Michael Duca

{{Infobox Christian leader

| type = Bishop

| honorific-prefix = His Excellency, The Most Reverend

| name = Michael Gerard Duca

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| title = Bishop of Baton Rouge

| image = Bishop Duca.jpg

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| church = Roman Catholic

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| diocese = Baton Rouge

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| elected =

| appointed = June 26, 2018

| enthroned = August 24, 2018

| retired =

| predecessor = Robert William Muench

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| previous_post = {{bulleted list| Bishop of Shreveport (2008-2018) }}

| ordination = April 29, 1978

| ordained_by = Thomas Ambrose Tschoepe

| consecration = May 19, 2008

| consecrated_by = Alfred Clifton Hughes, Michael Sheehan, and Kevin Farrell

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| birth_name =

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1952|6|5}}

| birth_place = Dallas, Texas

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| motto = Spera in Domino
(Hope in the Lord)

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{{Infobox bishopstyles

| name= Michael Gerard Duca

| dipstyle=

| offstyle=Your Excellency

| relstyle=Bishop

| image = Coat of arms of Michael Gerard Duca (Baton Rouge).svg

| image_size = 200px

}}

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 =

Michael Duca was born on June 5, 1952, in Dallas, Texas. He attended elementary school in Dallas and graduated from Bishop Lynch High School in Dallas in 1970. Duca attended Holy Trinity Seminary in Irving, Texas, from 1970 to 1978.{{Cite web |title=The Most Rev. Michael G. Duca, Bishop of Baton Rouge |url=https://diobr.org/most-rev-michael-g-duca |access-date=2024-03-01 |website=Roman Catholic Diocese of Baton Rouge |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Pope Francis Accepts Resignation of Most Reverend Robert Muench from the Diocese of Baton Rouge; Appoints Most Reverend Michael Duca of Shreveport as Bishop of that Same See |url=https://www.usccb.org/news/2018/pope-francis-accepts-resignation-most-reverend-robert-muench-diocese-baton-rouge-appoints |access-date=2024-03-01 |website=US Conference of Catholic Bishops |language=en}}

= Priesthood =

Duca was ordained a priest by Bishop Thomas Tschoepe for the Diocese of Dallas at St. Thomas Aquinas Church on April 29, 1978, in Dallas.{{Cite web |title=Bishop Michael Gerard Duca [Catholic-Hierarchy] |url=https://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bducam.html |access-date=2024-03-01 |website=www.catholic-hierarchy.org}} After his 1978 ordination, the diocese assigned Duca to pastoral roles at the following Texas parishes:

All Saints Catholic in Dallas
St. Patrick Catholic in Dallas
St. Luke Catholic in Irving, Texas

In 1986, Duca was appointed as vocations director for the diocese and as chaplain at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. In 1994, Duca traveled to Rome to study at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, receiving a Licentiate in Canon Law in 1996. After returning to Texas in 1996, Duca was named rector of Holy Trinity Seminary, a position he would hold until 2008.

=Bishop of Shreveport=

File:Coat of arms of Michael Gerard Duca.svg

Duca was appointed as bishop of Shreveport by Pope Benedict XVI on April 1 2008.{{Cite web |last= |title=Msgr. Michael Duca appointed as bishop for Diocese of Shreveport |url=https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/12204/msgr-michael-duca-appointed-as-bishop-for-diocese-of-shreveport |access-date=2024-03-01 |website=Catholic News Agency |language=en}} He was consecrated by Archbishop Alfred Hughes on May 19, 2008, at the Shreveport Convention Center, with approximately 3,000 people in attendance. Archbishop Michael Sheehan and Bishop Kevin Farrell were the co-consecrators. Duca was one of the regular panelists on the American Religious Townhall television program.

=Bishop of Baton Rouge=

Duca was appointed on June 26, 2018, by Pope Francis as the sixth bishop of Baton Rouge, succeeding Bishop Robert Muench, who retired. Duca was installed by Hughes on August 24, 2018.{{Cite web |last=Gallo |first=Andrea |date=2018-06-26 |title=Pope Francis appoints Bishop Michael Duca sixth leader of Baton Rouge diocese |url=https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/pope-francis-appoints-bishop-michael-duca-sixth-leader-of-baton-rouge-diocese/article_d15b1b94-7933-11e8-b1f2-5f2efc20be9b.html |access-date=2024-03-01 |website=The Advocate |language=en}}