Bishop Steven J. Lopes - Assembly of Catholic Professionals

Bishop Steven J. Lopes speaking at the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City's Assembly of Catholic Professionals Luncheon on 2-7-2019.

Bishop Lopes is Bishop of the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter, a non-territorial diocese dedicated to the guidance of former Anglicans into full communion with the Catholic Church.

Bishop Lopes is the first bishop of the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter and pastor to all its members and clergy in the United States and Canada.

He studied philosophy and liturgy at the University of Innsbruck. He then earned three degrees – including a doctorate – in sacred theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, where he has also served as an adjunct faculty member.

On June 23, 2001, he was ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of San Francisco by Cardinal William J. Levada (then Archbishop Levada).

As a priest of the Archdiocese, he served as an associate pastor at two parishes: St. Patrick Catholic Church in San Francisco and St. Anselm Catholic Church in Ross, Calif.

In 2005, he was named an official of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith, the Vatican office responsible for promoting and preserving Catholic teaching. For seven of his 10-plus years at the Vatican, he served as secretary to the Cardinal Prefect. He was named a monsignor in 2010.

Pope Francis named him the Bishop of the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter on Nov. 24, 2015. He succeeded Msgr. Jeffrey N. Steenson as leader of the Ordinariate on Feb. 2, 2016.

For his motto, Bishop Lopes selected the Latin phrase, “Magna Opera Domini,” or in English, “Great are the works of the Lord.” By these words, the new bishop expresses his awe of God’s grace in drawing His people to the fullness of Eucharistic communion.

Bishop Lopes is a chaplain to the Order of Malta and remains deeply committed to the Order's service to the sick and the poor.

As a bishop, he is a full member of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops.

To learn more about the Assembly of Catholic Professionals in the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, go to www.archokc.org/ACP