Bambera Appointed As New Diocese of Scranton Bishop, by Laura Legere, Times Tribune, February 23, 2010

Bambera Appointed As New Diocese of Scranton Bishop

By Laura Legere
Times-Tribune
February 23, 2010

http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/bambera-appointed-as-new-diocese-of-scranton-bishop-1.636092?localLinksEnabled=false

SCRANTON (PA) -- Monsignor Joseph Bambera has been appointed the 10th bishop of the Diocese of Scranton, the Vatican announced this morning.

The pastor of St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Mary of Czestochowa churches in Archbald, the Rev. Bambera has run the daily operations of the diocese for the past six months as delegate to interim leader Cardinal Justin Rigali, Archbishop of Philadelphia.

Monsignor Joseph C. Bambera has run the day-to-day operations of the Scranton Diocese since the departure of Bishop Joesph F. Martino.

He will become only the second local priest to head the 11-county see.

The diocese will hold a press conference at 10 a.m. this morning in the Guild building to make "an important announcement about the future of the diocese," a spokesman said Monday.

Before he assumes the role of ordinary, Monsignor Bambera will have to be both ordained a bishop and installed as the Bishop of Scranton at a Mass that has not yet been announced.

Monsignor Bambera, 53, was born in Carbondale where he attended Catholic schools.

He was ordained a priest in 1983, and was made a Prelate of Honor by Pope John Paul II in 1997. He has served as chair of the diocesan Presbyteral Council, an advisory body of priests, and was a member of the University of Scranton's board of trustees.

The diocesan seat has technically been vacant since the Vatican made the unusual move of accepting Bishop Joseph F. Martino's retirement at age 63 on Aug. 31, 2009.

Monsignor Bambera had once been a member of Bishop Martino's cabinet, but asked to be removed in 2007 so that he could return to being a pastor, a role he said last year is "his greatest joy."

At the Aug. 31 press conference when Monsignor Bambera was named the local delegate, he dismissed any suggestion that he would become the next bishop of the diocese, saying he is "very happy in my little world up in Archbald and Eynon."

"I think that is a rather awesome position that I'm not quite sure I'm well equipped to fulfill," he said at the time. "We'll leave that to other people to decide."