He was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of St. Louis on Dec. 14, 1985, by Archbishop John L. May at the Cathedral Basilica in St. Louis. Since his ordination, he has possessed bi-ritual faculties of the Maronite Church, an Eastern Rite of the Catholic Church.

He has served as an Associate and then a Pastor in several parishes as well as associate director of the Office of Vocations for the St. Louis Archdiocese and as spiritual director for the archdiocesan Catholic Youth Council. On June 28, 1995, he was made a Prelate of Honor of His Holiness and hence known by the title Monsignor. In 1999 then–Monsignor Stika coordinated for the archdiocese the visit of Pope John Paul II to St. Louis.

Pope Benedict XVI appointed him bishop of the Diocese of Knoxville on January 12, 2009, and he was ordained Knoxville’s Ordinary on March 19, 2009. On July 1, 2019, Bishop Stika became the longest-serving bishop in the diocese.

Bishop Stika is a Fourth Degree Knight of Columbus, a member of the Equestrian Order of the Knights and Ladies of the Holy Sepulchre, and a board member of the Daughters of St. Paul of St. Louis. He has a great love for contemplative religious orders and all those who serve as consecrated religious. He serves on the USCCB Board for the Committee for the Protection of Children and Young People as well as on the Committee for the Church in Central and Eastern Europe. Bishop Stika is also on the Episcopal Board for Catholic Athletes for Christ.

As one of eight bishops serving on the USCCB’s Subcommittee on Aid to the Church in Central and Eastern Europe, Bishop Stika and the other members of the subcommittee review and evaluates grant applications and make funding decisions with the assistance of the subcommittee staff.  The Russian invasion of Ukraine has placed the people of that region in grave danger and disrupted millions of lives.  Under Bishop Stika’s direction, the Diocese of Knoxville recently undertook a series of collections to aid the Catholic Church there—with a specific effort to assist the St. John Paul II Shrine in Krakow, Poland in their effort to aid refugees from Ukraine. 

He is a die-hard fan and supporter of the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team. He enjoys spending time with his dogs, Molly, Stella, and Josie. He appreciates a variety of music, from classical to the Beatles and Frank Sinatra. He likes to work with his hands and loves to read biographies and history books, especially on American History.