Stephen Blaire
Los Angeles, California, US | |
---|---|
Died | June 18, 2019 Modesto, California, US | (aged 77)
Previous post(s) | Auxiliary Bishop of Los Angeles 1990 to 1999 |
Motto | ALIVE FOR GOD IN CHRIST JESUS |
Styles of Stephen Edward Blaire | ||
---|---|---|
Reference style | ||
Spoken style | Your Excellency | |
Religious style | Bishop |
Stephen Edward Blaire (December 22, 1941 – June 18, 2019) was an American
Biography
Early life
Stephen Edward Blaire was born in
Priesthood
He was
From 1972 to 1986, Blaire worked in Catholic
Auxiliary Bishop of Los Angeles
On February 17, 1990, Blaire was appointed
Bishop of Stockton
Blaire was named the fifth bishop of the Diocese Stockton on January 18, 1999, and was installed on March 16, 1999, in the Cathedral of the Annunciation.
Within the
In 2001, Blaire learned of allegations that Oscar Pelaez, a priest of the diocese, had molested a 14-year-old boy at Sacred Heart Church in Turlock, California, in 1997. Blaire suspended Pelaez but did not report the incident. Blaire indicated thatbecause the person alleging the abuse was now an adult and declined to report it, responsibility for reporting it did not rest with the diocese. Blaire said his critics "made an issue about not reporting. We had no legal obligation to report."[2]
In November 2007, Blaire was defeated in his bid to win the chair of the USCCB Committee for the Protection of Children and Young People.[2]
In June 2012, Blaire, as chair of the USCCB Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, announced organization's proposal to draft a message entitled Catholic Reflections on Work, Poverty and a Broken Economy.[3]
In May, 2013, the University of San Francisco awarded Blaire an honorary degree and he was the commencement speaker at the graduation ceremony for the Graduate Students in the College of Arts and Sciences.[4]
Retirement and legacy
On January 23, 2018, Pope Francis accepted Blaire's resignation as bishop of the Diocese of Stockton. Stephen Blaire died on June 18, 2019, in Modesto, California.
Viewpoints
Capital punishment
Citing his opposition to capital punishment, Blaire made this statement in 2013:
"We must lift up the dignity of all human life – even for those convicted of the worst crimes, and work to transformour culture so that it respects the inherent dignity and value of all people,"[5]
Social justice
In a 2013 letter to the US House of Representatives, Blaire said that budget cuts to human services should be evaluated on three criteria:
- .Whether it protects or threatens human life and dignity
- How it affects “the least of these” (Matthew 25):
- The needs of those who are hungry and homeless, without work or in poverty should come first.[6]
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
References
- ^ "Officers, Staff & Location". Archived from the original on 2013-06-30. Retrieved 2013-05-03.
- ^ a b "Did His Past Come Back to Haunt Him?". California Catholic Daily. November 28, 2007. Retrieved February 5, 2012.
- ^ "Bishops Vote To Draft Message On 'Work, Poverty And A Broken Economy'". usccb.org.
- ^ "University of San Francisco (USF) - May 2013 Commencement Information". Archived from the original on 2013-06-26. Retrieved 2013-05-03.
- ^ "Bishop Blaire Welcomes Repeal Of Death Penalty In Maryland". usccb.org.
- ^ April 22, 2013 Letter to House of Representatives on President Obama's FY14 Budget
External links
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Stockton Official Site
- [1]; discusses an August 2011 Labor Day statement by Bishop Blaire in his new role as USCCB Chairman on the Committee for Domestic Justice and Human Development, on the link to today's workforce and Pope Leo XIII's landmark 1891 encyclical on capital and the value of labor "Rerum novarum" ("On New Things").