Stephen Blaire

Stephen Edward Blaire (born December 22, 1941) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He is the fifth and current Bishop of Stockton.

[edit] Biography

Stephen Blaire was born in Los Angeles, California, as the twelfth of fourteen children. He attended local Catholic schools in the San Fernando Valley, and graduated from Queen of Angels High School Seminary in 1959. Blaire then entered St. John's Seminary College in Camarillo. He was ordained to the priesthood by James Cardinal McIntyre on April 29, 1967, and then served as associate pastor of St. Luke's Church in Temple City until 1972.

From 1972 to 1986, Blaire performed his priestly ministry in Catholic secondary education, initially as a teacher and administrator at Bishop Alemany High School in Mission Hills and later as Vice Principal at Bishop Amat High School in La Puente. He was Principal at Bishop Alemany from 1977 to 1986, whence he became curial moderator and archdiocesan chancellor of Los Angeles.

On February 17, 1990, Blaire was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Los Angeles and Titular Bishop of Lamzella by Pope John Paul II. He received his episcopal consecration on the following May 31 from Archbishop Roger Mahony, with Bishops John Ward and George Ziemann serving as co-consecrators. Blaire was made a vicar general of Los Angeles in 1990, and assinged to Our Lady of the Angels Pastoral Region in 1995.

He was later named the fifth Bishop of Stockton on January 18, 1999, being formally installed as such on March 16 of that same year in the Cathedral of the Annunciation.

Within the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Blaire currently sits as on the Committee for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, having formerly chaired the Pastoral Practices Committee. He also serves as treasurer of the California Catholic Conference.