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February 27, 2008 |
On February 22, 2008 Bishop Patrick J. Zurek was installed as the eighth ordinary of the Diocese of Amarillo.
"It was wonderful to see so much enthusiasm from the people of Amarillo for their new Bishop,” stated Andrew Rivas, executive director for the Texas Catholic Conference. "To have such a strong pastoral leader in such a faith-filled community will be a blessing for the entire state.”
Pope Benedict XVI officially accepted the retirement of Bishop John W. Yanta of Amarillo on January 3, 2008. Bishop Yanta served as Auxiliary Bishop of San Antonio from 1994 to 1997, when he was appointed bishop of Amarillo by Pope John Paul II in January of 1997. Bishop Yanta praised the Holy Father’s choice in his statement to the people of his diocese, "Bishop Zurek has great experience in evangelizing, shepherding, teaching, sanctifying and serving the People of God…He has earned through experience a reputation for his respected, ecclesial and pastoral relationship with all.”
Prior to his installation, Bishop Zurek served as auxiliary bishop in the Archdiocese of San Antonio. Archbishop José H. Gomez of the Archdiocese of San Antonio said he received the news of the appointment with mixed emotions, "Bishop Zurek has been a blessing in many ways to me personally and to all the people of the Archdiocese of San Antonio. All who have worked alongside him will miss a good friend and a talented and dedicated bishop. However, I am happy that the Diocese of Amarillo will now benefit from his inspired leadership and dedication.”
Bishop Zurek received word of the pope’s decision from Archbishop Pietro Sambi, Nuncio to the U.S. Describing the phone call Bishop Zurek said, "Within a twinkle of an eye, he gave the message from Pope Benedict, he congratulated me and that was it! I was a little shocked at the suddenness of the announcement, my acceptance and how life would change quickly. I was very happy that he had the confidence in me to appoint me a diocesan bishop. I started to realize that a new chapter in my life was about to unfold. It was exciting!”
Before becoming a bishop in 1998, Bishop Zurek served as a priest of the Austin Diocese. He served St. Mary Parish in Temple, St. Joseph Parish in Bryan and St. John Neumann Parish in Austin and he was the founding pastor of St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in College Station. He also served as the diocesan director of Vocations for 10 years prior to being named bishop.
Bishop Zurek continues to hold several important offices on the national, international and regional level. He serves on the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Planning Committee to develop New Spanish Bible. He also remains a member of the Border Bishops Committee organized to discuss pastoral initiatives and immigration issues; and is the president and CEO of the Czech American Priests Association.
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