Pope Francis Names Auxiliary Bishop of Washington as New Bishop of Richmond
WASHINGTON—Pope Francis has
named Auxiliary Bishop Barry C. Knestout of the Archdiocese of
Washington as the new bishop of Richmond, Virginia.
The appointment was publicized in Washington on December
5, 2017 by Archbishop Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the
United States.
Bishop Knestout was born in Cheverly,
Maryland, on June 11, 1962. He attended Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in
Emmitsburg, Maryland, where he earned a Master of Divinity degree in 1988 and a
Master of Arts degree in 1989.
He was ordained a priest for
the Archdiocese of Washington on June 24, 1989.
Assignments after ordination
included: associate pastor, St. Bartholomew’s Parish, Bethesda, MD (1989-1993);
associate pastor, St. Peter’s Parish, Waldorf (1993-1994); priest secretary to
Cardinal James Hickey (1994-2004); executive director, Archdiocesan Office of
Youth Ministry, (2001-2003); priest secretary to Cardinal Theodore McCarrick
(2003-2004); pastor, St. John the Evangelist Parish, Silver Spring (2004-2006);
and the Archdiocesan Secretary for Pastoral Life and Social Concerns
(2006-2008).
Named Monsignor by Pope John
Paul II in 1999, he was then named moderator of the curia in April 2007 and
assisted Cardinal Donald
W. Wuerl in overseeing administrative affairs.
On November 18, 2008, Pope
Benedict XVI named Msgr. Knestout Auxiliary Bishop of Washington and titular
bishop of Leavenworth. He was ordained a bishop by then-Archbishop Donald Wuerl
on December 29, 2008.
He has been a member of the
Administrative Board of the Maryland Catholic Conference and the Episcopal
Moderator of the American Catholic Correctional Chaplains Association. He
serves as the Regional IV representative on the USCCB Committee for the
Protection of Children and Young People as well as the Episcopal Liaison to the
Diocesan Fiscal Management Conference.
As of today’s appointment,
Bishop Knestout will be the 13th Bishop of the Diocese of Richmond, Virginia,
succeeding the late Bishop Francis Xavier DiLorenzo who passed away on
August 17, 2017.
The Diocese of Richmond
comprises 36,711 square miles. It has a total population of 5,118,519 people
of which 222,283, or 4 percent, are Catholic.
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Keywords:
U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, USCCB, Pope Francis, Archbishop
Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio, Auxiliary Bishop Barry Knestout,
Archdiocese of Washington, Diocese of Richmond, Cardinal Donald W
Wuerl, Bishop Francis Xavier DiLorenzo
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Media Contact:
Judy Keane
202-541-3200
