Breaking: St. Louis Monsignor named new Bishop of Knoxville

update: whoops! Msgr. Stika is to become a bishop, not an archbishop. Thanks, AmP reader Jean.

Monsignor Richard Stika is to become the third bishop of Knoxville:

From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

Monsignor Richard Stika of the Church of the Annunziata in Ladue has been tapped by the pope to be bishop-elect of the diocese in Knoxville, Tenn.

He will ordained as bishop there and begin his duties March 19.

... Stika, 51, is a native of St. Louis. He graduated from Bishop DuBourg High School in 1975. Four years later, he graduated with a business degree from St. Louis University.

...Stika takes over for Bishop Joseph E. Kurtz as bishop of the Knoxville diocese. Kurtz was named archbishop of Louisville in August 2007. The Knoxville diocese is home to about 50,000 Catholics and covers about 14,000 square miles.

Rocco adds:

With the move, the number of vacant Stateside dioceses falls to nine, the group now led by South Carolina's statewide church of Charleston, which has been awaiting a new head since August 2007.

So much for "new bishop Tuesdays." Seems like Papa Benny is using the whole week!