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Bishop Edward M. Lohse
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Bishop Lohse
Bishop Edward Mark Lohse was born in Erie, Pennsylvania, Nov. 23, 1961. He is the son of the late Edward L. and the late Ida E. (Dedrick) Lohse, and the sixth of seven children in the family. He grew up in McKean, just outside of Erie, where his family belonged to St. Francis Xavier Parish. He attended Our Lady of Peace Elementary School in Erie and graduated from Cathedral Preparatory School, also in Erie, in 1980.
He studied for the priesthood first at St. Mark Seminary while attending Gannon University in Erie, where he earned his BA in history, summa cum laude, in 1984. He then received a Masters of Divinity at St. Vincent Seminary in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, graduating with highest honors in 1987, before completing his studies for the priesthood there a year later. He was ordained a deacon at St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Corry, Pennsylvania, Oct. 22, 1988. He served in the same parish as a seminarian, a deacon, and then as parochial vicar between 1987 and 1990. He was ordained to the priesthood by the late Bishop Michael J. Murphy April 21, 1989, at St. Peter Cathedral in Erie.
Early in his priesthood, he was assigned to the faculty and Campus Ministry Office of DuBois Central Catholic Middle and High School in DuBois, Pennsylvania, serving there from 1990 to 1995. During that time, he also was an adjunct faculty member for Gannon University. In 1995 he was appointed as vocation director for the Diocese of Erie, a position he held for five years, and which he held again from 2002 to 2010. During the time between those two assignments, Bishop Lohse studied canon law at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, earning his licentiate in canon law, summa cum laude, in 2002. At the same time, he became involved with broader administrative duties for the Diocese of Erie through his appointment as assistant chancellor from 2001-2002, vice-chancellor from 2002-2007, and chancellor from 2007 to 2010.
His path took a significant turn when the Holy See appointed him as an official of the Congregation for the Clergy in Rome, an assignment which lasted from 2010 through 2015. While in Rome, he also became an adjunct faculty member at Pontifical North American College and studied for his doctoral degree in canon law at the Pontifical Gregorian University. He received the degree, summa cum laude, in 2016. He returned to Erie at the end of 2015, having just been named as a Chaplain to His Holiness, with the title of Monsignor.
Bishop Lawrence Persico appointed him episcopal vicar for canonical services for the Diocese of Erie in 2016, a position he held for one year before being named in 2017 as director of the Office for the Protection of Children and Youth, moderator of the Curia and vicar general. His last additional pastoral assignment had been as pastor of St. Julia Parish in Erie from 2022-2023.
Bishop Lohse was a member of the National Conference of Diocesan Vocation Directors for 13 years between 1995 and 2010. He continues to hold membership in the Canon Law Society of America, the Gannon University Board of Trustees and the Eastern Regional Conference of Canonists. He also served on the St. Vincent Seminary Board of Regents in Latrobe from 2003 to 2010.
He is the author of numerous articles for professional journals and periodicals on topics ranging from canon law to the priesthood. His doctoral dissertation, Restricting the Right of the Faithful to Enter a Church for Divine Worship: Law and Jurisprudence, was published by the Gregorian University. He received the Msgr. James F. Murphy Award for Excellence in Philosophy from Gannon University in 1984 and the Diakonia Award for service from St. Vincent Seminary in 1987. In 2010, St. Vincent Seminary awarded him an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree, and six years later, named him an Alumnus of Distinction.
On May 23, 2023, Pope Francis appointed him as the fifth bishop for the Diocese of Kalamazoo. He was ordained and installed July 25, 2023.
In his spare time, Bishop Lohse’s hobbies include gardening, traveling, and enjoying the outdoors. He has continued to enjoy maintaining his family’s farm in McKean, where he grows apples, peaches, cherries, grapes, berries, and rhubarb. He even keeps the vintage tractor running in fine shape.
On June 14, 2024, Bishop Lohse received the additional appointment from Pope Francis as the administrator of Steubenville.