Pope appoints Tobin as new bishop for Rhode Island

Providence, R.I., Mar 30, 2005 / 22:00 pm

The Vatican has announced that the Most Rev. Thomas J. Tobin, Bishop of the Diocese of Youngstown, Ohio will succeed outgoing Robert E. Mulvee in becoming the eighth bishop of the Diocese of Providence, Rhode Island.

Archbishop Gabriel Montalvo, Apostolic Nuncio to the United States made the announcement at 6am this morning from Washington D.C.

Simultaneously, Pope John Paul II today accepted the resignation of Bishop Mulvee, 75, who has served as bishop of Providence since 1997.

Born in 1948 in Pittsburgh, Bishop Tobin was ordained a priest in Pennsylvania in 1973, and named Auxiliary Bishop of Pittsburgh and Titular Bishop of Novica by Pope John Paul II on November 3, 1992.

He was ordained to the Episcopacy on December 27, of that same year, and installed as the fourth Bishop of the Diocese of Youngstown, February 2, 1996, in St. Columba Cathedral.

Bishop Tobin received special recognition in 2000 when the Catholic Press Association selected his column, 'Without a Doubt' as best in the nation. Emmaus Road Publishing in Steubenville, Ohio has likewise published a collection of those columns.

Upon his new appointment, Bishop Tobin said, "I am honored and humbled to be named as the new Bishop of Providence, a large and vibrant Catholic diocese, and I am excited to begin this new chapter in my life and ministry."

He added, "While I am fully committed to working hard and doing my best, I also realize that in the end I can do nothing without the help of God's grace. May Mary, Mother of the Church, give me the inspiration and intercession I need to be faithful."

Bishop Tobin will become spiritual shepherd to some 650,000 Catholics throughout Rhode Island.