Bishop Paul Sirba

Bishop Paul D. Sirba:

Bishop Paul David Sirba, Roman Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of Duluth, MN, beloved shepherd of the people of the Diocese of Duluth, dear son, brother, uncle and great-uncle died of apparent cardiac arrest at his home in Proctor, MN on Sunday morning, December 1, 2019, the First Sunday of Advent.  Bishop Sirba was born in Minneapolis, MN on September 2, 1960, to Norbert and Helen Sirba.  He attended Nativity of Mary Grade School in Bloomington, Academy of the Holy Angels in Richfield, and the College of St. Thomas and St. Paul Seminary in St. Paul.  Bishop Sirba received his Master of Divinity degree from St. Paul Seminary as well as a Masters in Arts from the Notre Dame Apostolic Catechetical Institute in Arlington, Virginia.  Paul Sirba was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis on May 31, 1986 and served in the following parishes: St. Olaf, Minneapolis; St. John the Baptist, Savage; and Maternity of Mary, St. Paul.  He also worked in the Spiritual Formation Department at St. John Vianney College Seminary in St. Paul and was a Spiritual Director at St. Paul Seminary in St. Paul.  He was appointed Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis on July 1, 2009, and was subsequently appointed by His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI, as the Ninth Bishop for the Diocese of Duluth.  He was ordained Bishop of Duluth on the feast of St. John of the Cross, December 14, 2009.

While a member of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Bishop Sirba was a member of several committees including the Priority and Plans Committee, Administrative Committee, and the Catholic Home Missions Committee.  Bishop Sirba was also an active member of the St. Paul Seminary Board of Directors and the Episcopal Advisory Board for the Institute on Religious Life.  He also served as the state chaplain of the Knights of Columbus.

For the ten years of which Bishop Sirba was the shepherd of the Duluth Diocese, he was known to be an incredibly kind and compassionate pastor, a wise and thoughtful administrator, and a holy and virtuous man of prayer and deep faith.  He was a beloved and dear member of the Sirba family, and was revered as a true spiritual father by the clergy, religious and faithful of the diocese.  He will be greatly missed.

Bishop Sirba was preceded in death by his father, Norbert.  He is survived by his mother Helen of St. Paul, brothers the Reverend Joseph Sirba of Hinckley, and John (SueAnn) of Bloomington, and a sister Catherine (Scott) of Canon Falls.  He is also survived by many nieces, nephews, great-nieces and nephews, and the clergy and faithful of the Diocese of Duluth.

Visitation will be on Thursday, December 5, 2019 from 3:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Rosary located at 2801 East Fourth Street in Duluth, MN, with the praying of the Rosary to take place at 6:00 p.m. and Vigil prayers at 7:00 p.m.  Visitation will continue at the Cathedral on Friday, December 6, 2019 from 8:00 a.m. until the Mass of Christian Burial at 11:00 a.m.  Following the funeral Mass, burial will be at Calvary Cemetery in Duluth.  Requiescat in Pace.  Arrangements by Wiliams-Lobermeier-Boettcher Funeral Home.  3208 W. 3rd St. Duluth, MN 55806.  218-624-1059.