Early life Kenneth Povish was born on April 19, 1924, in
Alpena,
Michigan, the eldest child and only son of Joseph and Elizabeth (née Yachaik) Povish. He attended the
parochial school of St. Anne's Parish in
Gaylord, Michigan, and graduated from
Alpena High School in 1942.
Priesthood Povish was
ordained a priest at the
Cathedral of Mary of the Assumption in Saginaw by Bishop
Stephen Woznicki for the
Diocese of Saginaw on June 3, 1950. After his ordination, the diocese assigned Povish to the following Michigan parishes: • Assistant pastor at St. Ignatius in
Rogers City (1950 to 1952)
Bishop of Lansing Following the death of Bishop
Alexander M. Zaleski, Paul VI named Povish as the third bishop of Lansing on October 8, 1975. His installation took place on December 11, 1975. As a member of the
National Conference of Catholic Bishops (NCCB), he was chair of the Committee for Catholic Charismatic Renewal and of the Committee on Vocations. He was also a member of the NCCB Executive Board, the Committee for Laity, and the Committee for Communications.
Retirement and legacy On November 7, 1995,
Pope John Paul II accepted Povish's early retirement due to poor health as bishop of Lansing. He then served as
apostolic administrator of the diocese until the installation of his successor, Bishop
Carl Mengeling in January 1996. Kenneth Povish died on September 5, 2003, from
colon cancer in
Lansing at age 79. ==References==