church was abandoning the careful neutrality that it normally maintained during election campaigns. While some Catholics hailed his courage for denying communion to abortion rights supporters, others have criticized the Archbishop for what they see as undue interference in the election process.

St. Stanislaus Kostka Church

Another controversy Archbishop Burke became associated with involved the control of the property of St. Stanislaus Kostka Church, a parish serving the Polish community in St. Louis. The controversy centered around whether the property and monetary assets of the parish would be controlled by a pastor appointed by the archbishop, which is the canonical norm, or by a lay board of directors. The controversy began under John Cardinal Glennon, and continued under Joseph Cardinal Ritter, Archbishop John L. May, Justin Cardinal Rigali and Archbishop Burke.

According to representatives of the lay board that currently govern St. Stanislaus Kostka, the current structure of the parish existed for over 100 years and the purpose of Burke's actions was to take control of the assets of the parish for primarily economic reasons. They claimed that he intended to close the parish once he had control of it.

In the early 1980s, without the permission of Archbishop May, the lay board of directors changed the original 1891 bylaws, which stipulated that the lay board was to function solely as an advisory body to the pastor and thus under the archbishop (cf. the Plenary Councils of Baltimore). For this reason, not long after his appointment Burke mandated that the structure of the parish once again conform to canon law. In response, the lay board formally appealed to the Holy See. However, the appeal was denied and the Holy See supported the archbishop.

In August 2004 Burke removed both priests from the parish and transferred the Polish ministry to St. John the Apostle and Evangelist parish across from St. Louis Union Station. In January 2005 he threatened the members of the parish board of directors (Mr. William Bialczak, Dr. Joseph Rudawski, Mr. Stanley Novak, Mr. John Robert Zabielski and Mr. Edward Florek) with an interdict if they did not comply with his instructions by February 4, 2005. On February 10, 2005, the board had still not complied, and the archbishop issued an interdict against the board members, alleging that they "knowingly, deliberately and publicly damaged seriously the unity of the Church". According to representatives of the archdiocese, the interdict will remain in place until the board members repent.

As of February 25, 2005, Burke's reorganization plan for parishes in south St. Louis City would permanently change the personal parish for Polish Catholics in St. Louis to the church of St. Agatha, the move to which was completed on July 1, 2005.

In December, 2005, the parish board announced [1] plans to hire Father Marek Bozek, a suspended priest who was previously serving as associate pastor of St. Agnes Cathedral in Springfield, Missouri. In response to this action, on December 16, 2005, Burke announced [2] Bozek and the six members of St. Stanislaus board had been excommunicated from the Catholic Church for the ecclesiastical crime of schism. In a letter to Catholics in the Archdiocese he warned parishoners and visitors to St. Stanislaus that they would be committing a mortal sin if they knowingly attempt to receive sacraments from an excommunicated priest. In the same letter he announced his intention to suppress St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish, which will end its existence as a part of the Catholic Church.

External links

Notes

Please see Raymond Burke for other men with this name

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