Richard Frank Stika (born July 4, 1957) is an American prelate of the Catholic Church who served as the third bishop of the Diocese of Knoxville in Tennessee from 2009. He resigned in 2023 at the request of Pope Francis after being accused of covering up the rape of a diocesan employee by a former seminarian, among other allegations of misconduct and mismanagement.
Biography
Early life
Richard Stika was born on July 4, 1957, in St. Louis, Missouri, to Frank and Helen (née Musielak) Stika; his father was of Czech heritage and his mother Polish. The third of four children, he has three brothers, Lawrence, Robert, and Joseph. He was baptized at St. Francis de Sales Church on July 21, 1957, and attended Epiphany of Our Lord School in South St. Louis.
Stika attended St. Augustine Minor Seminary High School in Holland, Michigan, for one year, where he alleges that he was sexually abused by an Augustinian priest. He then transferred to Bishop DuBourg High School in St. Louis, graduating in 1975. He then studied at St. Louis University, obtaining a Bachelor of Science degree in business in 1979. Stika then entered Kenrick-Glennon Seminary in Shrewsbury, Missouri, where he earned a Bachelor of Philosophy degree in 1981 and a Master of Divinity degree in 1985. Cardinal John Carberry ordained Stika as a deacon on May 1, 1985.
Priesthood
Stika was ordained to the priesthood by Archbishop John L. May on December 14, 1985, for the Archdiocese of St. Louis. After his ordination, Stika served as an associate pastor of Mary Queen of Peace Parish in Webster Groves, Missouri, until 1991. In 1991, He was appointed spiritual director of the Catholic Youth Organization and associate director of the Office of Vocations. Stika was also transferred to be an associate pastor at St. Paul Parish in Fenton, Missouri (1991–1992) and later at the Cathedral of St. Louis Parish (1992–1994).
From 1994 to 2004, Stika served as chancellor of the archdiocese. During this period, he also served as private secretary and master of ceremonies to Archbishop Justin Rigali (1994–1997), vicar general and vicar for religious (1997–2004), and member of the College of Consultors (1997–2009). Stika coordinated Pope John Paul II's visit to St. Louis in 1999.
Named vicar for priests in 2002, Stika served as both pastor of the Church of the Annunziata Parish in Ladue, Missouri, and episcopal vicar for Child and Youth Protection from 2004 to 2009.
Bishop of Knoxville
On January 12, 2009, Stika was appointed bishop of the Diocese of Knoxville by Pope Benedict XVI. He was ordained to the episcopate on March 19, 2009. from Cardinal Rigali, with Archbishop Joseph Kurtz and Bishop Robert Shaheen serving as co-consecrators, at the Knoxville Convention Center. Stika selected as his episcopal motto: ("Jesus, I Trust in You").
Possessing bi-ritual faculties, Stika can also celebrate the West Syriac Rite Holy Qurbono according to the recension of the Maronite Church, an Eastern Catholic Church in full communion with the pope. He is also a member of the Knights of Columbus and the Order of the Holy Sepulchre. He is a fan of the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team. He is a close friend of Cardinal Rigali and considered the latter's protégé.
Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart
In September 2014, Stika initiated fundraising to construct a new Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus in Knoxville, He dedicated it on March 3, 2018.
Questions concerning the funding of the cathedral arose in 2021, as diocesan priests and employees alleged that Stika had taken funds from diocesan education and employee benefit funds, including loan money from the Paycheck Protection Program, to pay for the 36 million dollar cathedral. One anonymous priest of the diocese said "we are nearly bankrupt... there's just not going to be cash there."
Criticisms of leadership as bishop
In April 2021, an official of the Congregation for Bishops stated that the Holy See had received about ten accusations against Stika under the auspices of the Motu proprio Vos estis lux mundi, which were being reviewed. He said it was likely that Archbishop Kurtz would be granted power to investigate.
In 2021, 11 priests of the Diocese of Knoxville, roughly 20 percent of the presbyterate, feeling that they had exhausted all alternative courses of action, wrote to the apostolic nuncio, Archbishop Christophe Pierre, requesting of the Holy See "merciful relief" from Stika's leadership. They wrote that: