News Release
| April 21, 2009 | For more information contact: |
| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | Anne Steffens Chief Communications Officer Phone: (314) 792-7631 |
STATEMENT OF BISHOP ROBERT J. CARLSON ON HIS APPOINTMENT AS THE NEW ARCHBISHOP OF ST. LOUIS
“Today, our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI has appointed me the ninth Archbishop of Saint Louis. I am blessed by this appointment and excited to come to know this local Church with all of its priests, religious, deacons, and faith filled people.
On January 11th of this year, I celebrated my 25th Anniversary as a bishop. For ten years, I was an Auxiliary Bishop in the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. I’ve served eleven years first as Coadjutor and then ordinate of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and since February of 2004, I have served as Bishop of Saginaw, Michigan.
When I first learned that I would be the new archbishop, I went to the web site and was impressed by your clear and straightforward mission statement: “..called by our Lord Jesus Christ to be His Church and to live His Gospel with joy”. In these challenging times, it is a powerful expression of faith.
With a rich history as a diocese and the Archdiocese dating back to 1826, I am blessed by all that have gone before me and most appreciative of the ministry of the late Archbishop John May and the dynamic leadership of Cardinal Justin Rigali and most recently Archbishop Burke. I know that there will be much to learn from all of you and I look forward to being an active listener as I join you in prayer and worship and service.
I have had the opportunity to visit the Archdiocese of Saint Louis on several occasions: First, in 1979 when I became a Knight of the Holy Sepulcher at your beautiful Cathedral; in 1999, when I brought two busloads of young people for the visit of Pope John Paul II; and two or three times when I had seminarians from the Diocese of Sioux Falls at Kenrick-Glennon Seminary and for a short time when I served on the Board of Directors.
In the coming months, I plan to visit many of the parishes in the Archdiocese so that I can learn how to best serve you and to build bridges to those who no longer worship with us. I look forward to seeing what I can do to support Catholic education, serve my brother priests, foster vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life, serve those in need and work closely with the ecumenical and civic community.
I would like to thank Bishop Robert Hermann, who served so effectively as the Administrator of the Archdiocese since the transfer of Archbishop Burke by the Holy Father to head up the Apostolic Signatura in Rome. Bishop Hermann and I served together on the USCCB Ad-hoc Committee for the Charismatic Renewal and I am well aware of his many gifts and talents. Thank you, Bishop Hermann, for all that you have done and the caring way you handled this extra burden.
In closing, I would like you to know that we will be working on the date for the Installation and hope to announce it in the very near future.”
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