George Kuzma

George Martin Kuzma ( born July 24, 1925 in Windber, Pennsylvania, USA; † 7 December 2008) was bishop of the Eparchy of Van Nuys of the Ruthenian Greek Catholic Church in the United States.

Life

George Kuzma studied after its use in the United States Navy during World War II theology at St. Francis College in Loretto, Pennsylvania and St. Procopius College in Lisle, Illinois. In 1950 he moved to the newly opened by the Byzantine church seminar SS Cyril and Methodius in Pittsburgh and completed his theological studies at the Catholic Duquesne University in Pittsburgh. He received on 29 May 1955, the ordination in the Ruthenian Greek Catholic Church by Nicholas Elko, the Archbishop of Pittsburgh. He then worked in pastoral care in Pittsburgh, Detroit and Cleveland as well as in Anaheim.

In 1986 he was appointed by Pope John Paul II, titular bishop of Telmissus and appointed Auxiliary Bishop of the Eparchy of Passaic, New Jersey. He received his episcopal consecration on February 4, 1987, the Ruthenian Archbishop of Pittsburgh, Stephen Kocisko; Co-consecrators were the bishop of the Eparchy of Passaic, Michael Dudick, and the Archbishop of Pittsburgh, Thomas Dolinay. In 1990, he was appointed in California by Pope John Paul II for the second Bishop of the Eparchy of Van Nuys, one of four dioceses of the Ruthenian Byzantine Catholic Metropolitanate in the United States.

He was the author of the Pastoral Handbook, which is used in the Uniate churches worldwide as a standard work.

His age-related resignation was accepted on 5 December 2000 by Pope John Paul II.