Joseph A. Pepe

American Roman Catholic prelate

His Excellency, The Most Reverend Joseph Anthony Pepe
Bishop Emeritus of Las Vegas
Archdiocese	San Francisco
Diocese	Las Vegas
Appointed	April 6, 2001
Installed	May 31, 2001
Retired	February 28, 2018
Predecessor	Daniel Francis Walsh
Successor	George Leo Thomas
Orders
Ordination	May 16, 1970 by John Cardinal Krol
Consecration	May 31, 2001 by William Levada Michael Sheehan Joseph Anthony Galante
Personal details
Born	(1942-06-18) June 18, 1942 (age 81) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Parents	Francis and Elvira (née Fazio) Pepe
Alma mater	St. Charles Borromeo Seminary Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas
Motto	As one who serves

Styles of Joseph Anthony Pepe

Reference style	His Excellency The Most Reverend
Spoken style	Your Excellency
Religious style	Bishop

Joseph Anthony Pepe (born June 18, 1942) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the second bishop of the Diocese of Las Vegas in Nevada from 2001 to 2018.

Biography

Early life

Joseph Pepe was born on June 18, 1942, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, one of the two children of Francis and Elvira (née Fazio) Pepe.^[1] He was baptized at St. Francis de Sales Church in Philadelphia. After his graduation from Roman Catholic High School in Philadelphia in 1960, Pepe entered St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania.^[2]

Priesthood

On May 16, 1970, Pepe was ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia by Cardinal John Krol at Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral in Philadelphia.^[1]

Pepe then served as an assistant pastor at Our Lady of Loreta Parish in Philadelphia while also teaching at Cardinal O'Hara High School in Springfield, Pennsylvania. In 1976, he obtained his Doctor of Canon Law degree from the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas in Rome. He was also named defender of the bond for the Metropolitan Tribunal that same year, and prosynodal judge in 1977.^[2]

From 1982 to 1987, Pepe served as professor of canon law at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary. He was also appointed vice-chancellor (1987) and chancellor (1990) of the archdiocese; during his tenure in the chancery, he served as vice-promoter for the cause of beatification of Katharine Drexel.^[2]

Pepe was raised by the Vatican to the rank of honorary prelate in May 1991, and then served briefly as pastor of St. Justin Martyr Parish in Narberth, Pennsylvania. Upon the special request of Archbishop Michael Sheehan, Pepe was sent to the Archdiocese of Santa Fe in New Mexico in 1993 to serve as judicial vicar. In April 1998, he became chancellor, moderator of the curia, and vicar for priests of the archdiocese.^[2]

Bishop of Las Vegas

On April 6, 2001, Pope John Paul II appointed Pepe as the second bishop of the Diocese of Las Vegas. He was consecrated on May 31 by Cardinal William Levada at Guardian Angel Cathedral in Las Vegas, with Archbishop Sheehan and Bishop Joseph Galante serving as co-consecrators.^[1]^[3]

On October 18, 2003, Pepe dedicated the Our Lady of LaVang Vietnamese Catholic Community in Las Vegas as a shrine. In 2004, he opened a diocese human resources department along with an Office of Hispanic Ministry, an Office of Liturgy and Worship and an Office of Archives. On September 27, 2007, Pepe dedicated Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas.^[3]

On November 2, 2007, a priest appointed by Pepe to Our Lady of Las Vegas Catholic Parish was sentenced to four to 12 years in state prison for assault. Reverend George Chaanine had assaulted and groped Michaelina Bellamy, the events coordinator at the church, then evaded arrest for six months. Bellamy's injuries from the assault included a broken hand and two large gashes in her head. Chaanine later claimed to be in love with Bellamy and investigators found evidence that he provided her with financial support.^[4]

Pepe served on the boards of trustees of the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., the International Dominican Foundation, the Vatican Library in Rome and the Catholic Legal Immigration Network,^[5]^[2]

On February 28, 2018, Pope Francis accepted Pepe's letter of resignation as bishop of the Diocese of Las Vegas after he reached the mandatory retirement age of 75.^[2]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c "Bishop Joseph Anthony Pepe [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 2021-11-12.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f "Pope Francis Accepts Resignation of Bishop Joseph Pepe of Las Vegas; Names Bishop George Thomas as Successor | USCCB". www.usccb.org. Retrieved 2023-11-04.
^ ^a ^b "Nevada Catholic History". Archdiocese of Las Vegas. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
^ "Priest sent to prison in beating". Las Vegas Review-Journal. 2007-11-03. Retrieved 2021-11-12.
^ "Exit Interview: Joseph Pepe, Retiring bishop, Roman Catholic Diocese of Las Vegas". Nevada Public Radio. Retrieved 2021-11-12.