Meet Bishop Edward Rice
He is the sixth of ten kids. He runs 5 miles a day. He is a native of St. Louis, Missouri. He likes cheering on the St. Louis Blues hockey team.
Meet Bishop Edward Rice.
Anyone meeting this bishop of the Diocese of Springfield – Cape Girardeau for the first time will be struck by how easy it is to talk to him. Bishop Rice truly has the heart of a shepherd. His humility and humor are a magnet for young and old alike. He has a particular heart for the young people of the Church.
When asked what advice he would give teens heading off to college in the fall, Bishop Rice said that he wants them to remember to never give in and to never give up. He wants teens to live a life based on what is the best. As he noted in his homily on Saturday morning, it can be easy to get caught up in the things of this earth, but he wants youth to remember that we will only be satisfied when we are aspiring to the things that are eternal.
As a former vocations director for the Archdiocese of St. Louis, he knows that teens can be confused about discerning their vocation, whether that is marriage, singled life, priesthood, or consecrated life. He encourages teens to not being afraid of God’s plan for their lives. Bishop Rice points out that for 2,000 years, God has been calling men and women to serve Him, so if you feel God calling you, there is no need to be afraid.
For Bishop Rice, even after attendance at dozens of SteubySTL conferences, he continues to be inspired by the teens when he comes. He gets the privilege of seeing the faith being presented to the next generation. He sees that teens are asking questions about life and are craving the answers here at SteubySTL.
This year’s Steubenville conference is particularly meaningful for him, having just recently left the Archdiocese of St. Louis to take the helm as shepherd of the Diocese of Springfield – Cape Girardeau. He has enjoyed seeing teens from both his former diocese and his new diocese gathering at SteubySTL as one.
Quotable
“Steubenville is evangelization in the trenches.”
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