David Zubik named bishop of Green Bay David Zubik will be installed as Bishop of Green Bay on December 12. By Sarah Riley News-Chronicle Green Bay Bishop Robert Banks can finally settle into retirement after months of waiting after Pope John Paul II named Rev. David Zubik of the Pittsburgh Roman Catholic Diocese as his successor. Zubik will officially be installed as the bishop of the Diocese of Green Bay at a ceremony on Dec. 12. He was notified of the appointment on Sept. 30 and the Green Bay diocese introduced the 11th bishop at a press conference Friday. "For as long as I can remember, even as a young boy, I've had a deep desire to serve the Catholic Church," Zubik, 54, said today. "Today I find myself deeply humbled." Zubik is an auxiliary bishop in Pittsburgh and has been a priest for 28 years in the Pittsburgh area. There he has served as a vice principal of a Catholic high school, chaplain, administrative secretary to the bishop, director of clergy personnel, chancellor of the diocese and auxiliary bishop for more than five years. Zubik will remain in the Pittsburgh area and will begin his transition to Green Bay on Nov. 7. The four areas where Zubik would like to concentrate his time while in Green Bay are spirituality, evangelicalization (understanding the church's teachings), promoting priesthood and protection of all people of the church. "There are so many movements today where people want to connect with God," he said. "Part of what we need to do is help people understand how important the Eucharist is. "I think enthusiasm can be contagious," he added. He said he thinks now is an exciting time for the Catholic church and that he has always felt a special connection with the working-class people in the pews. Growing up in Sewickley, Pa., he has seen what the closing of the steel mills in Western Pennsylvania have done to the area. His said his rural upbringing and the immigration of his grandparents taught him important lessons about life. But Western Pennsylvania is very different from Northeast Wisconsin. He has already started learning about the area and will travel extensively for the first six months to a year of his tenure here to get to know the community. Banks submitted his resignation to the Pope on his 75th birthday in February in accordance with church practices. Banks came to Green Bay from Boston and served here for 13 years. Banks' final year as bishop was marred by allegations that he participated in the transferring of priests involved in sexual misconduct while in Boston. Banks later apologized for his involvement and no criminal charges were ever filed. His superior in Boston, Cardinal Bernard Law, resigned in December.