Povish was ordained a priest by Bishop Stephen Woznicki for the Diocese of Saginaw on June 3, 1950.[3] After his ordination, Povish had pastoral assignments in the following Michigan parishes:
Assistant pastor at St. Ignatius in Rogers City (1950 to 1952)[2]
Assistant pastor at St. Hyacinth's in Bay City (1952 to 1956)[2]
In 1960, Povish joined the faculty at St. Paul's Seminary in Saginaw, Michigan.[1] He left St. Paul's in 1966 to become pastor of St. Stanislaus Parish in Bay City.[2] He was named a prelate of honor in October 1967.[1] In addition to his pastoral duties, Povish served as diocesan director of Catholic Charities and of religious education.[2] He wrote a weekly column entitled "The Question Box" in The Catholic Weekly from 1954 to 1970, and was active in the Mexican apostolate, the League of Catholic Women, and the St. Vincent de Paul Society.[1]
Following the death of Bishop Alexander M. Zaleski, Paul VI named Povish as the third bishop of the Diocese of Lansing on October 8, 1975.[3] His installation took place on December 11, 1975.[3] 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.[2] He was also a member of the NCCB Executive Board, the Committee for Laity, and the Committee for Communications.[2]
Retirement and legacy
On November 7, 1995, Pope John Paul II accepted Povish's early retirement due to poor health as bishop of the Diocese of Lansing.[3] He then served as apostolic administrator of the diocese until the installation of his successor, Bishop Carl Mengeling in January 1996.[2]