| The Most Reverend Roger Joseph Foys |
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|---|---|
| Bishop of Covington | |
Bishop Foys in 2010 |
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| Province | Louisville |
| See | Covington |
| Enthroned | July 15, 2002 |
| Predecessor | Robert William Muench |
| Successor | incumbent |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | May 16, 1973 |
| Consecration | July 15, 2002 |
| Personal details | |
| Born | June 27, 1945 Chicago, Illinois |
| Nationality | United States |
| Alma mater | Franciscan University of Steubenville |
Roger Joseph Foys is the tenth bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Covington, in Kentucky, USA. Foys was ordained a priest in 1973 in the Diocese of Steubenville; he served there until he was installed as Bishop of Covington on July 15, 2002.
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On July 27, 1945, Roger Joseph Foys was born in Chicago, Illinois. He began his religious studies for the Diocese of Steubenville at St. John Vianney Seminary in Bloomingdale, Ohio, part of the Franciscan University of Steubenville. He completed his graduate studies at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. and the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome.
Bishop John King Mussio ordained Father Foys on May 16, 1973 in Holy Name Cathedral of Steubenville, Ohio. Throughout his years with the Diocese of Steubenville, Father Foys served as Diocesan Treasurer, Chairman of the Diocesan Presbyteral Council, and Moderator of the Curia. He was appointed Vicar General in 1982 and made a monsignor in 1987. He also taught Canon Law for one year at St. John Vianney Seminary. Pope John Paul II made him a Prelate of Honor in 1986 and a Protonotary Apostolic in 2001.
| Styles of Roger Joseph Foys |
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|---|---|
| Reference style | The Most Reverend |
| Spoken style | Your Excellency |
| Religious style | Monsignor |
| Posthumous style | not applicable |
Monsignor Foys was appointed Bishop of Covington on May 31, 2002 by Pope John Paul II and was consecrated at the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption on July 15, 2002[1].
Bishop Foys came to the Diocese of Covington as it was in the midst of a class action lawsuit concerning the sexual abuse of minor by over 80 diocesan employees including priests[2]. The lawsuit was filed one day before Bishop Foys was appointed by the pope to the See of Covington. The claim was originally for $50 million[3]but eventually grew to be much more over the ensuing years of litigation. Bishop Foys vowed to meet with every victim of abuse who was willing to meet saying, "Those harmed by these shameful, despicable deeds now need the institutional Church and, more importantly, the pastoral Church to provide as much comfort and peace as possible. Our hearts must remain open, like Christ’s"[4]. He eventually met with over 70 victims of abuse personally and agree to create a system of payment where victims who were abused between 1948 and 1998 could receive compensation while not having to undergo the process of a trial.
The settlement eventually cost the diocese $120 million; $80 million of which came from insurance while $40 million came from the mortgage of diocesan properties (most notably Catholic Center/Marydale property in Erlanger). No parish properties were affected by the settlement. Each victim received between $5,000 and $450,000 depending on the severity of their case. Bishop Foys said "While no amount of money can compensate for the atrocities that were committed here, I pray that this settlement will bring victims some measure of peace and healing to victims and their loved ones"[5].
The number of priestly vocations in the Diocese dramatically increased under his tenure. This can possibly be attributed to the fact that the Bishop was a vocation director in Diocese of Steubenville and devotes significant diocesan resources to vocation promotion, including the hiring of a full time Vocation Promoter for the Diocese[6].
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