Emil Aloysius Wcela
Emil Aloysius Wcela (born May 1, 1931) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. Wcela served as an auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Rockville Centre in New York State from 1988 to 2007. Biography. Early life. Emil Wcela was born in Bohemia, New York on May 1, 1931.  He attended St. John Nepomucene School in Bohemia, then went to Seton Hall High School in Patchogue, New York.For his higher education, Wcela attended St. Francis College and Seminary of the Immaculate Conception in Huntington, New York. Priesthood. Wcela was ordained a priest for the  Diocese of Brooklyn on June 2, 1956. However, on April 6, 1957, he was incardinated, or transferred, to the Diocese of Rockville Centre. After his ordination, Wcela was assigned as associate pastor of Maria Regina Parish in Seaford, New York. In 1959, he joined the faculty of St. Pius X Preparatory Seminary in Hempstead, New York, where he taught Latin; he also became chaplain of the Newman Club at Hofstra University. During this period, Wcela attended Fordham University, achieving an Master of Classical Studies degree. In l961, Wcela entered the Catholic University of America, where he received an Licentiate in  Semitic Studies. He then studied at the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome, obtaining a Licentiate in Sacred Scripture. Wcela also studied at the Ecole Biblique in Jerusalem. In 1965, Wcela joined the faculty of the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception. He was appointed rector of the seminary in 1973. While serving at the seminary, Wcela in 1969 became the director of the continuing education program for priests. In 1979, Wcela was assigned as pastor at St. Joseph’s Parish in Garden City, New York.  He took a sabbatical in 1987 to go to the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception.  On  January 21, 1988, Wcela was appointed pastor of the new Resurrection Parish in Farmingville, New York.  While serving as pastor, Wcela also served on the Priest Personnel Board, the Priest Personnel Policy Board, as advisor to the bishop on policy relating to priest assignments; and as a member of the Priest Senate.n 1980, Wcela was named an prelate of honor to Pope John Paul II, with the title, “monsignor.” Auxiliary Bishop of Rockville Centre. On October 21, Pope John Paul II appointed Wcela as titular bishop of Filaca and auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Rockville Centre. He was consecrated  at St. Agnes Cathedral in Rockville Centre by Bishop John McGann on December 13, 1988. As auxiliary bishop, Wcela was vicar for the Eastern Vicariate of the diocese. Wcela belonged to the following committees of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops: Wcela is the author of six books in a Bible study series, “God’s Word Today,” published by the Pueblo Publishing Company. He has also written articles and book reviews for "America Magazine," "Catholic Biblical Quarterly" and "Bible Today".In 2004, Wcela published an article in "America Magazine" in which he describes how young men were vetted and prepared  for priesthood and wonders what the diocese could have done to screen out sexual predators. Retirement. On April 3, 2007, Wcela sent his letter of resignation to Pope Benedict XVI.On October 1, 2012, Wcela wrote an opinion piece in "America Magazine" in which he advocated the ordination of women as deacons in the Catholic church.