Michael Duca

His Excellency, The Most Reverend Michael Gerard Duca
Bishop of Baton Rouge
Church	Roman Catholic
Diocese	Baton Rouge
Appointed	June 26, 2018
Installed	August 24, 2018
Predecessor	Robert William Muench
Orders
Ordination	April 29, 1978 by Thomas Ambrose Tschoepe
Consecration	May 19, 2008 by Alfred Clifton Hughes, Michael Sheehan, and Kevin Farrell
Personal details
Born	(1952-06-05) June 5, 1952 Dallas, Texas
Previous post(s)	Bishop of Shreveport (2008-2018)
Motto	HOPE IN THE LORD (Spera in Domino)

Styles of Michael Gerard Duca
Reference style	His Excellency The Most Reverend
Spoken style	Your Excellency
Religious style	Bishop

Michael Gerard Duca (born June 5, 1952) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who has been serving as bishop of the Diocese of Baton Rouge in Louisiana since his installation on August 24, 2018. He previously served as the bishop of the Diocese of Shreveport in Louisiana from 2008 to 2018.

Biography

Early life

Duca attended elementary and secondary school in Dallas and graduated from Bishop Lynch High School in 1970. He attended Holy Trinity Seminary in Irving, Texas, from 1970 to 1978, receiving a Bachelor of Psychology degree. He also obtained a Master of Divinity degree in theology from the University of Dallas.

Priesthood

Duca was ordained a priest by Bishop Thomas Tschoepe for the Diocese of Dallas on April 29, 1978, in Dallas, Texas. He attended the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum) in Rome, training as a canonist. He served his diocese as a vocations director and as chaplain at Southern Methodist University both from 1985 to 1992. Before his appointment as bishop, Duca served as rector of Holy Trinity Seminary.

Bishop of Shreveport

Coat of Arms as Bishop of Shreveport

Duca was appointed as bishop of the Diocese of Shreveport by Pope Benedict XVI on April 1 2008 and consecrated by Archbishop Alfred Hughes on May 19 2008 at the Shreveport Convention Center, with approximately 3,000 people in attendance. Duca was one of the regular panelists on the American Religious Townhall television program.

Bishop of Baton Rouge

Duca was appointed by Pope Francis as the sixth bishop of the diocese of Baton Rouge, succeeding Bishop Robert Muench, who retired. Duca was installed by Alfred Hugheson August 24, 2018.

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

External links

• Roman Catholic Diocese of Baton Rouge Official Site