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PENSACOLA, Fla. (WKRG) — The Catholic community of Northwest Florida is in mourning after the fourth-ever Bishop of the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee passed away.
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According to a news release, the Most Rev. John H. Ricard, SSJ, died on Wednesday, May 20, at 86.
“As the longest tenured bishop for our diocese and my predecessor, I looked to him as a mentor and brother who was always available to give me advice and support,” Bishop William A. Wack, CSC, said. “I am deeply grateful for his leadership and vision, which has set us on a firm foundation as a local church.”
Bishop Ricard was a Gulf Coast native, born in Baton Rouge in February of 1940. After he graduated from high school, he joined the St. Joseph’s Society of the Sacred Heart.
He became an ordained priest in 1968, received his master’s degree in 1970, and his doctoral degree in 1984.
Pope St. John Paul II named him the fourth bishop of the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee in 1997. During his time as bishop, he oversaw the construction and opening of the Monsignor James Amos Pastoral Center and Jon Paul II Catholic School.
In December 2009, Bishop Ricard had a severe stroke. Pope Benedict XVI granted his retirement on March 11, 2011.
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He will be buried in St. Michael’s Cemetery in Pensacola.
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