Pope Benedict appoints new bishops for two U.S. Dioceses

Vatican City, Mar 6, 2007 / 10:00 am

The Press Office of the Holy See announced this morning Pope Benedict XVI’s appointment of bishops for two U.S. dioceses.  Bishop Kevin Farrell will be the new Bishop of Dallas and Monsignor Glenn Provost will take the helm of the Diocese of Lake Charles.

Bishop Kevin Joseph Farrell, who has served for the last five years as an Auxiliary Bishop for the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C. will take over in Dallas, which boasts the 10th largest Catholic population in the U.S.  

By many accounts, Bishop Farrell has been a highly effective and popular bishop and priest for the archdiocese since 1983, when he left the Legionaries of Christ for service in the local church.  

The 59-year old bishop was born in Dublin Ireland, and has been extremely active in leading Washington’s Hispanic ministries since he arrived in the city.  Bishop Farrell has also served on numerous committees for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Farrell holds advanced degrees in Philosophy and Theology and is fluent in both Spanish and Italian.

Commenting on Bishop Farrell’s new position, Washington Archbishop Donald Wuerl, said, “the appointment of Bishop Kevin Farrell as the Bishop of Dallas is good news for the Church in Texas and we join in thanking God for this blessing.”

“As the faithful of that See will come to recognize, Bishop Farrell is blessed with many priestly talents and brings to his work a sense of genuine concern for others and great pastoral ability. His wisdom and administrative skills will be gifts to his new home as they were here during his many years of ministry.”

“Over the past nine months since my own transition to Washington, I have experienced his pastoral counsel, which has meant so much to me,” Archbishop Wuerl continued. “He has the ability to combine the wisdom of years of administrative experience with the pastoral demands of each new day. Together with the people of the Archdiocese of Washington whom he has served faithfully for 24 years as pastor, administrator and, in a special way, as auxiliary bishop for the past five years, I will miss him greatly. At the same time, we recognize the wisdom of the Holy See’s desire to use his gifts more broadly at the service of the Church. May God’s blessings be with Bishop Farrell in this great new ministry.”

He succeeds Bishop Charles Victor Grahmann, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese, the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

Lake Charles

The Holy Father also appointed a new bishop for the Diocese of Lake Charles in Louisiana.  Msgr. Glen Provost, a priest of the Diocese of Lafayette, LA, will become the third bishop in the neighboring diocese of Lake Charles, which was once part the Lafayette Diocese.

Bishop-elect Provost who has been serving as Pastor of Our Lady of Fatima Church in Lafayette, will be ordained and installed on Monday, April 23 in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.  Provost has also held numerous diocesan leadership positions in Lafayette.

The 58 year-old Provost completed his seminary studies at the Pontifical North American College and Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum) in Rome.  The Bishop-elect holds advanced degrees in Sacred Theology from the Angelicum and in English Literature from the University of Louisiana-Lafayette.  He has also done extensive language studies in French, Spanish, and Italian.

Bishop Michael Jarrell, Bishop of Lafayette, offered praise for Mons. Provost upon hearing of his appointment. “I am extremely pleased that the Holy Father has named Monsignor Glen Provost to be the Third Bishop of Lake Charles,” Bishop Jarrell said. “In his previous assignments, Monsignor Provost has proven himself as a capable and effective pastor. I am confident he will provide the same leadership for the Catholic people of Lake Charles.”

“I am sorry that he is leaving Lafayette, but I know that I speak for his parishioners and his fellow priests in offering congratulations and best wishes to a native son of Lafayette who has been called to another level of leadership in the Church. May the Lord prosper the work of his hands.”

The Diocese of Lake Charles has been without a bishop since March 15, 2005, when Bishop Edward K. Braxton was appointed to the Diocese of Belleville in Illinois.