Bishop Paul Sirba
September 2, 1960 – December 1, 2019
We were all shocked and saddened to hear of the passing of our beloved Bishop Sirba. He was a most kind and genuine bishop, and he was quite generous to St. Raphael’s Guild:
- He was one of our earliest speakers and teachers. On September 20, 2013 he spoke to our guild on “Introduction to Spiritual Direction and Formation.”
- He was our first White Mass speaker in 2010, when he spoke on “Prayer, Spirituality, and Physicians.”
- He was endlessly supportive of our White Mass — he celebrated every White Mass for ten years.
God bless Bishop Sirba.
Bishop Peter Muhich
Our chaplain, 2013–2020 · Bishop of Rapid City
Fr. Peter Muhich assumed the role of our chaplain in the fall of 2013, and in May 2014 the guild moved its meeting site to the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Rosary, where he was pastor.
Fr. Peter was deeply involved in the life of the guild: he helped plan our yearly calendar, was integral to the annual White Mass, provided spiritual direction, and twice served as our guest speaker on spiritual healing. He worked closely with Bishop Paul Sirba on questions of Catholic medical ethics in the Diocese of Duluth.
In May 2020, Fr. Peter received “the call” — the Papal Nuncio informing him that the Holy Father wished to appoint him Bishop of Rapid City, South Dakota. He was ordained a bishop on July 9, 2020. That September he was named the national CMA’s Outstanding Guild Chaplain of 2020, recognized for his spiritual leadership and his devotion to our guild.
He is a kind, positive, and deeply spiritual man. We congratulate him and pray for him and the Diocese of Rapid City. God bless.