Plácido Rodriguez

{{Infobox Christian leader

| type = Bishop

| honorific-prefix = His Excellency, The Most Reverend

| name = Plácido Rodríguez

| honorific-suffix = C.M.F.

| title = Bishop Emeritus of Lubbock

| image =

| alt =

| caption =

| church = Roman Catholic

| archdiocese =

| diocese = Lubbock

| see =

| appointed = April 5, 1994

| enthroned = June 1, 1994

| retired = September 27, 2016

| predecessor = Michael Jarboe Sheehan

| successor = Robert Milner Coerver

| ordination = May 23, 1968

| ordained_by = Thomas Joseph Grady

| consecration = December 13, 1983

| consecrated_by = Joseph Bernardin, Nevin William Hayes, and Alfred Leo Abramowicz

| rank =

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1940|10|11}}

| birth_place = Celaya, Mexico

| death_date =

| death_place =

| previous_post = {{bulleted list| Auxiliary Bishop of Chicago and Titular Bishop of Fuerteventura (1983-1994) }}

| coat_of_arms =

| motto = Caritas Christi urget nos
(The love of Christ urges us)

}}

{{Infobox bishopstyles

| name= Plácido Rodríguez

| dipstyle=

| offstyle=Your Excellency

| relstyle=Bishop

| image = Coat of arms of Plácido Rodriguez.svg

| image_size = 200px

}}

Plácido Rodríguez C.M.F. (born October 11, 1940) is a Mexican-born American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Lubbock in Texas from 1994 to 2015 and as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of San Antonio in Texas from 1983 to 1994.{{Catholic-hierarchy|bishop|brop|Bishop Plácido Rodríguez, C.M.F.|21 January 2015}}

Biography

= Early life =

Plácido Rodríguez was born on October 11, 1940, in Celaya, Mexico to Eutimio and Maria Conception. He was the 11th born out of 14 children; his family emigrated to Chicago in 1953, when he was twelve years old.{{Cite web |date=February 8, 2018 |title=Biography of Bishop Placido Rodriguez |url=http://www.kcbd.com/story/3151922/biography-of-bishop-placido-rodriguez |access-date=November 19, 2023 |website=KCBD NewsChannel 11}}

Rodríguez attended Saint Francis Assisi Parish School in Chicago, then St. Jude's Seminary in Momence, Illinois. He then entered the Claretian Novitiate in Los Angeles, making his first profession of vows in 1960.

After finishing at the novitiate, Rodríguez entered Claretian College Seminary in Calabasas, California, graduating in 1964. He then attended the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. Rodríguez took his perpetual vows with the Claretians in 1967 and graduated from Catholic University in 1988, receiving a Licentiate in Sacred Theology and a Bachelor of Sacred Theology degree.

= Priesthood =

Rodríguez was ordained into the priesthood by Bishop Thomas Grady for the Claretian Order on May 23, 1968.

After his ordination, Rodríguez was assigned as an associate pastor at Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in South Chicago. During this period, he earned a Master of Urban Studies degree in 1971 from Loyola University Chicago. In 1975, Rodríguez was appointed vocation director for the Claretian's eastern province, a job he held for six years. In 1981, Rodríguez was named pastor of Our Lady of Fatima Parish in Perth Amboy, New Jersey.

= Auxiliary Bishop of Chicago =

Rodríguez was appointed as an auxiliary bishop of Chicago and titular bishop of Fuerteventura by Pope John Paul II on October 18, 1983. He was consecrated by Cardinal Joseph Bernadin at Holy Name Cathedral in Chicago on December 13, 1983.

= Bishop of Lubbock =

Rodríguez was appointed as bishop of Lubbock on April 5, 1994, by John Paul II. He was installed on June 1, 1994 in the Lubbock Municipal Coliseum in Lubbock, Texas.[http://www.txcatholic.org/index.php/bishops-of-texas/23-bishop-placido-rodriguez-cmf Texas Catholic Conference: "Bishop Plácido Rodríguez, CMF"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161002124529/http://www.txcatholic.org/index.php/bishops-of-texas/23-bishop-placido-rodriguez-cmf|date=2016-10-02}} retrieved June 25, 2011

In January 2004, Rodriguez released a list of five priests and one deacon with credible allegations of sexual abuse of minors. Most of the cases dated back before the formation of the diocese. The men on the list were either deceased or already removed from ministry.{{Cite web |last=BLANEY |first=BETSY |date=2004-01-12 |title=Report: Six priest abuse allegations had 'reasonable cause' |url=https://www.myplainview.com/news/article/Report-Six-priest-abuse-allegations-had-8776777.php |access-date=2022-05-07 |website=Plainview Herald |language=en-US}}

= Retirement =

After reaching the mandatory retirement age of 75 on October 11, 2015, Rodríguez submitted his letter of resignation as bishop of Lubbock to Pope Francis. The pope accepted it on September 27, 2016.{{Cite web|url=http://www.claretiansusa.org/news/claretian-bishop-placido-rodriguez-retires/|title=Claretian Bishop Plácido Rodríguez retires - Claretian Missionaries—USA-Canada Province|website=www.claretiansusa.org|language=en-US|access-date=2018-02-08}} Rodríguez retired to Chicago to return to the Claretian Order, actively working in the promotion of priestly vocations.