TEXAS
Roman Catholic Diocese of Dallas
Pope Francis has named the Most Reverend Edward J. Burns to serve as the new Bishop of the Diocese of Dallas. The much anticipated appointment was announced today, December 13, 2016 in Washington, D.C. by the papal nuncio to the United States, Archbishop Christophe Pierre. Bishop Burns, the new Chief Shepherd of the 1.3 million Catholics in the Dallas diocese, succeeds Cardinal Kevin Farrell, who left Dallas for Rome on October 1 after the Pope appointed him the Prefect of the Vatican Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life. Bishop Burns will be introduced and speak to the media at a news conference on Tuesday, December 13th, at 2:00 p.m. at the Pastoral Center of the Diocese of Dallas. View live stream coverage at www.cathdal.org/video.
Since 2009, Bishop Burns has served as the Bishop of Juneau, Alaska. Prior to that, the 59-year-old bishop served the Catholic Church on the national level as Executive Director of the Secretariat for Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in Washington, D.C. from 1999 -2008. In 2008 he was named the Rector of St. Paul Seminary in Pittsburgh, PA. In January 2009, he was named the Bishop of Juneau. Prior to 1999, Bishop Burns served in parish ministry, diocesan administration and did extensive work in vocations.
The new Bishop of Dallas says he is looking forward to his appointment, “I am extremely happy and humbled that Pope Francis has chosen me to lead such an important diocese and I look forward to serving the local Church of the Diocese of Dallas. I am profoundly grateful for my experience in Juneau and I pray for God’s grace as I take on my new duties as Chief Shepherd of this ever-growing Diocese of Dallas.” The new Bishop-designate also stressed that “I look forward to listening and learning all that I can about this beautifully diverse Catholic community and I want to assure all in the Diocese of Dallas that I will be a shepherd for all people.”
Bishop Greg Kelly, Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Dallas, said “I appreciate Bishop Burns’ great energy and enthusiasm about his new assignment here and we are very grateful that our Holy Father has sent us a Chief Shepherd so quickly. I enjoyed working closely with Cardinal Kevin Farrell and I now look forward to doing all that I can to assist Bishop Burns in continuing to build up the Catholic Church in the Dallas area.”
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