As widely speculated over recent weeks, this morning, Pope Benedict XVI appointed Archbishop Charles Chaput, 66, as the ninth archbishop of Philadelphia. According to the Catholic News Agency, Pope Benedict handpicked Chaput for the appointment, selecting him over the recommendations by the Congregation for Bishops. (If that doesn’t show us how the Pope really cares about the direction of the Church throughout the world, I don’t know what will.) Until this time, Chaput has served as Archbishop of Denver.

Since becoming the shepherd of Denver in 1997, Chaput has focused most of his efforts on promoting vocations to the priesthood and religious life, advancing the mission of the church, defending its authentic teachings, and embracing its cultural diversity.

According to the Denver archdiocesan website, Chaput has ordained nearly half of the priests serving the estimated 550,000 member church. In 1999, building off of the efforts of its former archbishop, the Archdiocese of Denver established the St. John Vianney Theological Seminary. The establishment of the seminary was not only important for the promotion of vocations to the priesthood but also for the encouragement of vocations to the permanent diaconate and lay ministry.

In 2002, Archbishop Chaput and Bishop Jose Gomez–then Auxiliary Bishop of the Denver church–founded Centro San Juan Diego, an apostolic ministry focused on embracing the Hispanic heritage of the Catholic Church in the West. Chaput also co-founded the Catholic Association of Latino Leaders (CALL) and ENDOW, a Catholic leadership initiative for promoting education on the dignity of women.

Archdiocese of Philadelphia Cathedral

UPDATE: It’s almost official, guys and gals. Tomorrow, Pope Benedict XVI is expected to name Archbishop Charles Chaput as the ninth archbishop of Philadelphia. I’ll have more later. Stay tuned.

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Sometime this week, possibly as early as tomorrow, Pope Benedict XVI is expected to name a successor to Cardinal Rigali in Philadelphia. Over the last several weeks, as news of a possible replacement began to reach fever pitch, many media outlets began offering some interesting speculation as to who the Pope will appoint. Allow me to throw some names in the hat.

• Archbishop Charles Chaput (Denver): Archbishop Chaput, a Capuchin friar and the only Native American to be ordained an archbishop in the United States, has served the people of the Archdiocese of Denver since 1997. Since his appointment to the Mile High City, Chaput has become one of the most outspoken critics of Catholic politicians who support legislation which the church strongly opposes. Previous to Denver, Chaput served as bishop to Catholics in Rapid City, SD.
• Archbishop Joseph Kurtz (Louisville): Archbishop Kurtz, current Vice-President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, was named archbishop of Louisville on June 12, 2007 by Pope Benedict XVI. Prior to his appointment, Kurtz served as bishop of the Diocese of Knoxville. Kurtz was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Allentown, Pennsylvania on March 18, 1972 upon graduating from St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia. As the current Vice-President of the USCCB, Kurtz is poised to become president of the conference once Archbishop Dolan’s tenure comes to an end in a few years. Philadelphia would give him a rather large platform in that endeavor.

Cathedral Basilica of Peter and Paul | Archdiocese of Philadelphia

Over the past few weeks, our Catholic brothers and sisters who call Philadelphia home have literally been going through hell. As I am sure most of you are aware, news has emerged in recent weeks of sexual abuse against minors by priests in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.

On February 10, 2011, a Philadelphia Grand Jury released a report after investigating allegations that priests and a teacher sexually abused minors. The report recommended charges be filed against those being investigated. It also called for charges against another priest for allegedly covering up the instances of sexual abuse. Furthermore, the Grand Jury advised the Archdiocese of Philadelphia to review and overhaul its procedures for assisting the victims of sexual abuse by priests and removing accused priests from ministry.

As we celebrate the Eucharist this weekend in our parishes, let us remember the Philadelphia church—Cardinal Rigali, priests, deacons, religious, laity—in our thoughts and prayers. Most especially, pray that the victims of sexual abuse may find peace and comfort. Pray for those priests who have been accused of carrying out these heinous acts, that they may realize the hurt caused by their actions and ask for forgiveness.

We pray to you, Lord,
with honest hearts, in tune with one another,
entreating you with sighs and tears,
as befits our humble position — placed, as we are,
between the spiritually weak who have no concern for you,
and the saints who stand firm and upright before you.

We pray that you may soon come to us,
leading us from darkness to light,
oppression to freedom,
misery to joy,
conflict to peace.

May you drive away the storms and tempests of our lives,
and bring gentle calm. We pray that you will care for us,
as a father cares for his children.

Amen.

–Saint Cyprian of Carthage

At Roman noontime today, Pope Benedict XVI accepted the resignation of Bishop Robert P. Maginnis, Auxiliary Bishop of Philadelphia, in accordance with canons 411 and 401 § 1 of the Code of Canon Law. The Holy Father also named Monsignor John J. McIntyre to the office of Auxiliary Bishop of Philadelphia. The Bishop-elect was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia in 1992. Since 1999, McIntyre has been serving as the Secretary to Justin Cardinal Rigali.

Here are the videos from the 10 a.m. presser held by Cardinal Rigali and the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. The first is the announcement of the retirement of Bishop Maginnis. The second is the new auxiliary bishop announcement. Below the videos are the Bishop-elect’s remarks.

This year has been quite a year for me in seminary formation. The 2009-2010 year started way back during the second week of August as the new seminarians arrived at St. John Vianney College Seminary for New Student Experience. When the returning seminarians arrived back for the year on August 20th, we met a LARGE group of new men who had already bonded and congealed. The first few months were a bit difficult adjusting to the large number of seminarians, the largest sized house in some 35 years. However, once the returning men and the new men came together, walking on the same journey of discovering the Lord’s love for each one of us, we were able to bond as a house of brothers. It was going to be an interesting, grace-filled 50th Anniversary Year for the seminary community!!

On Thursday, September 17, 2009, the seminary community welcomed Christopher West, who came to share a bit about John Paul II‘s Theology of the Body. At the time of his visit, Mr. West had been receiving criticism of many people stating that his commentary on the JPII’s work had been misrepresented by the Theology of the Body Institute. However, the seminarians here can attest to the powerful ministry of Christopher West and the institute he founded. The day after his visit, Justin Cardinal Rigali (Archbishop of Philadelphia) and the Most Rev. Kevin Rhoades (then Bishop of Harrisburg) issued a joint statement in support of Christopher West. They wanted to “express strong support for the important work of the Theology of the Body Institute and, in particular, that of Christopher West.” They continued by saying: