Alexander King Sample
Encyclopedia
Alexander King Sample is an American prelate
of the Roman Catholic Church
. He is the twelfth and current Bishop of Marquette
, Michigan
.
, to Alexander and Joyce (née Dory) Sample, his father was of Scottish
heritage and his mother Polish
. He attended Michigan Technological University
in Houghton, Michigan
, where he obtained a Bachelor of Science
degree in 1982 and a Master of Science
degree in metallurgical engineering
in 1984.
Interested in becoming a priest
since the fourth grade, he decided to study for the priesthood after graduating from MTU, saying, "I knew I would never know peace until I explored the vocation to be a priest." He graduated in 1986 from the College of St. Thomas
in St. Paul, Minnesota, and then entered the Pontifical College Josephinum
in Columbus, Ohio
.
a priest of the Diocese of Marquette
by Bishop Mark Schmitt
on June 1, 1990. He was parochial vicar
at the parish of St. Peter Cathedral
from 1990 to 1993, and then served as pastor
of St. George Parish in Bark River
, St. Michael Parish in Perronville, and Sacred Heart Parish in Schaffer (all of which were consolidated into St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish in 1995).
In 1994, he was sent to further his studies in Rome at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, later earning a licentiate in canon law
in 1996.
Upon his return to the Diocese of Marquette in 1996, Sample was named chancellor
and pastor of St. Christopher Parish. He also served as a member of the College of Consultors, director of Ministrey Personnel Services and of Ongoing Formation of Priests, and diocesan chaplain
to the Knights of Columbus
. Within the Marriage Tribunal, he served judge
, adjutant judicial vicar
, defender of the bond
, and promoter of justice. He was also director of the Bishop Baraga Association and vice-postulator
of the cause of beatification
for Bishop Frederic Baraga
.
by Pope Benedict XVI
. He received his episcopal consecration
on January 25, 2006 from Adam Cardinal Maida, with Bishops James Garland
and Mark Schmitt serving as co-consecrators
. At the time of his consecration, Sample was the youngest Catholic bishop in the United States and the first to be born in the 1960s. He selected as his episcopal motto
: "Vultum Christi Contemplari", meaning, "To Contemplate the Face of Christ."
On October 7, 2007, at the invitation of Archbishop
Raymond Leo Burke
, Sample attended the Red Mass
at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis
, delivering the homily. In April 2009, Sample expressed his "disappointment and dismay" over the University of Notre Dame
's decision to have President Barack Obama
deliver its commencement speech and receive a honorary degree
, given Obama's pro-choice
views. He added, "It saddens me beyond words that the great university named after Our Lady would bestow distinction and honor on a politician who would seek to expand threats to such innocent human life."
Sample has stressed that permanent deacons should not regularly preach at Mass; rather, they should preach at other services and serve the Church in the course of their daily witness to Christ. Bishop Sample’s 19-page letter, titled “The Deacon: Icon of Jesus Christ the Servant,” cited the principle that the one who presides at a liturgical service or who is the principal celebrant at Mass should also give the homily: “This should be the ordinary practice." Deacons should preach the homily at Mass “for some identifiable advantage for the faithful in the congregation, but not on a regular basis.”
As Bishop, Sample serves as the spiritual leader of roughly 70,000 Roman Catholics in the Upper Peninsula
.
Prelate
A prelate is a high-ranking member of the clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin prælatus, the past participle of præferre, which means "carry before", "be set above or over" or "prefer"; hence, a prelate is one set over others.-Related...
of the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
. He is the twelfth and current Bishop of Marquette
Roman Catholic Diocese of Marquette
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Marquette is a suffragan diocese of the Roman rite, encompassing all of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, in the ecclesiastical province of the Archbishop of Detroit. It encompasses an area of 16,281 square miles .Its cathedral is St. Peter Cathedral in Marquette,...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
.
Early life and education
Born in Kalispell, MontanaKalispell, Montana
Kalispell is a city in and the county seat of Flathead County, Montana, United States. The 2010 census put Kalispell's population at 19,927 up 5,704 over 2000. At 40.1% this is the largest percentage of growth of any incorporated city in Montana. Kalispell is the largest city and commercial center...
, to Alexander and Joyce (née Dory) Sample, his father was of Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
heritage and his mother Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. He attended Michigan Technological University
Michigan Technological University
Michigan Technological University is a public research university located in Houghton, Michigan, United States. Its main campus sits on on a bluff overlooking Portage Lake...
in Houghton, Michigan
Houghton, Michigan
Houghton is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan's Upper Peninsula and largest city in the Copper Country on the Keweenaw Peninsula. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 7,708. It is the county seat of Houghton County...
, where he obtained a Bachelor of Science
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
degree in 1982 and a Master of Science
Master of Science
A Master of Science is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in the sciences including the social sciences.-Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay:...
degree in metallurgical engineering
Metallurgy
Metallurgy is a domain of materials science that studies the physical and chemical behavior of metallic elements, their intermetallic compounds, and their mixtures, which are called alloys. It is also the technology of metals: the way in which science is applied to their practical use...
in 1984.
Interested in becoming a priest
Priesthood (Catholic Church)
The ministerial orders of the Catholic Church include the orders of bishops, deacons and presbyters, which in Latin is sacerdos. The ordained priesthood and common priesthood are different in function and essence....
since the fourth grade, he decided to study for the priesthood after graduating from MTU, saying, "I knew I would never know peace until I explored the vocation to be a priest." He graduated in 1986 from the College of St. Thomas
University of St. Thomas (Minnesota)
The University of St. Thomas is a private, Catholic, liberal arts, and archdiocesan university located in St. Paul and Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States...
in St. Paul, Minnesota, and then entered the Pontifical College Josephinum
Pontifical College Josephinum
The Pontifical College Josephinum is a four-year, Roman Catholic liberal arts college and graduate school of theology founded by Monsignor Joseph Jessing in 1888 and located in Columbus, Ohio, USA. The seminary prepares its students to become priests in the Roman Catholic Church. Students come...
in Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
.
Priesthood
Sample was ordainedHoly Orders
The term Holy Orders is used by many Christian churches to refer to ordination or to those individuals ordained for a special role or ministry....
a priest of the Diocese of Marquette
Roman Catholic Diocese of Marquette
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Marquette is a suffragan diocese of the Roman rite, encompassing all of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, in the ecclesiastical province of the Archbishop of Detroit. It encompasses an area of 16,281 square miles .Its cathedral is St. Peter Cathedral in Marquette,...
by Bishop Mark Schmitt
Mark Francis Schmitt
Mark Francis Schmitt was the tenth Roman Catholic bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Marquette, in Marquette, Michigan....
on June 1, 1990. He was parochial vicar
Curate
A curate is a person who is invested with the care or cure of souls of a parish. In this sense "curate" correctly means a parish priest but in English-speaking countries a curate is an assistant to the parish priest...
at the parish of St. Peter Cathedral
St. Peter Cathedral, Marquette
St. Peter Cathedral is a large Roman Catholic cathedral located on Baraga Avenue in Marquette, Michigan. As the mother church of the Diocese of Marquette, it is one of the most notable marks of Catholic presence in the Upper Peninsula...
from 1990 to 1993, and then served as pastor
Pastor
The word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....
of St. George Parish in Bark River
Bark River, Michigan
Bark River is an unincorporated community located in Delta County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located in Bark River Township near the Bark River. It is situated on U.S. Highway 2 and U.S. Highway 41 about 13 miles west of Escanaba and just east of the Hannahville Indian Reservation...
, St. Michael Parish in Perronville, and Sacred Heart Parish in Schaffer (all of which were consolidated into St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish in 1995).
In 1994, he was sent to further his studies in Rome at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, later earning a licentiate in canon law
Licentiate of Canon Law
Licentiate of Canon Law is the title of an advanced graduate degree with canonical effects in the Roman Catholic Church offered by pontifical universities and ecclesiastical faculties of canon law...
in 1996.
Upon his return to the Diocese of Marquette in 1996, Sample was named chancellor
Chancellor (ecclesiastical)
Two quite distinct officials of some Christian churches have the title Chancellor.*In some churches, the Chancellor of a diocese is a lawyer who represents the church in legal matters....
and pastor of St. Christopher Parish. He also served as a member of the College of Consultors, director of Ministrey Personnel Services and of Ongoing Formation of Priests, and diocesan chaplain
Chaplain
Traditionally, a chaplain is a minister in a specialized setting such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam or lay representative of a religion attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, police department, university, or private chapel...
to the Knights of Columbus
Knights of Columbus
The Knights of Columbus is the world's largest Catholic fraternal service organization. Founded in the United States in 1882, it is named in honor of Christopher Columbus....
. Within the Marriage Tribunal, he served judge
Judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
, adjutant judicial vicar
Judicial vicar
In the Roman Catholic Church, a judicial vicar is an officer of the diocese who has ordinary power to judge cases in the diocesan ecclesiastical court...
, defender of the bond
Defender of the Matrimonial Tie
The Defender of the Bond, or Defensor Matrimonii in Latin, is a Catholic church official whose duty is to defend the marriage-bond in the procedure prescribed for the hearing of matrimonial causes which involve the validity or nullity of a marriage already contracted.Benedict XIV, by his Bull "Dei...
, and promoter of justice. He was also director of the Bishop Baraga Association and vice-postulator
Postulator
The person who guides a Cause for beatification or canonization through the judicial processes required by the Roman Catholic Church is known as the postulator. The qualifications, role and function of the postulator are spelled out in the Norms to be Observed in Inquiries made by Bishops in the...
of the cause of beatification
Beatification
Beatification is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a dead person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in his or her name . Beatification is the third of the four steps in the canonization process...
for Bishop Frederic Baraga
Frederic Baraga
Frederic Baraga, Servant of God was a Slovene American Roman Catholic missionary, bishop, and grammarian.-Early life:Frederic Baraga was born as Friderik Irenej Baraga in the manor house at Mala Vas no...
.
Episcopal career
On December 13, 2005, Sample was appointed the twelfth Bishop of MarquetteRoman Catholic Diocese of Marquette
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Marquette is a suffragan diocese of the Roman rite, encompassing all of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, in the ecclesiastical province of the Archbishop of Detroit. It encompasses an area of 16,281 square miles .Its cathedral is St. Peter Cathedral in Marquette,...
by Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
. He received his episcopal consecration
Bishop (Catholic Church)
In the Catholic Church, a bishop is an ordained minister who holds the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders and is responsible for teaching the Catholic faith and ruling the Church....
on January 25, 2006 from Adam Cardinal Maida, with Bishops James Garland
James Henry Garland
James Henry Garland is a bishop of the Catholic Church in the United States. He served as the bishop of the Diocese of Marquette in the state of Michigan from 1992–2005.-Biography:...
and Mark Schmitt serving as co-consecrators
Consecrator
Consecrator is a term used in the Roman Catholic Church to designate a bishop who ordains a priest to the episcopal state. The term is often used in Eastern Rite Churches and in Anglican communities. The term "Principal Consecrator" is used to designate the primary bishop who ordains a new bishop...
. At the time of his consecration, Sample was the youngest Catholic bishop in the United States and the first to be born in the 1960s. He selected as his episcopal motto
Motto
A motto is a phrase meant to formally summarize the general motivation or intention of a social group or organization. A motto may be in any language, but Latin is the most used. The local language is usual in the mottoes of governments...
: "Vultum Christi Contemplari", meaning, "To Contemplate the Face of Christ."
On October 7, 2007, at the invitation of Archbishop
Archbishop
An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...
Raymond Leo Burke
Raymond Leo Burke
Raymond Leo Burke is an American Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church. He is the current Cardinal Prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura, having previously served as Archbishop of St...
, Sample attended the Red Mass
Red Mass
A Red Mass is a Mass celebrated annually in the Catholic Church for judges, attorneys, law school professors, students, and government officials...
at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis
Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis
The Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis, also known as the Saint Louis Cathedral or the New Cathedral, was completed in 1914 in St. Louis, Missouri, as the archdiocesan replacement for the Cathedral of St. Louis, King of France...
, delivering the homily. In April 2009, Sample expressed his "disappointment and dismay" over the University of Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
's decision to have President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
deliver its commencement speech and receive a honorary degree
Honorary degree
An honorary degree or a degree honoris causa is an academic degree for which a university has waived the usual requirements, such as matriculation, residence, study, and the passing of examinations...
, given Obama's pro-choice
Pro-choice
Support for the legalization of abortion is centered around the pro-choice movement, a sociopolitical movement supporting the ethical view that a woman should have the legal right to elective abortion, meaning the right to terminate her pregnancy....
views. He added, "It saddens me beyond words that the great university named after Our Lady would bestow distinction and honor on a politician who would seek to expand threats to such innocent human life."
Sample has stressed that permanent deacons should not regularly preach at Mass; rather, they should preach at other services and serve the Church in the course of their daily witness to Christ. Bishop Sample’s 19-page letter, titled “The Deacon: Icon of Jesus Christ the Servant,” cited the principle that the one who presides at a liturgical service or who is the principal celebrant at Mass should also give the homily: “This should be the ordinary practice." Deacons should preach the homily at Mass “for some identifiable advantage for the faithful in the congregation, but not on a regular basis.”
As Bishop, Sample serves as the spiritual leader of roughly 70,000 Roman Catholics in the Upper Peninsula
Upper Peninsula of Michigan
The Upper Peninsula of Michigan is the northern of the two major land masses that make up the U.S. state of Michigan. It is commonly referred to as the Upper Peninsula, the U.P., or Upper Michigan. It is also known as the land "above the Bridge" linking the two peninsulas. The peninsula is bounded...
.