Early life Robert Vasa was born on May 7, 1951, in
Lincoln, Nebraska, to Joe and Leona Vasa. Having decided to become a priest, Vasa in 1972 entered
Holy Trinity Seminary in Dallas, Texas. He graduated in 1976 with a
Master of Divinity degree.
Priesthood Vasa was
ordained to the
priesthood for the
Diocese of Lincoln by Bishop
Glennon Flavin on May 22, 1976, at the
Cathedral of the Risen Christ in Lincoln. After his 1976 ordination, the diocese assigned Vasa served as an assistant pastor at the Risen Christ Parish. He also started teaching at
Pius X High School in Lincoln. The diocese in 1977 moved Vasa to a posting as an
advocate on the diocesan marriage tribunal. He currently serves that role for the online religious education provider, CatechismClass. On July 22, 2019, Vasa suspended Reverend Oscar Diaz, the pastor of Resurrection Parish in
Santa Rosa, California, from ministry. Diaz had admitted to stealing $95,000 from the parish. While local prosecutors declined to press criminal charges, Vasa said that he would never allow Diaz to work as a priest again. In December 2022, Vasa announced that the diocese would seek
Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in order to deal with a large volume of sexual abuse lawsuits against the clergy. In March 2023, the diocese filed its bankruptcy petition. == Viewpoints ==