Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Indiana, was elected to serve as secretary of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops on November 12.Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Indiana, was elected to serve as secretary of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) at the Fall Plenary Assembly on November 12.
The bishops held elections for the secretary position and the leadership of six committees on Wednesday. On Tuesday, they elected Archbishop Paul Coakley of Oklahoma City as president and Bishop Daniel Flores of Brownsville, Texas, as vice president of the conference.
Bishop Rhoades, who previously chaired the Committee on Religious Liberty, has criticized government policies that impose mandates for abortion and contraception. This year’s committee report laid out concerns with policies related to gender ideology and immigration enforcement as threats to the freedom of religious organizations.
In a statement on Wednesday, Bishop Timothy Senior said, “I extend congratulations to Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades on his election as Secretary of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Bishop Rhoades’ deep faith, pastoral leadership, and commitment to the mission of the Church have long been an inspiration to many—especially here in the Diocese of Harrisburg, where he faithfully served as priest and bishop.”
“I join the faithful of our Diocese in offering prayers for Bishop Rhoades as he assumes this important responsibility in service to the Church in our nation,” Bishop Senior said.
Bishop Rhoades grew up in Lebanon, where he was a member of Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish. He attended the former St. Mary’s School in Lebanon and graduated from Lebanon Catholic High School in 1975. He was ordained a priest of the Harrisburg Diocese on July 9, 1983, by then-Auxiliary Bishop William Keeler. The ceremony took place at Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church in Lebanon and was the first ordination to take place in the county.
After years of service that included ministry in the Spanish-speaking apostolates and as assistant Chancellor, he was appointed pastor of St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Harrisburg in 1990. He served there for five years, until he accepted a faculty position at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary, where he was named rector in 1997.
St. John Paul II appointed him as Bishop of the Diocese of Harrisburg on October 14, 2004, and his episcopal ordination was celebrated on December 9 of that year. In November 2009, Bishop Rhoades was named the ninth Bishop of the Diocese of Fort-Wayne South Bend; he was installed there on January 13, 2010.
New Committee Leaders
The new chair of the Religious Liberty Commission will be Archbishop Alexander Sample of Portland, Oregon.
That election was tied between Archbishop Sample and San Angelo, Texas, Bishop Michael Sis. Although Bishop Sis was granted the spot because the tiebreaking procedure defers to the older bishop, Bishop Sis withdrew his nomination to allow Archbishop Sample to assume the role.
For the rest of the elections, the winner will serve as chair-elect for one year while the current chairs finish their terms. They will assume the positions in 2026.
Archbishop Borys Gudziak of the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia was elected chair-elect of the Committee on International Justice and Peace. The archeparchy serves many Ukrainian immigrants, whose home country continues to suffer amid the ongoing Russian invasion.
Archbishop Jeffrey Grob of Milwaukee was elected chair-elect of the Committee on Canonical Affairs and Church Governance. Auxiliary Bishop Peter Smith of the Archdiocese of Portland, Oregon, was elected chair-elect of the Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs.
The bishops also elected Bishop William Wack of the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee, Florida, as chair-elect of the Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis. They elected Bishop-elect Mark O’Connell of Albany, New York, as chair-elect of the Committee on the Protection of Children and Young People.
(Contributing to this story was Jen Reed of The Catholic Witness. Photo courtesy Catholic News Agency.)
By Tyler Arnold, Catholic News Agency
 at the Fall Plenary Assembly on November 12.){kind=link}