Bishops To Elect Officers, Committee Chairs, Chairs-Elect
WASHINGTON (October 31, 2007)—The U.S. bishops will elect their president, vice president, treasurer-elect and ten committee chairs and chairs-elect at the November meeting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, November 12-15 in Baltimore.
The new president will succeed Bishop William Skylstad of Spokane, Washington, who completes his three-year term at the meeting. His successor assumes the presidency at the end of the meeting. Cardinal Francis George of Chicago completes his term as vice president at the November meeting.
In addition to leading a committee, each chairman also is a member of the USCCB Administrative Committee, which carries on the work of the Conference between its plenary assemblies. Terms are for three years but under a current reorganization, terms of office for committee chairs are for either two or three years to prevent a complete change every three years. Plans call for one-third of the committee chairs to change annually.
The slates of candidates follow:
President and Vice President:
Bishop Gregory M. Aymond of Austin, Texas
Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan of Milwaukee
Cardinal Francis George, OMI, Archbishop of Chicago
Bishop Gerald F. Kicanas of Tucson, Arizona
Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville, Kentucky
Bishop William E. Lori of Bridgeport, Connecticut
Cardinal Justin Rigali, Archbishop of Philadelphia
Bishop Dennis M. Schnurr of Duluth, Minnesota
Bishop Donald W. Trautman of Erie, Pennsylvania
Bishop Allen H. Vigneron of Oakland, California
Treasurer-elect:
Bishop Michael J. Bransfield of Wheeling-Charleston, West Virginia
Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville, Kentucky
Committee on Cultural Diversity in the Church (chairman, for a two-year term)
Bishop Richard J. Garcia of Monterey, California
Archbishop Jose H. Gomez of San Antonio
Committee on National Collections (chairman, for a two-year term)
Bishop Ronald P. Herzog of Alexandria, Louisiana
Archbishop John G. Vlazny of Portland, Oregon
Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth (chairman, for a three-year term)
Archbishop Roger L. Schwietz, OMI, of Anchorage, Alaska
Bishop Kevin W. Vann of Fort Worth, Texas
Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations (chairman, for a three-year term)
Cardinal Sean O'Malley, OFM Cap, Archbishop of Boston
Bishop George L. Thomas of Helena, Montana
Committee on Canonical Affairs and Church Governance, chairman-elect
Archbishop Raymond L. Burke of St. Louis
Bishop Thomas J. Paprocki, Auxiliary Bishop of Chicago
Committee on Catholic Education, chairman-elect
Bishop Thomas J. Curry, Auxiliary Bishop of Los Angeles
Bishop Walter J. Edyvean, Auxiliary Bishop of Boston
Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, chairman-elect
Bishop Tod D. Brown of Orange, California
Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory of Atlanta
Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis, chairman-elect
Bishop Richard J. Malone of Portland in Maine
Bishop Richard E. Pates, Auxiliary Bishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis
Committee on International Justice and Peace, chairman-elect
Bishop Howard J. Hubbard of Albany, New York
Bishop William F. Murphy of Rockville Centre, New York
Committee for the Protection of Children and Young People, chairman-elect
Bishop Stephen E. Blaire of Stockton, California
Bishop Blase J. Cupich of Rapid City, South Dakota