Office of the Bishop
The Most Reverend Edward M. Rice
Bishop of the Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau
Role of the Office
Through the Office of the Bishop, Bishop Rice shepherds the people of the diocese with the assistance of his priests, who lead the parishes and ministries under the bishop’s guidance and leadership. Together they work to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ with the goal of leading all people to eternal life in heaven.
“Bishops should proclaim the gospel of Christ to everyone. This is one of the principal duties of bishops. Fortified by the Spirit, they should call on people to believe or should strengthen them when they already have a living faith…. They should present the doctrine of Christ in a manner suited to the needs of the times; that is, so it may be relevant to those difficulties and questions which people find especially worrying and intimidating. They should also safeguard this doctrine, teaching the faithful themselves to defend it and propagate it…. Bishops should endeavor to use the various methods available nowadays for proclaiming Christian doctrine.” (Section 12 and 13 of the Decree on the Pastoral Office of Bishops in the Church, 1965)
The Very Reverend Fr. Shoby M. Chettiyath, JCL
Vicar General & Moderator of the Curia
