Statement of the Most Reverend John J. Myers, Archbishop of Newark, on the Appointment of the Most Reverend Bernard A. Hebda As Ninth Archbishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark
March 24, 2016

http://www.archspm.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/NEW-ARCHBISHOP-MYERS-STATEMENT-TO-NEWARK.pdf

[full text]

Our Holy Father Pope Francis has often said that our God is a God of Surprises. Today is surely a perfect example of that.

I have been both privileged and blessed to have worked closely with Archbishop Bernard Hebda here in Newark over the last two and a half years. And I also can say that I have been doubly blessed because of our strong personal relationship that began when he was a Seminarian at the Pontifical North American College.

For more than two decades we have shared many common ministries – from service to the seminarians at the Pontifical North American College and on the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts in Rome, to our roles as Shepherds of dioceses and members of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops. He is a great Priest, and a great Bishop.