Ladies and Gentlemen:
Within the past few weeks, Pope Francis I has made some new bishop appointments in the United States.
The latest is Bishop Stephen Raica, a priest from the Diocese of Lansing and Chancellor of that Diocese in Michigan, has been appointed the Bishop of the Diocese of Gaylord (Michigan). This fills the vacancy left by Bishop Bernard Hebda, who was elevated to the Archdiocese of Newark, New Jersey last year. Bishop-elect Raica was appointed on June 27, 2014.
A new bishop was appointed for the Diocese of Springfield, Massachusetts on June 19, 2014. Auxiliary Bishop Mitchell Rozanski from the Archdiocese of Baltimore was appointed, who will fill the vacancy upon the retirement of the local ordinary. Bishop-elect Rozanski will be installed on August 12.
Both Rozanski and Raica sound like good choices. There were also three new auxiliary bishops appointed for the Archdiocese of New York in mid-June, and there wasn’t much news coverage on this event.
I am wondering who will be appointed to the Archdiocese of Santa Fe, New Mexico, since Archbishop Sheehan turns 75 next week. While I am not Pope Francis I, I am wondering if Bishop Kevin Farrell of Dallas is being considered.
Closer to home, I am praying that a certain priest that I know from the Austin diocese is on the short list for the Diocese of Victoria (Texas), where the current bishop has been serving after retirement age. I also found out that Bishop Coleman from the Diocese of Fall River (Massachusetts) has submitted his retirement papers. Fall River was one diocese mentioned as an example of a “good diocese” in the book Goodbye, Good Men, where orthodoxy begets vocations.