Gerald Frederick Kicanas

Gerald Frederick Kicanas (born August 18, 1941) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He as been the seventh Bishop of Tucson since January 15, 2002.

Gerald Kicanas was born in Chicago, Illinois, to parents being of Lebanese heritage, Frederick and Eva Kicanas. He attended Immaculate Heart Elementary School and Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary in Chicago. he obtained his licentiate in Sacred Theology from the University of St. Mary of the Lake in Mundelein. He was ordained to the priesthood on April 27, 1967, and then earned a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology and an M.Ed. in Guidance and Counseling from Loyola University in Chicago.

After working as an associate pastor until 1978, Kicanas held various offices at the archdiocesan seminary for over twenty-five years. He served as rector, principal, and Dean of Formation at Quigley Preparatory Seminary South, and became rector of Mundelein Seminary at the University of St. Mary of the Lake in 1984. While rector, he also served as a lecturer in Community and Organization Development at Loyola University.

On January 24, 1995, Pope John Paul II named Kicanas Auxiliary Bishop of Chicago and Titular Bishop of Bela. He received his episcopal consecration on the March 20 from Cardinal Joseph Bernardin, with Bishops Alfred Abramowicz and Timothy Lyne serving as co-consecrators. Kicanas selected as his episcopal motto: "La Justicia Promueve La Paz", meaning "Justice begets peace".

During his tenure as an auxiliary, he served as Episcopal Vicar for Vicariate I in the archdiocese, which includes Lake and Cook Counties. He also became involved with vocations, the permanent diaconate, and encouragement of lay ministry.

Kicanas was named Coadjutor Bishop of Tucson, Arizona on October 30, 2001, and he was installed on January 15, 2002. He succeeded Manuel Moreno as the seventh Bishop of Tucson on March 7, 2003. Kicanas has been praised for his handling of the sexual abuse crisis in his diocese, which had declared bankruptcy due to settlement costs.

On November 13, 2007, he was elected Vice-President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), defeating Archbishop Timothy Dolan by a margin of twenty-two votes. On February 28, 2008, the USCCB chose Kicanas as a member of the American delegation to the twelfth World Synod of Bishops, which was held in Vatican City in October 2008. On November 16, 2010, he was defeated by Dolan in the election for USCCB President, the first time a sitting vice president who sought to become president was defeated. On November 17, 2010, Cardinal Francis George of Chicago appointed Kicanas chairman of the Board of Directors of Catholic Relief Services, outgoing president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

In June 2009, Kicanas spoke at the annual meeting of the National Leadership Roundtable on Church Management at the Wharton School in Philadelphia. Hia talk addressed the need for effective communications in the Catholic Church.

Kicanas was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws from the University of Notre Dame on May 22, 2011.