Joseph Victor Adamec

Who is Joseph Victor Adamec?

Joseph Victor Adamec is the former Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown. Born in Bannister, Michigan, Bishop Joseph studied for the priesthood at the Pontifical Nepomucene College in Rome and earned a Licentiate in Sacred Theology at the Pontifical Lateran University. He was ordained by Aloysius Cardinal Traglia in the Church of St. Anselm in Rome on July 3, 1960, for the Diocese of Nitra in Slovakia. He then returned to serve the diocese of Saginaw. He served in numerous capacities including Secretary of the Bishop and Master of Ceremonies, and Chancellor of the Diocese. In 1980 he received the "Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice" medal which recognized service to the Church and Pope. In 1985, he was named a Prelate of Honor. Bishop Adamec also served as the National President of the Slovak Catholic Federation, a position he was elected to in 1971 and held for seventeen years. On March 12, 1987, he was named the Bishop of the Altoona-Johnstown Diocese. He was consecrated on May 20, 1987 in the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament by Jozef Cardinal Tomko. His retirement and the appointment of his successor were announced on January 14, 2011. Mark Leonard Bartchak, of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Erie, Pennsylvania, was named his successor.