PENSACOLA, Fla. — Bishop John H. Ricard led the the diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee for more than a decade.

From 1997 until 2011, he immersed himself in the community, leaving a lasting impact on everyone he met.

Out of the six bishops who have served the diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee, Bishop Ricard — who passed away on Wednesday at age 86 — served the longest.

“I think over his 14 years here, Bishop Ricard had a great impact on people and they loved him,” said William Wack, the current bishop of Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee. “And why? Because he was more than an administrator, he was their shepherd and their spiritual father. And they really felt that wherever he went, all over the panhandle, he was very, very present to people.”

A mentor and a friend.

For Wack, the legacy Bishop Ricard left is also personal.

“When I came here, I didn’t know how to be a bishop,” Wack said. “I was appointed from being a pastor in Texas to here. And he was one of the first persons who reached out to me and said, ‘I’m always available.’ Here’s my cell phone number if you need. And I ended up calling him several times just to ask his advice. And he was always good. He was kind of like a big brother, mentor for me.”

Bishop Ricard made many contributions to the community.

He helped lead major projects, including a high school, a pastoral center and dozens of new or renovated parish structures throughout the 18 counties served by the diocese.

Bishop Wack says the historic role he held wasn’t lost on him.

“He was very proud to be a black bishop,” he said. “It’s kind of a small group of bishops among the wide body of bishops in the United States. And he was president of the National Black Catholic Conference for many years and really built that up as well.”

Bishop Wack says he didn’t like sitting behind a desk. His approach was much more hands-on.

“In our diocese here that is the Florida Panhandle, we have, I believe it’s over 40 jails and prisons, institutions,” he said. “So prison ministry is a big part of what we do. And of course we have deacons and volunteers and priests to do that. But when we can, bishops like to go in and do that as well. So I know Bishop Ricard did that a lot.”

Funeral arrangements haven’t been announced yet, but Bishop Ricard will be laid to rest at Saint Michaels Cemetery in Pensacola.