Reference style The Most Reverend Religious style Monsignor Name Lee Piche | Spoken style Your Excellency Posthumous style not applicable | |
Lee Anthony Piché (born May 8, 1958) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis from May 27, 2009, to June 15, 2015.
Contents
Early life and education
The eldest of seven children, Lee Piché was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to LeRoy and Cecilia Piché. He attended Irondale High School in New Brighton and the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul. He studied at St. Paul Seminary, from where he obtained a M.A. in theology.
Ordination and ministry
Piché was ordained a priest on May 26, 1984. He then served as associate pastor at St. Mark's Church until 1987, when he joined the faculty of the University of St. Thomas. He then furthered his studies at St. Joseph Seminary in Princeton, New Jersey (1987-1988), and at Columbia University in New York (earning a Master's degree in Philosophy in 1994).
From 1994 to 1999, he taught undergraduate philosophy the University of St. Thomas. He was pastor of St. Joseph Church in West St. Paul (1999-2005), and of All Saints Church in Lakeville (2005-2008). From 2000 to 2008, he served as chairman of the Archdiocesan Commission for Ecumenism and Interreligious Affairs. In June 2008, he was named pastor of St. Andrew Church as well as vicar general and moderator of the curia for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.
Auxiliary Bishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis
On May 27, 2009, Piché was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis and Titular Bishop of Tamata by Pope Benedict XVI. He received his episcopal consecration on the following June 29 from Archbishop John Nienstedt, with Archbishop Harry Flynn and Bishop John LeVoir serving as co-consecrators, at the Cathedral of St. Paul. The Vatican announced on June 15, 2015, that Pope Francis had accepted his resignation as auxiliary bishop along with that of Archbishop John Nienstedt, both citing the provision of canon law that allows a bishop to resign when some "grave reason" makes it impossible to continue to fulfill his duties.