Posted on 06/12/2007 8:06:53 AM PDT by markomalley
LOUISVILLE, Ky. --Roman Catholic Bishop Joseph Kurtz was named archbishop of Louisville by Pope Benedict XVI, succeeding Thomas C. Kelly, who guided the archdiocese through one of its most tumultuous times amid a clergy sex abuse scandal.
Kurtz, 60, has served as bishop of the 50,000-member diocese of Knoxville, Tenn., since 1999. Before that, he was a priest for 27 years in the Diocese of Allentown in Pennsylvania.
Kelly turned 75, the normal retirement age for bishops, last July, but remained on the job until his successor was chosen.
The Louisville archdiocese spans 24 counties with more than 200,000 Catholics.
During his tenure, Kelly oversaw the restoration of the Cathedral of the Assumption and the preservation of a strong Catholic school system.
The Louisville archdiocese became entangled in a widespread priest abuse sex scandal that shook the Catholic Church. In 2003, the archdiocese agreed to pay $25.7 million to settle with more than 240 victims of sexual abuse by priests or other church workers. Kelly became archbishop in 1982 after most of the alleged molestation occurred.
The settlement caused a financial strain that forced the archdiocese to reduce staff and raise parish assessments.
Kurtz arrives amid a reorganization of the archdiocese, which is merging 17 parishes into six and requiring dozens of congregations to form "clusters" where two or more parishes would share a pastor. The move is in reaction to sharp declines in the number of priests.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ping to your lists?
Please post any information you may have on the new Bishop.
I do know that Knoxville, TN is ranked pretty high by both Catholic World Report and Crisis Magazine for growth and vibrancy.
Must count for something.
Not sure if I can find a link to the article, but a similar one was done by Crisis Magazine two months ago.
http://www.crisismagazine.com/febmarch2007/hall.htm
He was one of the priests at our parish in Allentown when my daughter made her First Communion. He was not just a good priest, he was a good PASTOR. He had a wonderful way of dealing with people.
I couldn’t be more pleased for him. Or for the Church. A good man.
You might want to take a look at this... maybe the clean up can begin.
A fine choice!
Reminds me of the history of the Counterreformation. Wasn’t until after the CXouncil of Trent, and almost two generations after’s Luther’s revolt, that the Church began to get its act together. Reminding me that THAT came just after a Church Council. Some Councils are just misfires.
The new bishop, even if he is strongly orthodox, will still have his work cut out for him with all the liberal priests in the archdiocese. The seminary at St. Meinrad was awful in the 60's and 70's. Hopefully that has improved.
Hopefully one of the first things he’ll do is to prohibit female altar servers!
Sometimes it’s not what comes out of the council but the infiltration of protestantism that does in the church. And I count everything from Luther through the French Revolution and on to Marxism as being part of the same strain. I think it’s satanic, in fact.
Not sure I follow, do you mean Girl Altar Boys?
Thanks, that is nice to know.
I spoke to my daughter and she still remembered him! She was only a little girl.....
I really liked him when he was at St. Catherine of Sienna. I was a lector at the time and he was easy to work with. He was the kind of guy who would tease and make you feel very comfortable.
No one who knew him then would be surprised. I remember when he became a monsignour, at a very young age (probably 40?), it wasn’t a surprise at all. A friend who was a converted Catholic found him to be helpful in dealing with family members who were less-than-delighted with her decision. The Diocese is very fortunate.
That is some tremendous news...good cause for optimisim.
**Not sure I follow, do you mean Girl Altar Boys?**
Yes. Female servers are “alter” boys! ;-))
I’d prefer they got rid of the pinched-faced, blue haired Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist first. And the wine swig.
Watch for: Monsignor Stuart W. Swetland
Mt. St. Mary’s, Emmitsburg, MD.
Mid 40s and former Priest Chaplain St, John Newman University of Ill. A Lutheran convert, Rhoads Scholar and Annapolis grad. Very conservative.
Is a Bishopric in his future?
Except for male altar servers I’d like to get rid of all lay people in the sanctuary during the mass!
In my parish sometimes the priest is the only male in the sanctuary.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.