Pope Francis Appoints Father Scott Bullock as Bishop of Rapid City

WASHINGTON – Pope Francis has appointed Reverend Scott E. Bullock, as Bishop of Rapid City. Bishop-elect Bullock is a priest of the Archdiocese of Dubuque, and currently serves as pastor of Saint Edward Parish in Waterloo, Iowa. The appointment was publicized in Washington, D.C. on June 25, 2024, by Cardinal Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States.

The following biographical information for Bishop-elect Bullock was drawn from preliminary materials provided to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops:

Father Bullock was born on October 26, 1963, in Royal Oak, Michigan. He graduated from the University of Delaware with a bachelor’s degree in engineering (1981) and a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering from the General Motors Institute in Flint, Michigan (1985). He attended St. John’s University in Collegeville, Minnesota where he studied pre-theology, and attended the Pontifical North American College in Rome, where he earned a degree in sacred theology (1987-1991). He received a licentiate in canon law from The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. (1997), and a master’s degree in english from Southern New Hampshire University (2015). He was ordained to the priesthood on June 22, 1991, for the Archdiocese of Dubuque.  

Bishop-elect Bullock’s assignments after ordination include: associate pastor at Saint Matthew parish in Cedar Rapids (1991-1994); associate pastor at Saint Edward parish in Waterloo (1994-1996); faculty member at Columbus High School in Waterloo (1994-1996); judge for the Metropolitan Tribunal of the Archdiocese of Dubuque (1997-present); associate director of seminarians (1997-1998); sacramental priest for Saint Catherine parish (1997-2002); sacramental priest for Saint Donatus parish (1997-2002); director of seminarians (1998-2012); director of the recently ordained program (2001-2010); associate pastor of Saint Joseph parish in Bellevue (2002-2010); associate pastor of Saint Catherine parish in St. Catherine (2002-2010); associate pastor of Saint Donatus parish (2002-2010); rector of Saint Pius X Seminary in Dubuque (2003-2014); judicial vicar for the Archdiocese of Dubuque (2010-2020); pastor of the Church of the Nativity in Dubuque (2011-2014); pastoral coordinator of Cedar Valley Catholic Schools in Waterloo (2014-present). Since 2014, Bishop-elect Bullock has served as pastor of Saint Edward parish in Dubuque.

The Diocese of Rapid City is comprised of 43,000 square miles in the state of South Dakota and has a total population of 230,087 of which 23,668, are Catholic.

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