Richard Pates

Pates received his theological education at St. Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology before entering the priesthood. He began his clerical career as a seminarian, later serving as a priest and eventually rising through the ranks to become an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis in Minnesota. Following his tenure as auxiliary bishop, he served as bishop of Des Moines in Iowa from 2008 to 2019, overseeing various dioceses during his subsequent retirement. His latest appointment saw him take on the role of apostolic administrator of the Archdiocese of Dubuque in Iowa.