David′s Ruminations

The Bishops of Pope John Paul I

2013-05-22T21:11:00.000-05:00

Pope John Paul I served as Pope for just over a month in 1978.

During that short pontificate he named a number of bishops and gave others new roles. Here is a list of those he appointed, in order of appointment:

Donato Squicciarini, named Apostolic Nuncio to Burundi and titular archbishop on 31 Aug. Died on 5 Mar 2006 after serving as a bishop for 27 years.
Eustathe Joseph Mounayer, already a bishop, named Archbishop of Damas (Syrian) on 4 Sep. Died on 16 Feb 2007 having served as a bishop for 35 years.
Ireneo A. Amantillo, C.SS.R., already a bishop, named Bishop of Tandag on 6 Sep. Resigned in 2001 and still living.
Giovanni Cheli, named a titular archbishop on 8 Sep and later a cardinal by Pope John Paul II. Died in 2013 after serving as a bishop for 34 years.
Didier-Léon Marchand, named Bishop of Valence (-Die-Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux) on 8 Sep. Retired in 2001 and still living.
Joseph Dao, named Bishop of Kayes on 12 Sep. He died in 2011 after having served as a bishop for 32 years.
Rémy Augustin, S.M.M., already a bishop, named Bishop of Port-de-Paix on 18 Sep. He died in 1983 having served as a bishop for 29 years.
François Colímon, S.M.M., named Coadjutor Bishop of Port-de-Paix on 18 Sep. He later succeeded and eventually resigned in 2008. He is still living.
Adam Dyczkowski, named Auxiliary Bishop of Wroclaw {Breslavia} on 19 Sep. He was later named to other posts and eventually retired in 2007. He is still living.
Jacques André Marie Jullien, named Bishop of Beauvais (-Noyon-Senlis) on 20 Sep. He was later named an archbishop. He died in 2012 having served as a bishop for 34 years.
Jerzy Stroba, already a bishop, named Archbishop of Poznan on 21 Sep. He died in 1999, having served as a bishop for 40 years.
Javier Azagra Labiano, already a bishop, named Bishop of Cartagena (en España) on 23 Sep. He retired in 1998 and is still living.
Augusto César Alves Ferreira da Silva, C.M., already a bishop, named Bishop of Portalegre-Castelo Branco on 25 Sep. He resigned in 2004 and is still living.
Alphonse U Than Aung, already a bishop, named Archbishop of Mandalay on 25 Sep. He died in 2004 having served as a bishop for 29 years.

Of those 14, only 6 are still living. Half (7) of the 14 were already bishops.

Religious Orders in Recent Times (top dozen, charts)

2013-05-18T14:50:00.001-05:00

I've created a few charts that look at the number of priests and members of religious orders over the last several decades. To avoid it looking like spaghetti, I only used the top dozen orders based on number of priests*. I also split the top 4 from the other 8 - there is very little overlap between the two and it makes the charts much clearer.

The charts are posted here.

On the number of priests, data mostly goes back to 1966 through 2011. The overall trend appears downward (-27%), but there are several exceptions.

The Salesians (-1%), Conventual Franciscans (+6%), and Discalced Carmelites (+9%) have basically been stable over the entire time period. The Divine Word Missionaries actually had a substantial (37%) increase.

The number of members data goes from 1950 to 2011, generally. Again, the overall trend is downward (-24%), but there are also exceptions. The most obvious difference from the previous charts is that thanks to the extra 15 years of data, it is clear that there was a substantial bump up across the board leading into the mid-1960s which then fell away in later years.

(As I have time, I hope to add additional data points to help clarify that bump.)

The exceptions to the trend are: Conventual Franciscans (+26%), Discalced Carmelites (+27%), and Divine Word Missionaries (+46%). Salesians deserve a mention again have only a small loss (-4%).

If I look at the overall trend from the high point of each order through the most current data, the trend looks much worse: down 38% overall.

From this perspective, even our previous exceptions have a slight downward tilt: Divine Word Missionaries (-1%), Conventual Franciscans (-6%), and Discalced Carmelites (-6%).

The Divine Word Missionaries deserve a special mention as the only order of the top dozen whose highest number of members was after the 1960s (it was in 2009).

(* Out of curiosity I checked the top dozen orders based on number of members - it was the same dozen, but in a slightly different order.)

Note that only Male Religious Orders were included because that happens to be the data I have readily available. As time permits, I'll try to do similar charts for Female Religious Orders.

The Two Dozen Largest Orders (by Number of Priests) 2012 Edition

2013-05-15T15:29:00.000-05:00

In the tables below are the number of priests, % of all priests in orders, the common abbreviation, and the name of the order.

The First Dozen

Priests	%	Abbr	Order
12,739	9.4	S.J.	Society of Jesus
10,625	7.9	S.D.B.	Salesians of Saint John Bosco
9,828	7.3	O.F.M.	Order of Friars Minor
7,026	5.2	O.F.M. Cap.	Order of Friars Minor Capuchin
4,469	3.3	O.P.	Order of Friars Preachers
4,124	3.0	S.V.D.	Society of the Divine Word
4,055	3.0	C.SS.R.	Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer
4,008	3.0	O.S.B.	Order of Saint Benedict
3,061	2.3	O.M.I.	Oblates of Mary Immaculate
3,024	2.2	C.M.	Congregation of the Mission
2,928	2.2	O.F.M. Conv.	Order of Friars Minor Conventual
2,737	2.0	O.C.D.	Order of Discalced Carmelites

The top 12 largest orders (by number of priests) in total are 51% of all the priests in orders.

The Second Dozen

Priests	%	Abbr	Order
2,177	1.6	C.S.Sp.	Congregation of the Holy Spirit
2,152	1.6	C.M.F.	Missionary Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary
2,043	1.5	O.S.A.	Order of St. Augustine
1,675	1.2	C.M.I.	Carmelites of Mary Immaculate
1,672	1.2	S.A.C.	Society of the Catholic Apostolate
1,639	1.2	C.P.	Congregation of the Passion
1,633	1.2	S.C.I.	Congregation of the Priests of the Sacred Heart
1,365	1.0	M.S.C.	Missionaries of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
1,348	1.0	M. Afr.	Missionaries of Africa (White Fathers)
1,343	1.0	O. Carm.	Order of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel
1,261	0.9	M.C.C.I.	Comboni Missionaries of the Heart of Jesus
995	0.7	Sch. P.	Order of the Pious Schools

The top two dozen largest orders include all that have more than 1,000 priests and in total represent 65% of all priests in orders.

(Numbers based on the Annuario Pontificio 2012)

Busy Website

2013-03-28T20:53:00.001-05:00

So life at the main website is beginning to return to normal. We had a regular bishop appointment today (Pope Francis named his successor in Buenos Aires).

Below is a graph showing traffic to the website from a week before the Pope Benedict XVI's announcement of his resignation through the a week after Pope Francis was elected. It'll give you some sense of the jump in traffic.

The website had a few breakdowns - some from sheer volume and some from a weather related power outage. But overall it has been going well.

Over the coming weeks things should settle down to normal. Although if 2005 is any indication, the new "normal" will be a good bit busier than before - I suppose from folks discovering the website due to the events just passed, and then coming back.

The Papacy: Some Statistics

2013-02-16T15:15:00.002-06:00

The average age of a Pope at their election is 63.5 years old. The average age at the end of their reign is 73.2 years old. That gives an average reign of 9.7 years. The average reign since the very beginning is roughly 7.5 years.

Benedict XVI was 78.0 at his election and his reign will be 7.9 years long.

Young follows Old
There is a distinct pattern of the election of a younger Pope following an older Pope (at election), and vice versa - but their are also exceptions. Here is a chart showing the differences (warning: PDF).

The average difference of the age at election of one Pope compared to the age at election of his predecessor is 10.8 years (median is 11.2).

The biggest differences were -25.0 years (Clement XI following Innocent XII) and +27.0 years (Callistus III following Nicholas V). Benedict XVI was 19.6 years older than John Paul II.

The smallest difference was Clemenet XIII following Benedict XIV - an age difference of only a few weeks (-0.1 years).

Because I know someone will ask, based _purely_ on the averages given above, the closest fit would be Antonio Cardinal Cañizares Llovera who would be 10.6 years younger than Benedict XVI was at his election.

Young follows Old (older only)
Since Benedict XVI was elected at an older age than most, I wanted to look at the same stats, but only including the oldest 10 (Benedict XVI included).

Their average age at election was 77.0 (vs Benedict XVI's 78.0). The low was 72.3 and the high was 79.8 years old.

The average age of their successors was 63.5. The low was 51.3 and the high was 78.3 years old.

That yields a difference, on average, of -13.5 years.

Again, based _purely_ on the averages, the closest fit would be Peter Kodwo Appiah Cardinal Turkson.

Service as a Cardinal
Most Popes have been Cardinals first, although it is not a requirement.

The shortest length of time as a Cardinal before being elected Pope was Nicholas V at 0.3 years. The longest was Benedict XIII at 52.3 years. The average is 14.3 years. (Benedict XVI served as one for 27.8 years.)

Again, purely based on the average above, the next pope might be one of the cardinals that was created in the consistory on 21 Feb 2001. (17 of those created that day will be electors in the conclave.)

Service as Priest and Bishop
Most Popes have been Priests and Bishops first, although it is not a requirement.

The average is 32.6 years as a priest and 19.1 years as a bishop when they are elected Pope.

All of the information above is based on Popes from 1450 to today (and include the anticipated resignation of Pope Benedict XVI on 28 February 2013), unless it explicitly states otherwise.

Cardinals per Pope (updated)

2013-02-16T08:25:00.000-06:00

I've updated the Cardinals per Pope chart. (warning: PDF)

The chart is dated today, but the numbers are based on Pope Benedict XVI's upcoming resignation.

Here are some of the raw numbers:

Pope Benedict XVI: Cardinals 90; Years 7.9; Average: 11.39 (highest since at least 1450).
The previous high was Pope John XXIII with 52 Cardinals in 4.6 years for an average of 11.30.
Since Pope Nicholas V (1447): 2,424 Cardinal created in 558 years of Papal service for an average of 4.34 per year.

Conclave 2013: notes (part 2)

2013-02-12T19:18:00.000-06:00

I've created a nice summary page with information on the 2013 Conclave. For obvious reason, there are lots of unknowns at this point.

I'll continue to update it as things progress. Conclave - 2013

Conclave 2013: notes (part 1)

2013-02-11T12:00:00.001-06:00

Assuming no Cardinals die before the Conclave, here is some data:

117 Cardinal Electors (of 209 living)
78 votes are required for election (2/3rds) [UDG #62]
51 of the 117 electors were named by Pope John Paul II, the remaining 66 were named by Pope Benedict XVI
of the 10 Cardinal-Bishops, only 4 are electors:

Giovanni Battista Cardinal Re, of Sabina-Poggio Mirteto
Tarcisio Pietro Evasio Cardinal Bertone, S.D.B, of Frascati, Secretary of State, Chamberlain (Camerlengo)
Antonios Cardinal Naguib, Coptic Patriarch Emeritus
Béchara Boutros Cardinal Raï, O.M.M., Maronite Patriarch

Since both the Dean and Vice-Dean (Subdean) are over 80, they can not enter the Conclave. The senior Cardinal Bishop will be Giovanni Battista Cardinal Re

While no information on the date of the Conclave has been provided, we have some idea from UDG. The Pope indicated his resignation was effective on 28 February 2013 at 8pm (local time, Rome). According to UDG #37, the Conclave could start as early as the night of 15 March or as late as the night of 20 March.

I suspect that it will begin on either Saturday 16 March or Monday 18 March.

The length, of course, is not knowable. Recent Conclaves have tended to be fairly short - usually a few days.

That would suggest that a new Pope is possible by the Solemnity of St. Joseph (19 March), likely before Palm Sunday (24 March), and almost certainly by Easter (31 March).

Pre Pope John Paul II Bishops, updated

2012-10-31T21:39:00.001-05:00

Today Bishop Frederick D’Souza of Jhansi, India retired. He was named to that post on 25 Apr 1977 by then Pope Paul VI.

So the question: How many active bishops were appointed to their current post before Pope John Paul II became Pope?

The answer is only 17 14.

The ordinaries are: (Date of Appointment, Date of Birth, Age on 31 Oct 2012, Name, Title)

24 Mar 1944, 12 Oct 1906, 106.05*, Bishop Francis Hong Yong-ho of P’yong-yang, Korea (North)
(Originally named Vicar Apostolic, Elevated to Bishop on 10 Mar 1962)
23 May 1966, 12 Apr 1919, 93.55, Archbishop Hovhannes Tcholakian of Istanbul (Armenian), Turkey
25 Jun 1973, 11 Dec 1936, 75.89, Archbishop Nikólaos Fóscolos of Athenai {Athens}, Greece
~~26 Nov 1973, 7 May 1937, 75.48, Bishop Nestorius Timanywa of Bukoba, Tanzania~~
Retired on 15 Jan 2013
27 Jun 1974, 5 Dec 1936, 75.90, Bishop Franghískos Papamanólis, O.F.M. Cap. of Syros e Milos and Santorini {Thira}, Greece
5 Oct 1974, 24 Jun 1938, 74.35, Archbishop Felix Alaba Adeosin Job of Ibadan, Nigeria
(Originally named Bishop, Elevated to Archbishop on 26 Mar 1994)
20 Nov 1975, 10 May 1942, 70.47, Bishop Gilbert Guillaume Marie-Jean Aubry of Saint-Denis-de-La Réunion
~~10 Apr 1976, 28 Apr 1933, 79.51, Archbishop Petero Mataca of Suva, Fiji, Pacific (Oceania)~~
Retired on 19 Dec 2012
1 Feb 1977, 31 Oct 1938, 74.00, Bishop Howard James Hubbard of Albany, New York, USA
26 Feb 1977, 5 Aug 1937, 75.24, Archbishop Hieronymus Herculanus Bumbun, O.F.M. Cap. of Pontianak, Indonesia
~~26 Feb 1977, 13 Sep 1936, 76.13, Bishop George Punnakottil of Kothamangalam (Syro-Malabarese), India~~
Retired on 10 Jan 2013
26 Feb 1977, 25 Sep 1940, 72.10, Bishop Jean-Claude Bouchard, O.M.I. of Pala, Chad
30 May 1977, 20 Mar 1937, 75.61, Bishop Anthony Lee Kok Hin of Miri, Malaysia
10 Nov 1977, 11 Sep 1929, 83.14, Bishop Sebastian Koto Khoarai, O.M.I. of Mohale’s Hoek, Lesotho
27 Feb 1978, 23 Sep 1939, 73.11, Bishop Armando Umberto Gianni, O.F.M. Cap. of Bouar, Central African Republic
27 Feb 1978, 5 Jul 1942, 70.32, Archbishop Zacchaeus Okoth of Kisumu, Kenya
(Originally named Bishop, Elevated to Archbishop on 21 May 1990)
28 Feb 1978, 15 Aug 1937, 75.21, Bishop Philip Sulumeti of Kakamega, Kenya

There are no longer any Auxiliary Bishops that meet the criteria. The last one retired in January 2012.

*Bishop Francis Hong Yong-ho was named by Pope Pius XII. Although he is still officially listed as "missing" it seems unlikely that he remains alive.

All of the remaining were named by Pope Paul VI.

You'll notice that many of them are at or near the retirement age. Before they do retire, let us take a moment to thank them for their many years of service!
Updated 7 Apr 2013

100 years ago: Titanic Sinks

2012-04-15T01:00:00.037-05:00

100 years ago today (Monday, 15 April 1912, very early morning)

At 5 minutes after midnight, the order is given to uncover the lifeboats and to muster the passengers and crew on deck.

10 minutes later, numerous ships hear Titanic's distress signals. While on board the Titanic, some its passengers listen to its band playing lively ragtimes tunes in the first class lounge.

The first lifeboat is launched at 12:45am.

At 1:15am, water reaches the Titanic's name plate on the bow.

At 1:45am, the Carpathia, now racing towards the site, hears a final message from the Titanic's wireless operators: Engine room full up to boilers.

At 2am, the water is within 10 feet of the promenade deck.

Fr. Byles hears confessions and gives absolution to over 100 second and third class passengers at the aft end of the boat deck.

At about 2:17am, Titanic's bow plunges under the surface of the sea, then a forward funnel collapses, and the great ship breaks apart. A few minutes later, the stern follows the rest of the ship into the depths.

More than 1,500 souls are lost at sea, including Fr. Byles.

At 3:30am, the rockets from the Carpathia are seen by those in the lifeboats. The first survivors are taken aboard about 40 minutes later.

At 10 minutes before 9am, the Carpathia leaves the area bound for New York. Bruce Ismay, the President of the company that own's the Titanic and also a survivor, wires the New York offices of the White Star Line: "Deeply regret advise you Titanic sank this morning after collision with iceberg, resulting in serious loss of life. Full particulars later."

100 years ago: Titanic hits an Iceberg

2012-04-14T23:00:00.015-05:00

100 years ago today (Sunday, 14 April 1912, late at Night)

At 11:40pm the Titanic is continuing her maiden Trans-Atlantic crossing at 21 knots. Two lookouts located in the crow's nest sight an iceberg approximately 500 yards ahead and immediately sound an alarm bell and telephone the bridge with the news.

First Office William Murdoch immediately orders hard-a-starboard and full stop on the engines, followed by full astern. He also activates the watertight doors.

Less than a minute after being seen, the Titanic strikes the iceberg on her starboard bow side and sustains damage to her first five compartments.

The impact is obvious to the crew in the forward area, but is not noticed by many of the passengers.

Within 10 minutes, the water has risen 14 feet above the keel, forward. The first five compartments begin to take on significant water.

Thomas Andrews joins Captain Smith on the bridge for an assessment. Andrews calculations show the Titanic can remain afloat from 1 to 2.5 hours and no longer.

100 years ago: Titanic, Sunday at Sea

2012-04-14T06:00:00.027-05:00

100 years ago today (Sunday, 14 April 1912)

On the 3rd morning of the Trans-Atlantic voyage, the Titanic continues to encounter calm and clear weather.

At 9am, Divine service is held in the first class dining saloon.

Fr. Thomas Byles heard confessions the day before and then celebrated Mass twice that Sunday morning: for the second class passengers in their lounge and then for the third class passengers.

At about noon, the Titanic's officers gather on the wing bridge to calculate the ship's position.

In the evening, the outside temperature drops drastically to about 33ºF.

At 9:20pm, Captain Smith retires for the night.

Fr. Byles is one of the few passengers on the upper deck at the moment the Titanic struck the iceberg. He was praying the Liturgy of the Hours.

100 years ago: Titanic in Ireland

2012-04-11T06:00:00.017-05:00

100 years ago today (Thursday, 11 April 1912)

At 11:30am the Titanic arrives in Queenstown, Ireland and sets anchor in the harbor. Seven passengers disembark; 120 embark.

At 1:30pm, the anchor is raised and the Titanic begins her maiden Trans-Atlantic crossing with a destination of New York City.

Souls on board: 2,229 (325 first class; 285 second class; 706 third class; and 913 crew). (Note there are some discrepancies in the various lists.)

The Titanic and 2/3 of those aboard her will never again reach dry land.

100 years ago: Titanic crosses the English Channel

2012-04-10T13:00:00.013-05:00

100 years ago today (Wednesday, 10 April 1912, Afternoon)

After a minor near miss with the ship New York (which broke away from her moorings), the Titanic heads downstream and then across the English Channel to her first port of call, Cherbourg, France.

At 4pm the train from Paris arrives with passengers. At 5.30pm those passengers board tenders and are ferried out to the Titanic which is at anchor in the harbor. 22 passengers disembark, 274 embark.

At 8:10pm the anchor is raised and the Titanic sails for Queenstown, Ireland.

100 years ago: Titanic, Sailing Day

2012-04-10T06:00:00.001-05:00

100 years ago today (Wednesday, 10 April 1912, Morning)

Captain Edward J. Smith boards the Titanic along with the remainder of the crew. Entire crew mustered is held at 8am.

Trains with the 2nd and 3rd class passengers arrive and they board the ship (9:30am to 11:30am).

At 11:30am the train with the 1st class passengers arrive and they also board.

At 12noon the Titanic casts off and is guided by tugboats and then finally under its own power.

100 years ago: Job Fair for Titanic Crew

2012-04-06T17:58:00.000-05:00

100 years ago today (Holy Saturday, 6 April 1912)

A major job fair is held to recruit the majority of the crew. General cargo for the upcoming maiden voyage begins to arrive.

Some of the provisions included 75,000 lbs of fresh meat; 25,000 lbs of poulty & game; 11,000 lbs of fresh fish; 40,000 fresh eggs; 10,000 lbs of sugar; 40 tons of potatoes; 7,000 heads of lettuce; 36,000 oranges; 2,200 lbs of coffee; 20,000 bottles of beer (on a wall?); 1,500 bottles of wine; and 15,000 bottles of mineral water.

100 years ago: Titanic arrives at Southampton

2012-04-03T17:42:00.000-05:00

100 years ago today (Wednesday of Holy Week, 3 April 1912)

After completing her sea trials the day before, the Titanic arrives at the port of Southampton just after midnight to begin provisioning and staffing for her maiden voyage. Passengers are due to arrive on board one week later.

The Ages of Popes

2012-03-01T13:00:00.001-06:00

When Pope Benedict XVI was elected in 2005 at the age of 78 (and 3 days), he was the 7th oldest person elected to the papacy since 1277.*

Since then, he has lived longer than 3 of those 6. Pope Benedict XVI will turn 85 in early April.

The 3 remaining older Popes are: Popes Clement X (86.0), Clement XII (died at 87.8), and Gregory XII (90).

In addition, there are 4 more that were elected Pope at a younger age, but lived longer. These are: Popes Innocent XII (elected at 76.3; died at 85.5), Pius IX (54.1; 85.7), John XXII (72; 90), and Leo XIII (68.0; 93.4).

Pope John Paul II was elected at a younger age (58.4) and died at age 84.9 - slightly younger than Pope Benedict XVI is now.
---
* 1277 has no special significance except that is where my historical data currently cuts off for Popes.

When does a Cardinal become ineligible to Vote in a Conclave?

2012-01-07T10:47:00.003-06:00

There has been some confusion about when a Cardinal loses the right to vote in a conclave.

It is not, under current law, the day a Cardinal turns 80.

The relevant portion of Universi Dominici Gregis (John Paul II, 22 Feb 1996) is in paragraph 33:

The right to elect the Roman Pontiff belongs exclusively to the Cardinals of Holy Roman Church, with the exception of those who have reached their eightieth birthday before the day of the Roman Pontiff's death or the day when the Apostolic See becomes vacant.

So the key factor is the age of the Cardinal on the day the Holy See becomes vacant. If he turned 80 before that day, he is not eligible to vote. If the Cardinal turns 80 on or after that day, he remains eligible to vote until that Conclave is completed.

I should note that this is a change from the law issued by Pope Paul VI.

Under Ingravescentem Aetatem (Paul VI, 21 Nov 1970) effective 1 Jan 1971, a Cardinal lost the right to vote upon reaching the age of 80 if the Conclave had not already started.

So the key factor under that old rule was the age of the Cardinal on the day the Conclave began. If he turned 80 on or before that day, he was not eligible to vote. If the Cardinal turned 80 after the Conclave began, he retained the right until that Conclave was complete.

Prior to 1971, there was no age limit. A Cardinal of any age could vote in a Conclave.

Now back to current law and a quick summary.

For the purpose of lists showing Cardinals that would be eligible to vote in a Conclave: a Cardinal should be removed from such a list the day after they turn 80 years old.

The exception is when the Holy See is vacant, then the Cardinal should only be removed from such a list the day the Conclave is completed.

So why shouldn't a Cardinal be removed the day they turn 80?

If the Pope, God forbid, were to die later that same day, the Cardinal is still eligible to vote in the subsequent Conclave!

Cardinal Stats and Charts, Updated

2012-01-06T05:48:00.004-06:00

This posts assumes that the plans announced today for a Consistory to Create New Cardinals on 28 Feb 2012 are not changed and that there are no deaths.

On 28 Feb 2012, there will be 214 Living Cardinals with 125 eligible to vote in a conclave when that should become necessary.

The average age of the Cardinals on that day will be 77.97 and the average of the electors will be 72.22 years old.

The number of Cardinal Electors will fall back to 120 on 27 July 2012 the day after Cardinal Stafford turns 80.

The youngest Cardinal will be Rainer Maria Cardinal Woelki (Archbishop of Berlin, Germany) who will be 55 years old when he is created .

I've posted an updated version of the Cardinal Charts (warning: PDF format).

The charts are:

Number of Cardinals (1585-2020; 1915-2020; and 1965-2020)
Average Age (1585-2020; 1915-2020; and 1965-2020)

This time I'm using DropBox - please let me know if that causes any difficulty.

Overview of the Overviews, 2012

2012-01-02T17:17:00.000-06:00

I have finished the overviews of the Latin-Rite Provinces of the USA. These overviews were written over the last week and are looking over the next year or two, roughly through the end of 2013.

Here is a post providing some notes on my thinking on this process.

Archbishop Viganò was named Apostolic Nuncio to the USA last October and he will celebrate 20 years as a bishop in April. Since he arrived there have only been 2 USA appointments: Bishop Ochoa to Fresno and Fr. Steenson as head of the newly Personal Ordinariate.

Two other factors that may influence the timing of some appointments are the on going Ad Limina visits of USA bishops and the likely Consistory to create new Cardinals.

The organization remains the same as last year: first by USCCB region (two regions per post), and then by province.

Here is a quick list of all the overviews:

Overview: I (CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT) & II (NY)

2012-01-02T17:12:00.003-06:00

Region I (CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT)

Boston

This province is composed of the metropolitan, Boston, plus its six suffragan dioceses: Burlington (VT), Fall River (MA), Manchester (NH), Portland (ME), Springfield (MA), and Worcester (MA).

The ordinaries are: Cardinal O'Malley (67), Bishop Matano (65), Bishop Coleman (72), Bishop Libasci (60), Bishop Malone (65), Bishop McDonnell (74), and Bishop McManus (60), respectively.

Manchester has one auxiliary: Bishop Christian (69). Boston has 5 active auxiliaries: Bishops Dooher (68), Edyvean (73), Hennessey (59), Kennedy (69) and Uglietto (60).

Bishop McDonnell will reach the normal retirement age at the end of the year and is likely to retire and have a replacement named by early next year.

Bishops Malone and McManus are at an age and length of service that they might be considered for other roles.

No other changes seem likely this year.

Hartford

Hartford is the metropolitan with Bridgeport, Norwich, and Providence as its suffragans.

The ordinaries are: Archbishop Mansell (74), Bishop Lori (60), Bishop Cote (62), and Bishop Tobin (63), respectively.

Both Hartford and Providence have an auxiliary: Bishops Macaluso (66) and Evans (64), respectively.

Archbishop Mansell reaches the normal retirement age in October. He also celebrates 20 years as a bishop in January 2013. He is likely to retire and have his replacement named in the next year or so.

Bishop Tobin will also celebrate 20 years as a bishop (in December) and Bishop Macaluso will celebrate 15 years (in June) this year.

Given the ages and lengths of service of Bishops Macaluso, Lori, Cote, and Tobin all are likely to be considered for other roles, including, perhaps, replacing Archbishop Mansell.

Region II (NY)

New York

The province is composed of New York, the metropolitan, and seven suffragan dioceses: Albany, Brooklyn, Buffalo, Ogdensburg, Rochester, Rockville Center, and Syracuse.

The ordinaries are: Archbishop Dolan (61), Bishop Hubbard (73), Bishop DiMarzio (67), Bishop Kmiec (75), Bishop LaValley (55), Bishop Clark (74), Bishop Murphy (71), and Bishop Cunningham (68), respectively.

New York has four active auxiliaries: Bishops Iriondo (73), Lagonegro (68), Sullivan (66), and Walsh (69).

Brooklyn has two auxiliaries: Bishops Caggiano (52) and Cisneros (66).

Buffalo has one auxiliary: Bishop Grosz (66).

Rockville Centre has two auxiliaries: Bishops Dunne (74) and Walsh (74).

One of the big open questions this year is whether Archbishop Dolan will receive a red hat. I suspect that he will. If not this year, then in 2014.

Bishop Kmiec reached the normal retirement age last year. Bishop Clark will reach that age this summer. Both of their retirements and the naming of replacements is likely this year.

In addition both Bishops Dunne and Walsh will reach the normal retirement age and will likely also retire this year.

Bishops Iriondo and Hubbard will reach that age and likely retire in 2013.

Bishops Lagonegro, Sullivan, Walsh, and DiMarzio are both at an age and length of service that makes them likely to be considered for other roles.

Bishop Hubbard will celebrate 35 years as a bishop (in March) and Bishop Kmiec will celebrate 30 years (in November) this year.

Overview: III (NJ, PA) & IV (DC, DE, MD, VA, VI, WV)

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Region III (NJ, PA)

Newark

This province is composed of the metropolitan, Newark, and its four suffragan dioceses: Camden, Metuchen, Paterson, and Trenton.

The ordinaries are: Archbishop Myers (70), Bishop Galante (73), Bishop Bootkoski (71), Bishop Serratelli (67), and Bishop O'Connell (56).

Newark has four auxiliaries, Bishops Cruz (58), da Cunha (54), Donato (71), and Flesey (69).

This year, Archbishop Myers will celebrate 25 years as a bishop (in September), Bishop Galante will celebrate 20 years as a bishop (in December) and Bishop Bootkoski 15 years (in September).

Bishops da Cunha is at an age and length of service where he would likely be considered for other roles.

The next likely retirement will be Bishop Galante in mid-2013.

Philadelphia

Philadelphia is the metropolitan with seven suffragan dioceses, namely: Allentown, Altoona-Johnstown, Erie, Greensburg, Harrisburg, Pittsburgh, and Scranton.

The ordinaries are: Archbishop Chaput (67), Bishop Barres (51), Bishop Bartchak (57), Bishop Trautman (75), Bishop Brandt (72), Bishop McFadden (64), Bishop Zubik (62), and Bishop Bambera (55), respectively.

There are four auxiliaries in Philadephia: Bishops Fitzgerald (63), McIntyre (48), Senior (51), and Thomas (52).

There is another auxiliary in Pittsburgh: Bishop Waltersheid (55).

Bishop Zubik celebrates 15 years as a bishop in April.

Bishop Trautman reached the normal retirement age last summer, and will likely retire and have his replacement named this year.

Except for those, no other changes seem likely for this province in the next couple of years.

Region IV (DC, DE, MD, VA, VI, WV)

Baltimore

Baltimore is the metropolitan of this province with the suffragans of Arlington (VA), Richmond (VA), Wheeling-Charleston (WV), and Wilmington (DE).

The ordinaries of the suffragans: Bishop Loverde (71), Bishop DiLorenzo (69), Bishop Bransfield (68), and Bishop Malooly (67), respectively.

The province has two auxiliary bishops, both for Baltimore: Bishops Madden (71) and Rozanski (53).

The archdiocese is vacant and will likely receive its new archbishop this year.

Bishops Rozanski and Bransfield are at an age and length of service that makes them likely to be considered for other roles.

No other changes appear likely in this province in the coming year.

Washington

The metropolitan is Washington and it has one suffragan diocese: St Thomas.

The ordinaries are, respectively: Cardinal Wuerl (71) and Bishop Bevard (65).

Washington has three active auxiliaries: Bishops González Valer (72), Holley (57) and Knestout (49).

No changes seem likely this year.

Other

The military ordinariate for the USA is led by Archbishop Broglio (60) with four auxiliaries: Bishops Buckon (58), Estabrook (67), Higgins (67), and Spencer (60).

Both Bishops Estabrook and Higgins are at an age and length of service that makes them likely to be considered for other roles.

Overview: V (AL, KY, LA, MS, TN) & VI (OH, MI)

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Region V (AL, KY, LA, MS, TN)

Louisville

This province is composed of Louisville (KY), the metropolitan, and six suffragan dioceses: Covington (KY), Knoxville (TN), Lexington (KY), Memphis (TN), Nashville (TN), and Owensboro (KY).

The ordinaries are, respectively: Archbishop Kurtz (65), Bishop Foys (66), Bishop Stika (54), Bishop Gainer (64), Bishop Steib (71), Bishop Choby (64), and Bishop Medley (59).

Bishop Foys will celebrate 10 years as a bishop in July. Bishop Gainer will mark the same in January 2013.

Bishops Foys, Gainer, and perhaps Choby are at an age and length of service that makes it likely for them to be considered for other roles.

No other changes seem likely in the next few years.

Mobile

Mobile is the metropolitan along with 3 suffragan dioceses, namely: Biloxi (MS), Birmingham (AL), and Jackson (MI).

The ordinaries are, respectively: Archbishop Rodi (62), Bishop Morin (70), Bishop Baker (67), and Bishop Latino (74).

Bishop Latino reaches the normal retirement age in October and will celebrate 10 years as a bishop in March 2013.

New Orleans

New Orleans is the metropolitan with six suffragan dioceses, namely: Alexandria, Baton Rouge, Houma-Thibodaux, Lafayette, Lake Charles, and Shreveport.

The ordinaries are, respectively: Archbishop Aymond (62), Bishop Herzog (69), Bishop Muench (69), Bishop Jacobs (73), Bishop Jarrell (71), Bishop Provost (62), and Bishop Duca (59).

There is one auxiliary in New Orleans: Bishop Fabre (48).

Bishops Herzog and Muench are at an age and length of service where they might be considered for other roles.

The next likely change will be the retirement of Bishop Jacobs after he reaches the normal retirement age in March 2013.

Region VI (OH, MI)

Cincinnati

Cincinnati is the metropolitan of the province with 5 suffragan dioceses: Cleveland, Columbus, Steubenville, Toledo, and Youngstown.

The ordinaries are, respectively: Archbishop Schnurr (63), Bishop Lennon (64), Bishop Campbell (68), Vacant, Bishop Blair (62), and Bishop Murry (63).

Cincinnati and Cleveland each have an auxiliary: Bishops Binzer (56) and Gries (74).

The diocese of Steubenville will likely receive its new bishop this year.

Bishop Gries reaches the normal retirement age in March of this year.

Both Bishops Campbell and Blair are at an age and length of service that makes them likely to be considered for other roles.

Detroit

The province has Detroit as the metropolitan and six suffragan dioceses, namely: Gaylord, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Lansing, Marquette, and Saginaw.

The ordinaries are: Archbishop Vigneron (63), Bishop Hebda (52), Bishop Hurley (74), Bishop Bradley (66), Bishop Boyea (60), Bishop Sample (51), and Bishop Cistone (62), respectively.

Detroit has three auxiliaries: Bishops Byrnes (53), Cepeda Escobedo (42), Hanchon (64) and Reiss (71).

Bishop Boyea will celebrate 10 years as a bishop in September.

Bishop Hurley reaches the normal retirement age in May and he is likely to retire and have his replacement named this year.

Bishop Sample is nearing an age and length of service that makes it more likely that he might be considered for other roles.

Overview: VII (IL, IN, WI) & VIII (MN, ND, SD)

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Region VII (IL, IN, WI)

Chicago

Chicago is the metropolitan of this province with five suffragan dioceses, namely: Belleville, Joliet, Peoria, Rockford, and Springfield.

The ordinaries are: Cardinal George (74), Bishop Braxton (67), Bishop Conlon (63), Bishop Jenky (64), Bishop Doran (75), and Bishop Paprocki (59), respectively.

Joliet has an auxiliary, Bishop Siegel (48).

The only other auxiliaries in the province are all in Chicago: Bishops Kane (69), Manz (66), Perry (63), Rassas (69), Rojas (46), and Wypych (57).

Cardinal George reaches the normal retirement age in a fortnight. It is not clear if it will be accepted and a replacemenet named this year. He will celebrate 15 years in his current post in April.

Bishop Doran passed the retirement age last February. He is likely to retire and have a replacement named this year.

Bishop Conlon will celebrate 10 years as a bishop in August. Bishop Jenky will celebrate both 15 years as a bishop (December) and 10 years in his current role (February) this year.

Bishops Braxton, Jenky, Kane, Manz, and Perry are all at an age and length of service where they may be considered for other roles.

Indianapolis

This province is composed of the metropolitan, Indianapolis, and its four suffragan dioceses: Evansville, Fort Wayne-South Bend, Gary, and Lafayette.

The ordinaries of the suffragans are, respectively: Bishop Thompson (50), Rhoades (54), Melczek (73), and Doherty (61).

There is one auxiliary in Indianapolis, Bishop Coyne (53).

The archdiocese of Indianapolis will likely get its new archbishop this year.

No other changes are likely until November 2014 when Bishop Melczek reaches the normal retirement age. He will also celebrate 30 years as a bishop in January 2013.

Milwaukee

This province is composed of the metropolitan, Milwaukee, and four suffragan dioceses: Green Bay, La Crosse, Madison, and Superior.

The ordinaries are: Archbishop Listecki (62), Bishop Ricken (59), Bishop Callahan (61), Bishop Morlino (65), and Bishop Christensen (59), respectively.

There is one auxiliary each in Milwaukee and Green Bay: Bishops Hying (48) and Morneau (73).

Bishop Morlino is at an age and length of service that makes him likely to be considered for other roles.

No other changes seem likely in the next year or two.

Region VIII (MN, ND, SD)

Saint Paul and Minneapolis

St. Paul and Minneapolis is the metropolitan with nine suffragan dioceses, namely: Bismarck (ND), Crookston (MN), Duluth (MN), Fargo (ND), New Ulm (MN), Rapid City (SD), St. Cloud (MN), Sioux Falls (SD), and Winona (MN).

The ordinaries are, respectively: Archbishop Nienstedt (64), Bishop Kagan (62), Bishop Hoeppner (62), Bishop Sirba (51), Bishop Aquila (61), Bishop LeVoir (65), Bishop Gruss (56), Bishop Kinney (74), Bishop Swain (68), and Bishop Quinn (66).

There is one auxiliary in St. Paul and Minneapolis: Bishop Piché (53).

Bishop Kinney reaches the normal retirement age this summer and will likely retire and have his replacement named this year.

Bishop Aquila is at an age and length of service that makes him likely to be considered for other roles.