John Michael Botean
Encyclopedia
John Michael Botean (born July 9, 1955) is an American
Eastern Catholic cleric of the Romanian Greek-Catholic Church
.
He is currently serving as the 2nd bishop in the Romanian Catholic Eparchy of St George's in Canton
after Bishop Vasile Louis Puscas
, in the United States' sole Romanian Byzantine Catholic eparchy
and the sole Romanian Rite eparchy outside of Romania
.
, Ohio to a Romanian-American
couple: John and Amelia Botean (née Popa). He has one younger brother, Mark S. Botean. He was ordained a priest May 18, 1986. In 1993 he was appointed Apostolic Administrator for the diocese then bishop on March 29, 1996 and formally ordained as bishop on August 24 of that year by Archbishop Lucian Mureşan
(assisted by co-consecrators Archbishop Judson Michael Procyk and Bishop Nicholas James Samra
).
In 2005 Bishop John Michael established traditional Romanian Byzantine Catholic monasticism
in the Diocese of Canton with the transfer of Holy Resurrection Monastery
to diocesan jurisdiction. On October 17, 2006, the Holy Theophany Monastery (a convent) was established as a dependency of Holy Resurrection Monastery under the jurisdiction of Bishop John Michael.
Bishop John Michael achieved a measure of national and international notice in his Lent
en pastoral letter
of 2003 which spoke out against the Iraq War. The letter was a direct condemnation of the conflict, and termed it "objectively grave evil, a matter of mortal sin". These were the most outspoken terms committed to paper by a United States Catholic bishop over the war. No other US ordinary has directly condemned the Iraq war.
On June 28, 2008 he called the eparchial assembly to meet. It was the first serious effort to convoke the eparchial assembly in conformance with the 1990 Code of Cannon for the Eastern Churches
(Canons 235-242) during Bishop John Michael's episcopacy. This preliminary session focused on organizing issues. At that meeting the practice of yearly assemblies was announced, the next was held at St. Basil's in Trenton, NJ in June 2009.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Eastern Catholic cleric of the Romanian Greek-Catholic Church
Romanian Church United with Rome, Greek-Catholic
The Romanian Church United with Rome, Greek-Catholic is an Eastern Catholic Church which is in full union with the Roman Catholic Church. It is ranked as a Major Archiepiscopal Church and uses the Byzantine liturgical rite in the Romanian language....
.
He is currently serving as the 2nd bishop in the Romanian Catholic Eparchy of St George's in Canton
Romanian Catholic Eparchy of St George's in Canton
The Eparchy of St George's in Canton is a Romanian Catholic eparchy based in Canton, Ohio, USA. The current eparch is John Michael Botean. The eparchy's cathedral church is St George's Cathedral, Canton, Ohio. The boundaries of the eparchy stretch across the continental United States...
after Bishop Vasile Louis Puscas
Vasile Louis Puscas
Vasile Louis Puscas was an American prelate of the Romanian Catholic Church.Puscas was born in Aurora, Illinois and was ordained to the priesthood on May 14, 1942. He was appointed Apostolic Exarch of for the Romanian faithful of the Byzantine rite residing in the United States and was ordained...
, in the United States' sole Romanian Byzantine Catholic eparchy
Eparchy
Eparchy is an anglicized Greek word , authentically Latinized as eparchia and loosely translating as 'rule over something,' like province, prefecture, or territory, to have the jurisdiction over, it has specific meanings both in politics, history and in the hierarchy of the Eastern Christian...
and the sole Romanian Rite eparchy outside of Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
.
Biography
Born in CantonCanton, Ohio
Canton is the county seat of Stark County in northeastern Ohio, approximately south of Akron and south of Cleveland.The City of Caton is the largest incorporated area within the Canton-Massillon Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, Ohio to a Romanian-American
Romanian-American
A Romanian American is a citizen of the United States who has significant Romanian heritage. For the 2000 US Census, 367,310 Americans indicated Romanian as their first ancestry, while 462,526 persons declared to have Romanian ancestry...
couple: John and Amelia Botean (née Popa). He has one younger brother, Mark S. Botean. He was ordained a priest May 18, 1986. In 1993 he was appointed Apostolic Administrator for the diocese then bishop on March 29, 1996 and formally ordained as bishop on August 24 of that year by Archbishop Lucian Mureşan
Lucian Mureşan
Lucian Mureşan is the Major Archbishop of Făgăraş and Alba Iulia and thus head of the Romanian Church United with Rome, Greek-Catholic....
(assisted by co-consecrators Archbishop Judson Michael Procyk and Bishop Nicholas James Samra
Nicholas Samra
Nicholas Samra is the eparch of the Melkite Catholic Eparchy of Newton in the United States, elected in 2011. He has written extensively on the subject of ecumenism and the Eastern Catholic Churches.-Early life and priesthood:...
).
Activities
As the 2nd bishop in the history of a unique eparchy, a large part of Bishop John Michael's activities consist of compliance work, bringing the organization into conformance with the requirements of his split jurisdiction, both American and Romanian. Most of his parishes long predate the creation of the eparchy, often by many decades. The first mission established during the lifetime of the diocese to be raised to the level of a parish will be raised on June 29, 2008.In 2005 Bishop John Michael established traditional Romanian Byzantine Catholic monasticism
Monasticism
Monasticism is a religious way of life characterized by the practice of renouncing worldly pursuits to fully devote one's self to spiritual work...
in the Diocese of Canton with the transfer of Holy Resurrection Monastery
Holy Resurrection Monastery
Holy Resurrection Monastery is a monastic community of men. Under the canon law of the Eastern Catholic Churches the brotherhood is a self governing monastery within the Romanian Catholic Eparchy of St George's in Canton, Ohio. The ruling hierarch is Bishop John Michael Botean; the abbot of the...
to diocesan jurisdiction. On October 17, 2006, the Holy Theophany Monastery (a convent) was established as a dependency of Holy Resurrection Monastery under the jurisdiction of Bishop John Michael.
Bishop John Michael achieved a measure of national and international notice in his Lent
Lent
In the Christian tradition, Lent is the period of the liturgical year from Ash Wednesday to Easter. The traditional purpose of Lent is the preparation of the believer – through prayer, repentance, almsgiving and self-denial – for the annual commemoration during Holy Week of the Death and...
en pastoral letter
Pastoral letter
A Pastoral letter, often called simply a pastoral, is an open letter addressed by a bishop to the clergy or laity of his diocese, or to both, containing either general admonition, instruction or consolation, or directions for behaviour in particular circumstances...
of 2003 which spoke out against the Iraq War. The letter was a direct condemnation of the conflict, and termed it "objectively grave evil, a matter of mortal sin". These were the most outspoken terms committed to paper by a United States Catholic bishop over the war. No other US ordinary has directly condemned the Iraq war.
On June 28, 2008 he called the eparchial assembly to meet. It was the first serious effort to convoke the eparchial assembly in conformance with the 1990 Code of Cannon for the Eastern Churches
Canon law
Canon law is the body of laws & regulations made or adopted by ecclesiastical authority, for the government of the Christian organization and its members. It is the internal ecclesiastical law governing the Catholic Church , the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox churches, and the Anglican Communion of...
(Canons 235-242) during Bishop John Michael's episcopacy. This preliminary session focused on organizing issues. At that meeting the practice of yearly assemblies was announced, the next was held at St. Basil's in Trenton, NJ in June 2009.