George Joseph Lucas

George Joseph Lucas (born June 12, 1949) is an American prelate of the Catholic Church who served as the metropolitan archbishop of the Archdiocese of Omaha in Nebraska from 2009 to 2025. He was bishop of the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois from 1999 to 2009.

George Lucas was born in on June 12, 1949, in St. Louis, Missouri, as the eldest of the four children of George and Mary (née Kelly) Lucas; he has one sister, Catherine, and two brothers, James and John. He attended St. Louis Preparatory Seminary South in Shrewsbury, Missouri, from 1963 to 1967. He studied at Cardinal Glennon College in Shrewsbury, Missouri, obtaining his Bachelor of Philosophy degree in 1971. Lucas then studied theology at Kenrick Seminary in Shrewsbury from 1971 to 1975.

Lucas was ordained to the priesthood by Cardinal John Carberry on May 24, 1975. He served as associate pastor of St. Justin Martyr Parish in Sunset Hills, Missouri, until 1980, and of St. Dismas Parish in Florissant, Missouri, until 1981.

While part-time associate pastor of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Parish in St. Louis (1981–1984) and of Ascension Parish in Normandy, Missouri, (1984–1986), Lucas furthered his studies at St. Louis University from 1982 to 1986, earning his Master's degree in history. In 1981, he became a professor, then one year later vice-principal of St. Louis Preparatory Seminary North in Florissant, serving there in both roles until the seminary closed in 1987. (1981–1987).

Lucas was part-time associate pastor at St. Ann Parish in Normandy (1986–1989) and St. Peter Parish in Kirkwood, Missouri (1989–1990). In 1987, he began teaching at what was now St. Louis Preparatory Seminary in Shrewsbury, becoming its dean of students that same year.

From 1990 to 1994, Lucas served as chancellor and private secretary to Archbishop John May. Lucas was raised by the Vatican to the rank of honorary prelate on September 5, 1994, and appointed by the archbishop as vicar general of St. Louis for a year before becoming rector of Kenrick-Glennon Seminary in 1995. He was a member of the Priests' Personnel Board of St. Louis from 1987 to 1990, being named its secretary in 1988. He also sat on the editorial board of the archdiocesan newspaper The St. Louis Review (1988–1999), the board of directors (1990–1995), and board of trustees (1990–1999) of Kenrick-Glennon Seminary, and the Council of Priests of St. Louis (1994–1999).

On October 19, 1999, Lucas was appointed the eighth bishop of Springfield in Illinois by Pope John Paul II. He received his episcopal consecration on December 14, 1999, at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Springfield, from Cardinal Francis George, with Archbishop Gabriel Higuera and Bishop Daniel L. Ryan serving as co-consecrators.

In 2001, Lucas established a diaconate formation program for the diocese. The five-year program, which prepared men to become permanent deacons. was run by the diocesan Office for the Diaconate, in cooperation with Quincy University in Quincy, Illinois. On June 24, 2007, Lucas ordained the first class of 18 men. In January 2002, Lucas launched an endowment/capital campaign called Harvest of Thanks, Springtime of Hope, the first campaign of its kind in the history of the diocese. The program raised over $22.1 million, used to support Catholic education, Catholic Charities, the formation of seminarians and deacon candidates, and the care of retired priests.