Bishops Elect Msgr. Ronny Jenkins General Secretary of USCCB

BALTIMORE (November 16, 2010) — The U.S. bishops elected Msgr. Ronny Jenkins, a canon lawyer and priest of the Diocese of Austin, Texas, as the new general secretary of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). The election was part of the bishops’ annual Fall General Assembly. The general secretary is the priest who oversees the day-to-day operations of the USCCB on behalf of the U.S. bishops. Also on the ballot was Msgr. David Kagan, vicar general of the Diocese of Rockford, Illinois.

Msgr. Jenkins currently serves as associate general secretary of the USCCB. He was ordained a priest on June 24, 1989. He holds a bachelor's degree in psychology and a master's degree in philosophy from the University of Dallas. He earned his baccalaureate and licentiate in sacred theology at Rome's Pontifical Gregorian University, and was awarded a licentiate and doctorate of canon law at The Catholic University of America (CUA).

Msgr. Jenkins has served as pastor and judicial vicar in the Diocese of Austin and as an associate professor of canon law at CUA. Prior to coming to the USCCB, he was a consultant to the bishops’ Committee on Canonical Affairs and currently consults on the Committee on the Protection of Children and Young People. He is currently an adjunct associate professor of canon law at CUA, as well as a member of several national and international canon law societies. His work has been published in numerous periodicals, including The Jurist and Periodica. He also served as postulator of the sainthood cause of Mary Virginia Merrick. He was named a Chaplain to His Holiness in 2005, and a Prelate of Honor in 2009.

Msgr. Jenkins will succeed the current general secretary of the conference, Msgr. David Malloy, who has served since 2006. Msgr. Malloy is a priest of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. His term as general secretary ends at the end of June 2011.
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Keywords: Msgr. Ronny Jenkins, canon lawyer, general secretary, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Msgr. David Malloy, Diocese of Austin, USCCB, November meeting, Fall General Assembly