Patrick Zurek

Patrick James Zurek (born 17 August 1948) has served as Bishop of Amarillo since his installation on 22 February 2008. Zurek trained in Rome as a moral theologian who was a chaplain at the Bambino Gesu Children's Hospital during his seminary days.

Zurek was ordained a priest in Rome on 29 June 1975 by Pope Paul VI along with 359 others for the Holy Year of 1975.

He has been on the board of the directors of missions, the Assumption Seminary, and the Ad Hoc Committee for the Spanish-language Bible. In his capacity as Bishop, he has participated in numerous charity events, including one for 13 area Catholic schools that raised $230,000. He has also appeared on television concelebrating Mass in honor of the faith connection between The Archdioceses of San Antonio and Tegucigalpa, Honduras.

Zurek served 21 years as a priest of the Diocese of Austin, Texas, including 10 years as the original pastor of St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church in College Station. While a priest, he also led the National Conference of Diocesan Vocation Directors before being named an auxiliary bishop of San Antonio on 5 January 1998 by Pope John Paul II where he replaced John Yanta. He speaks five languages, including his ancestral Czech, Italian and Spanish.

Episcopal succession