As previously noted this morning, Pope Benedict XVI has appointed Father Arthur L. Kennedy, Ph.D. and Father Peter J. Uglietto, S.T.D. as Auxiliary Bishops of the Archdiocese of Boston. A press conference has been scheduled for 11:00 this morning at the Boston Chancery. A live webstream will be provided on the Archdiocesan website beginning at 10:30 a.m.

Bishop-Elect Arthur Kennedy

Father Arthur Kennedy attended the Pontifical North American College in Rome and was ordained for the Archdiocese of Boston on December 17, 1966 by Bishop Francis Reh, then rector of the NAC. In 1978, Bishop-elect Kennedy received his Doctorate in Theology from Boston University.

Education has been an important part of the Bishop-elect’s ministry. Throughout his priestly service to the church, Kennedy has served on the faculty at the University of St. Thomas (St. Paul, MN), St. John Seminary, and the Angelicum (Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome). He currently serves as the Rector of St. John Seminary.

Bishop-elect Kennedy served at the headquarters for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops as the executive director for the Secretariat for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs. In fact, the Bishop-elect has written several articles on ecumenical affairs, more recently writing on the Muslim-Catholic dialogue.

Like myself, the Bishop-elect is a product of the schooling of the Sisters of St. Joseph, whom he says have helped and supported him along his vocational journey. Bishop-elect Kennedy will be ordained to the episcopacy and assume his role as Auxiliary Bishop in September. He will continue as the Rector of St. John Seminary for a year until Cardinal Sean O’Malley can name a replacement.

Here are the appointments from this morning:

• The Holy Father appointed Bishop Blase Cupich, current Bishop of the Diocese of Rapid City, as the sixth Bishop of the Diocese of Spokane.
• The Holy Father appointed Rev. Arthur L. Kennedy, Ph.D., current Rector of St. John’s Seminary, as Auxiliary Bishop for the Archdiocese of Boston.
• The Holy Father appointed Rev. Peter J. Uglietto, S.T.D., current Rector/President of Blessed John XXIII Seminary, as Auxiliary Bishop for the Archdiocese of Boston.
• The Holy Father appointed Cardinal Marc Ouellet, Cardinal-Archbishop of Quebec, as the Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops and Chairman of the Commission for Latin America.
• The Holy Father appointed Archbishop Salvatore Fisichella as the head of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evengelization.
• The Holy Father appointed Archbishop Celestino Migliore as the Apostolic Nuncio to Poland.

This morning, Pope Benedict XVI also accepted the resignations of:

• Bishop William Skylstad, Bishop of the Diocese of Spokane.
• Bishop Peter A. Rosazza, Auxiliary of the Archdiocese of Hartford.
• Bishop Emilio S. Allué, Auxiliary of the Archdiocese of Boston.