Pope Benedict XVI made a series of appointments in the US Church on Tuesday. The
Holy Father has nominated Bishop Samuel J. Aquila Archbishop of Denver and Bishop
Richard J. Malone Bishop of Buffalo, New York.
Archbishop-elect Aquila has
previously served the Church as Bishop of Fargo North Dakota (since 2001) and as Apostolic
Administrator for the diocese of Sioux Falls, South Dakota (2005-2006). While Bishop
Malone was previously Bishop of Portland, Maine (since 2004).
Biography
of Bishop Aquila
Samuel J. Aquila was born on September 24, 1950, in Burbank,
California. He was ordained to the priesthood in Denver, Colorado, on June 5, 1976,
and served in parish ministry for 11 years. In 1987, he began graduate studies at
San Anselmo University in Rome, earning a Sacramental Theology Licentiate in 1990.
He
served as Director for the Office of Liturgy and Master of Ceremonies in the Archdiocese
of Denver from 1990 until 1995. He served the Archdiocese as Co-director for Continuing
Education for Priests, as an advisor to the Bishop’s Committee on the Liturgy, and
as Assistant Secretary for Catholic Education before being named Secretary for Catholic
Education, a position he held from 1995 until 1999. He then served as the first Rector
of St. John Vianney Seminary in Denver and Chief Executive Officer of Our Lady of
the New Advent Theological Institute. In 2000, he was named a Prelate of Honor by
Pope John Paul II, receiving the honorary title of Monsignor.
He was appointed
Coadjutor Bishop of Fargo on June 12, 2001, and his Episcopal Ordination Mass was
celebrated at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Fargo on August 24, 2001. Bishop Aquila succeeded
to the See on March 18, 2002, upon the retirement of Bishop James Sullivan. On February
24, 2005, he was named Interim Administrator for the Diocese of Sioux Falls. He served
in this position, in addition to serving as the Bishop of Fargo, until Most Rev. Paul
J. Swain was ordained as the new bishop of the Diocese of Sioux Falls on October 26,
2006.
Bishop Aquila serves on the Bishops’ Advisory Council for the Institute
for Priestly Formation. He has served as a member of various United States Conference
of Catholic Bishops committees.
Biography of Bishop Malone
Bishop
Malone was born in Salem, MA, and graduated from St. John’s Preparatory School, Danvers.
He studied at Cardinal O’Connell Seminary in Jamaica Plain and graduated from St.
John Seminary, Boston, with a bachelor’s in Philosophy, a bachelor’s in Divinity and
a master’s in Theology. Bishop Malone subsequently earned a Doctorate in Theology
(Th.D.) at Boston University and a Licentiate in Sacred Theology (S.T.L.) at Weston
Jesuit School of Theology.
Bishop Malone was ordained a priest in 1972 and
was assigned to St. Patrick parish, Stoneham, as Associate Pastor. He served on the
faculty of St. Clement High School, Somerville, MA; Xaverian High School, Westwood,
MA; and his alma mater St. John Seminary. Concurrent with his time at St. John Seminary,
he was part-time chaplain at Wellesley and Regis Colleges and taught at Emmanuel College
in Boston. Later he was assigned as Chaplain to the Harvard-Radcliffe Catholic Student
Center. In 1993, he accepted the position of Director of the Office of Religious Education
for the Archdiocese of Boston and subsequently was named Secretary for Education.
Bishop Malone currently chairs the Evangelization and Catechesis Committee
of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. He serves on other USCCB committees
as well as sitting on the Board of two Seminaries. Bishop Malone was elected to the
Board of Catholic Relief Services in 2010 and serves on the U.S. Operations Committee.