William Draper Byrne

William Draper Byrne (born September 26, 1964) is an American Roman Catholic priest who serves as the bishop of the Diocese of Springfield in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Not to be confused with the Irish missionary priest William Byrne (1780–1833), or the 20th-century Irish priest William Byrne.
His Excellency, The Most Reverend

William Draper Byrne
Bishop of Springfield in Massachusetts
DioceseSpringfield in Massachusetts
AppointedOctober 14, 2020
InstalledDecember 14, 2020
PredecessorMitchell T. Rozanski
Orders
OrdinationJune 25, 1994
by James Aloysius Hickey
ConsecrationDecember 14, 2020
by Seán Patrick O'Malley, James F. Checchio, and Austin Vetter
Personal details
Born (1964-09-26) September 26, 1964
Washington, DC
NationalityAmerican
DenominationRoman Catholic
MottoIn Spem Vivam
Coat of arms
Styles of
William Draper Byrne
Reference style
Spoken styleYour Excellency
Religious styleBishop

Life

William Byrne was born on September 26, 1964, in Washington, D.C., the son of Mary and William Draper Byrne, a surgeon. Byrne grew up in McLean, Virginia, and attended the Mater Dei School. Starting in the ninth grade, Byrne went to Georgetown Preparatory School in Rockville, Maryland. [1]

Byrne completed his undergraduate studies at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts.[2] According to Byrne's sister, he was influenced in college to become a priest by the example of their uncle, John Byrne, who was a priest in New York City. [1]

While a seminarian for the Archdiocese of Washington Byrne studied at the Pontifical North American College in Rome. Byrne received a Bachelor of Sacred Theology (STB) in 1992 and a Licentiate of Sacred Theology (STL) in 1994 from the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas. He was ordained to the priesthood on June 25, 1994.[2]

Byrne served as parochial vicar at the Church of the Little Flower in Bethesda, Maryland from 1994 to 1995 and then parochial vicar at the Shrine of Saint Jude in Rockville, Maryland.[2] He then served as chaplain for the University of Maryland's Catholic Student Center in College Park from 1999 until 2007.

From 2007 to 2015, Byrne was pastor of St. Peter's Church in Washington, DC. While in that position he began a special ministry to Catholic members of the United States Congress.[3] From 2009 to 2015, Byrne was also Secretary for Pastoral Ministry and Social Concerns for the Archdiocese of Washington. He was pastor of Our Lady of Mercy parish in Potomac, Maryland, from 2015 to 2020.[2]

Pope Francis named Byrne Bishop of Springfield on October 14, 2020.[2][4] His consecration and installation occurred at St. Michael's Cathedral on December 14, 2020.[3]

Before his appointment as bishop, Byrne had gained national attention for his writings and YouTube videos.[3]

In May 2021, Byrne released an expanded list of priests within the diocese that faced credible accusations of sexual abuse.[5] Byrne noted:

As a Church, both locally and universally, too many times in the past we have failed to protect the innocence and dignity of minors from those who committed these heinous crimes. We can never erase the harm done, however, acknowledging a survivor’s allegations to be credible brings the truth of their horrific experience into the light. I offer my most sincere apology to all who have suffered from the abuse and to their loved ones. I am truly sorry.[5]

See also

References
  1. "New Massachusetts Bishop Noted for Humor and Social Media Savvy". NCR. Retrieved 2021-09-12.
  2. "Pope Francis Names Father William Byrne of Archdiocese of Washington as Bishop of Springfield in Massachusetts" (Press release). Public Affairs Office of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. October 14, 2020. Retrieved October 14, 2020.
  3. Fay, Tony (October 14, 2020). "Rev. William Byrne named new bishop for Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield". WWLP. Retrieved October 14, 2020.
  4. "Resignations and Appointments" (Press release). Holy See Press Office. October 14, 2020. Retrieved October 14, 2020.
  5. Christensen, Dusty (May 28, 2021). "Springfield diocese to expand list of those 'credibly accused' of sexually abusing minors". Greenfield Recorder. Retrieved September 12, 2021.


Episcopal succession


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.