Welcome to Dunrovin, Bishop James Powers, the Eleventh Bishop of the Diocese of Superior. Bishop Powers graciously accepted an invitation to be on the Dunrovin Board of Directors when Fr. Tom Thompson asked him in late 2016.
Born in Baldwin, Wisconsin, Bishop Powers was raised on a farm in Hammond, Wisconsin. He farmed for seven years after high school and says, “You can take the boy out of the country, but not the country out of the boy!”
Bishop Powers earned his B.A. in Theology at St. John Vianney Seminary in St. Paul, a Master of Divinity from St. Paul Seminary in St. Paul, and a canon law degree (J.C.L.) at St. Paul University in Ottawa, Canada. The bishop was ordained to the priesthood on May 20, 1990, at Immaculate Conception Church, Hammond, Wisconsin. Bishop Powers was ordained as bishop on February 18, 2016, at Cathedral of Christ the King, Superior, Wisconsin.
Bishop Powers brings extensive pastoral experience in the Superior Diocese to the Dunrovin Board. He is very personable and has a great sense of humor. He also has a love for youth and served as Spiritual Director for Teens Encounter Christ (TEC).
His Bishop’s Coat of Arms honors the Blessed Trinity; his baptismal patrons, St. Patrick and St. James; the heritage of his parents, Thomas and Frances Powers; the French missionaries who brought the Catholic Faith to the Great Lakes region of North America and most especially to the territory that is now the Diocese of Superior; the waters of Lake Superior from which the See City has acquired its name. Bishop Powers’ motto comes from Psalm 85 – “DEDUC ME, DOMINE, LUCE TUA, ” expressing Bishop Powers’ deep conviction that it is only by surrendering to God’s Will that one can achieve one’s appointed tasks in life. Therefore, the Bishop declares “LEAD ME, LORD, BY YOUR LIGHT.”