Pope Names Vatican Archbishop Joseph Tobin To Indianapolis

WASHINGTON—Pope Benedict XVI has named60-year-old Archbishop Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R., secretary of the VaticanCongregation for Institutes for Consecrated Life and Societies of ApostolicLife, as archbishop of Indianapolis.

Theappointment was publicized in Washington, October 18, by Archbishop Carlo MariaViganò, apostolic nuncio to the United States.

ArchbishopTobin is a member of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer(Redemptorists). He succeeds Archbishop Daniel M. Buechlein, OSB, a Benedictinemonk, who resigned from pastoral governance of the Indianapolis Archdiocese in2011 for health reasons. Indianapolis Auxiliary Bishop Christopher Coyne hasbeen apostolic administrator of the archdiocese since 2011.

JosephWilliam Tobin, a native of Detroit, was born May 3, 1952, the oldest of 13children. He professed temporary vows as a Redemptorist in 1972, and perpetualvows in 1976. He was ordained a priest for the Redemptorist Congregation in1978.

Heholds a bachelor's degree in philosophy from the Holy Redeemer College,Waterford, Wisconsin, and master's degrees in religious education and divinityfrom Mount St. Alphonsus Major Seminary, Esopus, New York.

Assignmentsafter ordination included parochial vicar, Holy Redeemer Parish, Detroit,1979-1984, and pastor of Holy Redeemer, 1984-1990. He served as pastor of St.Alphonsus Parish, Chicago, 1990-1991.

Hewas elected general consultor of the Rome-based Redemptorists Fathers in 1991,and general superior for two terms in 1997. During a sabbatical year after his termsin leadership, he was named to his Vatican position, August 2, 2010, andordained an archbishop October 9, 2010.

TheIndianapolis Archdiocese includes 2,621,455 people, of which 227,699, or ninepercent, are Catholic.

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