Juan Gaspar Stork

Juan Gaspar Stork Werth (born Joaennes Caspar Stork; 5 June 1856 – 12 December 1920) was a German-born Catholic prelate and academic who served as the third and last Bishop of Costa Rica from 1904 until his death in 1920. Before his appointment to the episcopate, he was a member of the Congregation of the Mission, a professor and seminary rector in Europe, and rector of the Major Seminary of Costa Rica from 1893 to 1904.

During his sixteen-year episcopate, Stork presided over the Second Diocesan Synod of Costa Rica, organized the First National Eucharistic Congress, promoted the expansion of parishes and church construction, and strengthened priestly formation through the Major Seminary. He was also the last bishop to govern the Catholic Church throughout the entire territory of Costa Rica before the establishment of the Ecclesiastical Province of Costa Rica in 1921.

Early life and ecclesiastical career (1856–1904) Joaennes Caspar Stork was born on 5 June 1856 in Cologne, Prussia (present-day Germany), the son of Friedrich Wilhelm Stork and Albertina Werth. After completing his primary education, he attended the Cologne Gymnasium (Köllnisches Gymnasium), where he studied the humanities. At the age of eighteen, he entered the Congregation of the Mission in Paris and was ordained a priest on 7 June 1879.

Stork pursued advanced ecclesiastical studies in France, earning doctorates in theology, philosophy, and law. He taught philosophy at institutions of the Lazarist Congregation in Paris and theology in Soissons. Between 1886 and 1893, he served as rector and professor of theology at the seminary of Theux, Belgium.

In his relations with the civil authorities, Stork generally adopted a cautious and conciliatory approach. He maintained cordial relations with successive governments while focusing the Church's efforts on pastoral, educational, and charitable activities. During his episcopate, the hierarchy of the Costa Rican Catholic Church also supported and endorsed health regulations decreed by the State.

Stork made two ad limina visits to Rome, in 1905 and 1920. During his episcopate, Costa Rica received its first permanent representatives of the Holy See, including Apostolic Delegate Juan Cagliero and later Internuncio Juan Bautista Marenco. Stork supported the establishment of a permanent diplomatic presence of the Holy See in the country and promoted the construction of a suitable residence for its representatives. As a result, Stork became the final Bishop of Costa Rica before the reorganization of the country's Catholic hierarchy.