Pope Francis Names Priest as New Auxiliary Bishop of Atlanta

WASHINGTON—PopeFrancis has named Father Bernard E. Shlesinger, III, a priest of the Diocese ofRaleigh, as an auxiliary bishop of the archdiocese of Atlanta. FatherShlesinger,57, currently serves as Director of Spiritual Formation at St.Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia.

Theappointment was publicized in Washington, May 15, by Archbishop ChristophePierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States.

BernardShlesinger was born December 17, 1960.  He earned a bachelor's degree in AgriculturalEngineering from Virginia Tech in 1983. He went on to attend Theological College in Washington, DC(Pre-Theology/Philosophy) before attending Pontifical Gregorian University wherehe earned a B.A. in Sacred Theology in 1995. He then began Licentiate of Sacred Theology(S.T.L.) studiesat the Angelicum (Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, Rome) that same year.  He was ordained a priest on June 22, 1996.

FatherShlesinger also served in the US Air Force from 1983 to 1990.  An Air Force pilot who retired as Captain, heflew the C130E Hercules while stationed at Pope AFB, in Fayetteville, NC.   

Assignmentsafter ordination included: parochial vicar at St. Mary, Wilmington, NC,1996-1998; Pastor at our Our Lady of Guadalupe parish as well as AssistantVocation Director, Newton Grove, NC (1998-2007); Director of Vocations andSeminary Formation, Diocese of Raleigh (2007-2013); Administrator, Maria Reinade las Americas, Mount Olive, NC (2010-2012); Director of Spiritual Formation,Theology Division, St. Charles Borremeo Seminary, Wynnewood, Pennsylvania, 2013to present. Other responsibilitiesinclude: vicar forane, Newton Grove Deanery.

TheArchdiocese of Atlanta comprises 21,445 square miles. It has a total populationof 7,048,083 people of which 1,023,594 or 14.5 percent, are Catholic. ArchbishopWilton D. Gregory has been archbishop of Atlanta since 2005. The archdiocese currently has one activeauxiliary bishop, Bishop Luis R. Zarama.  

---

Keywords: bishop appointment, Pope Francis, Bishop-elect BernardE. Shhlesinger III, Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio, auxiliary, Archdioceseof Atlanta, Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory, Auxiliary Bishops Luis R. Zarama.

# # #

MEDIA CONTACT:
Judy Keane
202-541-3200